Marco Polo in Yunnan?
Did the great Venetian traveller reach Yunnan? Almost certainly not, but still his accounts are the first words Europeans heard about this far-away region.
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.
An ancient burial mountain.
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
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.
Biggest festival in the Dali region, once Bai New Year.
This old caravan town on the Jinsha River is Yunnan's gateway to Tibet.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Miluoqimi Fair | 23 Feb |
| Benzhu Festival | 26 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 26 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 26 Feb |
| Receiving the Village Protector | 26 Feb |
| Kaixinjie | 26 Feb |
| Hedian Lantern Festival | 26 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 26 Feb |
| Welcoming the Benzhu | 26 Feb |
| Emperor Day | 27 Feb |
| Receiving the Village Protector | 27 Feb |
| Receiving the Village Protector | 27 Feb |
Markets this Friday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Xiangtu | 象图乡 |
| Hecun | 萂村 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Jiancao | 捡槽 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Gunipen | 沽泥盆 |
| Waxi | 瓦溪 |
| Wuxing | 五星 |
| Pingchuan | 平川 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Yangbi | 漾濞彝族自治县 |
| Baidangping | 白荡坪 |
| Shaxi | 沙溪 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Yousuo | 右所镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Xishan | 西山乡 |
| 大栗树 | |
| 西庄 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Jijie | 鸡街乡 |
| Beiya | 北衙 |
| Wachang | 瓦厂乡 |
| 汤涧 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shunzhou | 顺州 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Xinhua | 新华乡 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Lengquan | 冷泉镇 |
| Lengdun | 冷墩 |
| Dongshan | 东山镇 |
| Longwu | 龙武镇 |
| Shitouzhai | 石头寨 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Daibu | 待补镇 |
| Fenghuang | 凤凰 |
| 干海子 | |
| Jiache | 驾车乡 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |