Black Well, White Gold
Heijing is a small town in the northern Chuxiong mountains. Salt once made Heijing one of Yunnan's richest towns. Now its architectural splendours are being rediscovered.
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.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
A Lahu Church
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
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.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship | 27 Jul |
| Eighteen Altar Temple Fair | 28 Jul |
| Circling Jianhu | 28 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 28 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jul |
| Close Door Festival | 28 Jul |
| Full Moon Ritual | 28 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 28 Jul |
| Black Dragon Fair | 29 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 31 Jul |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Caifeng | 财丰 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Miaojie | 庙街镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Houshancun | 后山村 |
| 三胜 | |
| 三鹤 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Mingjiu | 鸣鹫镇 |
| Wantang | 湾塘乡 |
| Caoba | 草坝镇 |
| Shalatuo | 沙拉托 |
| Dayangjie | 大羊街 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Panzihua | 攀枝花 |
| Zhemi | 者米拉祜族乡 |
| Tongchang | 铜厂 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Kangpu | 康普 |