Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities
When in April 2017 guesthouses and restaurants around western Yunnan's Erhai Lake were suddenly summarily ordered closed until further notice, big character slogans also began proclaiming: "Protecting Erhai: The Seven Big Activities" 保护洱海七大行动. The slogan suggests that the closure of tourist facilities is just one part of a wider campaign to clean up the Erhai environment.
Traditional Han teople in the market of Daqiao, Huize 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.
Biggest festival in the Dali region, once Bai New Year.
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
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.
Traditional toys in Jianchuan county.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Mar |
| Chicken Worship | 25 Mar |
| Yangbi Sword Ladder Festival | 26 Mar |
| Migu Festival | 26 Mar |
| Sanduo Festival | 26 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Mar |
| Snack Festival | 26 Mar |
| Dragon and Tea Worship | 26 Mar |
| Houshan Ancestor Worship | 26 Mar |
| Cattle Festival | 26 Mar |
| Horse Cherry Blossom | 26 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship | 26 Mar |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| 太和社区 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Shuanglongying | 双龙营乡 |
| Lida | 里达镇 |
| Zhujie | 朱街镇 |
| Mugan | 木杆 |
| Zhulin | 珠琳镇 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Mangxin | 芒信镇 |
| Baozang | 宝藏乡 |
| Qiannuo | 千糯 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |