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 discovery of the bronze age culture of Sanxingdui in the Chengdu Plain is one of the most significant of the 20th century.
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.
An isolated Bai town with rich culture.
Yunnan's only Shui-Township with stunning karst scenery.
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.
Way of making ham in Nuodeng, Yunlong.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Flower Lantern | 15 Oct |
| Lajing Salt Road Culture Festival | 15 Oct |
| Mountain God Temple Worship | 16 Oct |
| Achimugua | 18 Oct |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Oct |
| Confucius Festival | 18 Oct |
| Confucius Worship | 18 Oct |
| Confucius Birthday | 18 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 20 Oct |
| Orionid Meteor Shower | 21 Oct |
| Temple Fair | 21 Oct |
| Welcoming the Grandmother | 21 Oct |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Qinghua | 清华 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Niujie | 牛街 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| 大栗树 | |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Shengcun | 生村 |
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Nafa | 那发 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Wuwan | 乌弯 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Daheigong | 大黑公 |
| Jiache | 架车 |
| Zhongzhai | 中寨 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Mangxin | 芒信镇 |
| Qiannuo | 千糯 |