What About the Elephants?
The use of elephants in Chinese agriculture remains a source of fascination -- but was it real?
In Huize, the old capital of copper in Yunnan, many splendid guildhalls survive.
Fei Hsiao-Tung and Chang Chih-I: Earthbound China: A Study of Rural Economy in Yunnan
Fei is the father of modern sociology in China: western-trained, he came to Yunnan at the end of the 1930s when China's eastern universities relocated west. In "Earthbound China" he applied modern empirical techniques that he had pioneered around Shanghai to the Chinese hinterland. The economical development, and subsequent societal changes, of three un-named, but typical villages in Yunnan is analyzed in great detail in this fascinating study.
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 Yi in the southern part of Dali have a special Dance and Song Festival.
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.
Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the
early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the
Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Bai Opera | 21 Feb |
| Benzhu Festival | 23 Feb |
| Miluoqimi Fair | 23 Feb |
| Lantern Festival | 24 Feb |
| Benzhu Festival | 24 Feb |
| Yi Benzhu Festival | 24 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 24 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 24 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 24 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 24 Feb |
| Big Incense Festival | 24 Feb |
| Benzhu Festival | 24 Feb |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| 蛇街 | |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 前所 | |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| 顺荡 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| 云南驿村 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| 龙街 | |
| 妙姑村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Zhicun | 芷村镇 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Baiyun | 白云乡 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Tutai | 土台 |
| Hongtian | 红田 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Guoda | 郭大彝族白族乡 |
| Xinhua | 新华彝族苗族乡 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Baiwu | 白雾 |
| Daqiao | 大桥乡 |
| Leye | 乐业镇 |
| Luna | 鲁纳乡 |
| Malu | 马路乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Shangcun | 上村乡 |
| Yulu | 雨碌乡 |
| Zhichang | 纸厂乡 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |