古镇: Death-knell for Yunnan's Historic Towns
In China even the 'old towns' are new. Under the 古镇, or ancient town, moniker old towns are razed and their population driven out to make space for sanitized versions of Chinese history that drive the tourist dollar.
The temple in Mangdao 芒岛, built in 1899, is one of few surviving examples of Dai Buddhist temples having survived the Cultural Revolution by being converted into grain storage.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Dali's biggest religious festival at the end of the fourth lunar month.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
John Israel: Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution
Everyone knows about the Mao's Long March, but a few years later another long march took place: that of Chinese students leaving their cushy campuses on the east coast, trekking all the way to Yunnan where their universities reformed as Lianda, the united university. Kunming, then a total backwater, became a hotbed for new ideas, not just scientific. We liked the section of east coast girls scampering around Mengzi in their latest fashion.
A historic Han village in Midu county.
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Zheng He Cultural Tourism Festival | 11 Jul |
| Southern Dipper Ritual | 14 Jul |
| Lizhi Festival | 16 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jul |
| Flowery Face Festival | 18 Jul |
| Waxberry Festival | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Sixth of June | 19 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Wild Mushroom Trade Fair | 20 Jul |
Markets this Thursday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Baixian | 白显 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Donghui | 东回镇 |
| Baozang | 宝藏乡 |
| Xuelin | 雪林佤族乡 |
| Menglian | 孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县 |
| Mengsuo | 勐梭镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |