Watersplashing in Yongping
Ask for the Watersplashing Festival, or Poshuijie 泼水节, and everyone will tell you to go to Jinghong, capital of Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Region: the 'biggest and best' Dai celebrations to mark their New Year are taking place there. And big it is. Thousands of Han Chinese and foreign tourist flock to Jinghong every year. Jinghong's Poshuijie certainly is big -- and very commercial. If big crowds and big events are your thing, go to Jinghong.
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.
Ronald G. Knapp: China's Old Dwellings
Few people know as much about Chinese architecture as Knapp: from palaces to humble homes he explains important building principles; the connection between environment and housing styles and the development of style over time. A section on minority housing styles complements the book.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
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.
Jiama are religious woodcut prints.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Litang Horse Racing | 01 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 03 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 04 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 04 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 05 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 05 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 05 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 05 Aug |
| Red Rice Festival | 06 Aug |
| Torch Festival | 06 Aug |
| Taliu Pancake Festival | 06 Aug |
| Mishi Festival | 06 Aug |
Markets this Tuesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Yalian | 亚练乡 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Zhonglu | 中路 |