Xu Xiake 徐霞客 in Dali
Xu Xiake (1586 - 1641) was China's first travel blogger. During the third lunar month in 1639 he travelled through Dali and recorded his experiences in his diary, posthumously published as 徐霞客游记. Is it still possible to retrace Xu's steps on the Dali plain?
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Upper Benzhu Temple in Wase.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
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 well preserved small town that grew rich on salt.
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship | 21 Oct |
| Orionid Meteor Shower | 21 Oct |
| Descent of Frost | 23 Oct |
| Xinuluo Remembrance Day | 23 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 23 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Oct |
| Full Moon Ritual | 24 Oct |
| Open Door Festival | 24 Oct |
| Guanyin Enlightenment | 28 Oct |
| Opening of the Fishing Season | 28 Oct |
| Dharmic Assembly | 31 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Oct |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Dianwei | 甸尾乡 |
| Yafangzi | Yafangzi |
| Heping | 和平乡 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Mengping | 勐坪 |
| Baixian | 白显 |