Kiss of Life for an Old Caravan Market
Until the middle of last century, Shaxi was a flourishing village on the caravan road to Tibet. The following decades made it a place that history forgot. Now Shaxi is undergoing an award-winning restoration.
Kids from one of Lancang's 澜沧县 schools dress up in minority clothes for the annual Gourd Festival 葫芦节.
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.
Azhali is a historic branch of Buddhism with strong Bai local characteristics.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
Bai wedding customs.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Ghost Month | 13 Aug |
| Mule Fair | 17 Aug |
| Moerduo Temple Fair | 22 Aug |
| End of Heat | 23 Aug |
| Playing the Fragrant Dragon | 23 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 25 Aug |
| Maulid an-Nabi | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Aug |
| Burning Bag Festival | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 26 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 27 Aug |
| Ghost Month Rituals | 27 Aug |
Markets this Monday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Biaocun | 表村 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Jizushan | 鸡足山 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Misha | 弥沙 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Tuanjie | 团结 |
| Baishi | 白石 |
| Shaping | 沙平村 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| 前所 | |
| Miaowei | 苗尾傈僳族乡 |
| Taiping | 太平乡 |
| 云南驿村 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Laozhai | 老寨苗族乡 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Chemalong | 车玛龙 |
| 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 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Xinhua | 新华彝族苗族乡 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |