From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang
Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.
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.
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.
A number of Chinese historic texts covering life and politics in Yunnan have survived over the centuries. I have translated a few of them.
Baofeng's Benzhu festival is classed as Dali-level intangible cultural heritage.
Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.
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.
Small Benzhu shrine, used for rituals on the third day of Raosanling.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Bai Yi New Year | 28 Jul |
| Black Dragon Fair | 29 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 31 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 31 Jul |
| Guanyin Practice Day | 01 Aug |
| Guanyin Practice Day | 01 Aug |
| Play on the Lake | 01 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Aug |
| Guanyinshan Temple Fair | 01 Aug |
| Paddy Rice Birthday | 01 Aug |
| Dali Guanyin Worship | 01 Aug |
| Litang Horse Racing | 01 Aug |
Markets this Thursday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Nanxin | 南新 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Yangcen | 羊岑 |
| Maidi | 脉地 |
| Gudi | 古底 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Weishan | 巍山彝族回族自治县 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Qiaohou | 乔后 |
| Daying | 大营 |
| Taiyi | 太邑彝族乡 |
| Dianzhong | 甸中 |
| 鲁庄 | |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 田口 | |
| 太和社区 | |
| 龙洞村 | |
| 北桥 | |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Qiaodian | 乔甸镇 |
| 果城村 | |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
|---|---|
| Xiding | 西定哈尼族乡 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Menggu | 蒙姑镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Kangping | 康平乡 |
| Dehua | 德化镇 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Fuyan | 富岩 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Liming | 黎明乡 |
| 把边 |