From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang
Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.
The watermills in Fengqing's Gumo village operate just like a thousand years ago.
Brenda McLean: George Forrest, Plant Hunter
George Forrest, perhaps the most successful plant collector of his time, left little written about his numerous journeys to Yunnan, so this well-illustrated book fills in much needed detail about his life.
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 has its own Torch Festival related customs.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila: Tibetans and Mosuo in Northwest Yunnan
Abstract: When Diqing Prefecture, opened its doors to foreign visitors in 1992, tourist agencies and government officials promoted Zhongdian County as the Shangrila of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. In 2001 the city officially changed its name to Shangrila. On a high plateau of over 3200 meters, surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks, inhabited mainly by relatively prosperous, friendly and contented Tibetans, with beautiful monasteries, lakes, forests and summer flowers, the county’s scenery and lifestyle certainly bore a strong resemblance to that in the novel. Living in Shangrila describes the life and environment of the Tibetan people throughout Diqing Prefecture. It also examines their neighbors the Mosuo, a branch of the Naxi nationality, who adopted Tibetan Buddhism as their religion, but are still mainly a matrilineal society, unique to Yunnan, living around Lugu Lake, the most picturesque body of water in the province. The book includes over 200 photographs.
Dali's dragon boat races were held on the day of the Torch Festival.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Yangmei Festival | 01 May |
| Fengyu Rice Transplant | 21 May |
| Grain Full | 21 May |
| Hotpant Festival | 22 May |
| Prince Festival | 24 May |
| Prince Festival | 24 May |
| Tiaogong Festival | 24 May |
| Dancing Cow | 24 May |
| Buddha's Birthday | 24 May |
| Dongpo Fair | 24 May |
| Cattle King | 24 May |
| Circling the Mountain | 24 May |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| 汤涧 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |