Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子

The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子

The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子, north of Dali's Erhai Lake 洱海, has with West Lake 西湖 and the Miju River corridor 弥苴河 some beautiful, if hardly known, scenic areas. It's natural scenery, however, is man-made, the result of more than a thousand years of cultivation and water-management projects that have transformed a swamp and marshland into the current cultural environment.




A Lahu minority Christian service in a hill village near Menglian.


Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China

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Even if Chinese civilization has developed more against than with nature, the Mao years were a particular exercise in environmental destruction. In one case-study Shapiro tells the story of the draining of the northern part of Dianchi Lake, one of the first steps turning Kunming's lake into the fetid cess-pool it is today.


A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.

Jim Goodman: The Akha: Guardians of the Forest

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The Akha, in China known as the Aini branch of the Hani people, migrated from China southwards into Laos, Burma and Thailand. In this richly illustrated book J Goodman, aka 'Akha Jim', explains their life and culture.


Hometown of many Bai merchants, Xizhou boast some impressive architecture.

Markets this Sunday

Kunming 昆明
Zhuanlong 转龙镇
Tuanjie 团结
Xundian 寻甸回族彝族自治县

Dali 大理
Duomei 朵美
Jiuzhou 旧州
Junhua 均化
Sanying 三营
Yunlong 云龙县
Binchuan 宾川县
Liuhe 六合
Beitou 北头
Liantie 炼铁
Heqing 鹤庆县
Lawu 拉乌
Changxin 长新
Jianchuan 剑川县
Pingpo 平坡
Eryuan 洱源县
Niujie 牛街彝族乡
Minjian 民建乡
Liuchang 刘厂镇
Qinghaiying 青海营
龙洞村
青苗
Shalong 沙龙镇
Xinjie 新街镇
Mizhi 密祉镇
果城村
Xiazhuang 下庄镇

Lijiang 丽江
Hongyan 红岩

Xishuangbanna 西双版纳
Menghun 勐混
Mengman 勐满拉祜族哈尼族布朗族镇

Honghe 红河
Pingbian 屏边苗族自治县
Diema 垤玛
Mengzi 蒙自县
Chake 岔科
Liangdi 浪堤
Jiayin 甲寅
Azhahe 阿扎河
Baohua 宝华
Mengping 勐坪
Yongning 永宁乡
Luoen 洛恩
Laomeng 老勐

Wenshan 文山
Shuanglongying 双龙营乡
Guangnan 广南县
Zhujie 朱街镇
Lida 里达镇
Mugan 木杆
Banlun 板仑乡
Zhulin 珠琳镇
Pingyuan 平远
Funing 富宁县
Zhesang 者桑乡
Babao 八宝镇

Chuxiong 楚雄
Nanhua 南华县
Dayao 大姚县
Bailu 白路
Mixing 弥兴镇
Yaoan 姚安县
Guanglu 光路镇

Baoshan 保山市
Hehua 荷花傣族佤族乡
Xinzhai 新寨

Lincang 临沧
Mengding 孟定
Nanmei 南美拉祜族乡
Banhong 班洪乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Dahai 大海乡
Huohong 火红乡
Nagu 娜姑镇
Sandao 三道
Xitu 西土
迤车

Zhaotong 昭通
Shuanghe 双河

Yuxi 玉溪
Chahe 岔河
Dalongtan 大龙潭

Nujiang 怒江
Liuku 六库
Tongdian 通甸

Puer 普洱
Lancang 澜沧拉祜族自治县
Nanling 南岭乡
Nuofu 糯福
Dashan 大山乡
Fubang 富邦乡
Mengma 孟马镇
Mujia 木戛乡
Ankang 安康佤族乡
Wendong 文东佤族乡

Diqing 迪庆
Zhonglu 中路