Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


A Republic Era Map of Dali

A Republic Era map shows the development of the Dali region over the last hundred years.



A day of honours for village elders eighty years and over.


Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi

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In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.


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

Bai vernacular architecture is very ornate, the style of painting is recognised as national level intangible heritage.



An unspoilt Tibetan area along the Zhibaluo River.


C. Patterson Giersch: Asian Borderlands: The Transformation of Qing China's Yunnan Frontier

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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.


Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.

Markets this Wednesday

Kunming 昆明
Jiulong 九龙乡
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Longtou 龙头街

Dali 大理
Shunbi 順濞
Longjie 龙街
Shaba 沙坝
Fengyi 凤仪
Longjie 龙街
Wase 挖色
Yongjian 永连
Huangping 黄平镇
Dacang 大仓镇
Zhongjiang 中江
Zhongying 种英
Shanglan 上兰
Zhouguanying 周官营
Jindunjiecun 金墩街村
Shangcang 上沧
Gongguoqiao 功果桥镇
顺荡
Shidongcun 石洞村
Luming 鹿鸣乡
龙街
妙姑村
蛇街
Puping 普淜镇

Lijiang 丽江
Judian 巨甸镇

Honghe 红河
Zhicun 芷村镇
Niujiaozhai 牛角寨
Sancun 三村
Sankeshu 三棵树
Baiyun 白云乡
Dixibei 地西北
Yongning 永宁乡
Tutai 土台
Hongtian 红田

Wenshan 文山
Badaoshao 八道哨乡
Heizhiguo 黑支果乡
Dongma 董马乡
Boai 剥隘镇
Xinzhai 新寨乡

Chuxiong 楚雄
Maojie 猫街镇
Xiaoju 小苴
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Xiaopingtian 小平田
Wama 瓦马彝族白族乡
Tengchong 腾冲县

Lincang 临沧
Guoda 郭大彝族白族乡
Mangka 芒卡镇
Fengwei 风尾镇
Boshang 博商
Yalian 亚练乡
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Qujing 曲靖市
Daba 大坝
Fenghuang 凤凰
干海子
Laochang 老厂乡
Sandao 三道
Wuxing 五星乡
Xinjie 新街回族乡
Yangmeishan 杨梅山

Zhaotong 昭通
Linfeng 麟风
Shuitian 水田
Menggu 蒙姑镇

Yuxi 玉溪
Xingmeng 兴蒙
Hexi 河西
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

Nujiang 怒江
Lazan 腊咱
Lumadeng 鹿马登乡
Fugong 福贡

Puer 普洱
Yongping 永平镇
Meng'a 孟啊

Diqing 迪庆
Weideng 维登
Kaifaqu 开发区
岩瓦