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.
Hand-made giant sparklers, called "Fire Flowers" 火花, are part of the firework displays for temple fairs in Menglian county.
C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier
Yunnan was not always China: indeed not so long ago large parts of Yunnan were only nominally part of the empire. To make Yunnan, outside the main Han cities, a Chinese province required significant effort. Here Giersch's study on Yunnan's hinterland makes an interesting if academic read.
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.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Judith Shapiro: Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China
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.
An ancient Bai folk play form, preserved in Yunlong county.
With its well-preserved architecture and tranquil atmosphere, Weishan's capital is Yunnan's most beautiful county town.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| National Day | 01 Oct |
| Mountain God Temple Worship | 05 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 07 Oct |
| Confucius Birthday | 07 Oct |
| Confucius Worship | 07 Oct |
| Confucius Festival | 07 Oct |
| Cold Dew | 08 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 09 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 10 Oct |
| Northern Dipper Ritual | 10 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 10 Oct |
| Benzhu Festival | 11 Oct |
Markets this Monday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| 寅街村 | |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| 前所 | |
| 西庄 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| 云南驿村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Laozhai | 老寨苗族乡 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Chemalong | 车玛龙 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Puxiong | 普雄 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Baihe | 白河乡 |
| Shiping Guanyin Temple Alley | 石屏观音寺巷 |
| Chezhi | 扯直 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Banlun | 板仑乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |