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.
An important Dai festival traditionally marking the beginning of the summer retreat for monks.
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.
Yi embroidery.
The turn of the Yangzi made Chinese civilization possible and was the location of many important battles.
Jim Goodman: The Terrace Builders: The Hani and their Neighbors in Yunnan's Ailao Mountains
Abstract: The rice terraces of the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan province, China, are some of the oldest terraced farms in Asia. First mentioned in Tang Dynasty records, these farms, 80% of which are irrigated, with water running through them all year round, have been in continuous use for over a thousand years. In 2013 UNESCO declared the heartland of this area a World Heritage Site. The Terrace Builders is a detailed account of how these farms are made and used, the cities and mountains of Honghe Prefecture and the far north of Vietnam, as well as the various ethnic minorities who live there. The book pays special attention to the Hani people, the largest ethnic group in the area, and includes summaries of the culture and clothing of their neighbors the Yi, Miao, Yao, Zhuang and Dai. The book includes 300 photos of the land and its people.
Location of the historically important 'Cangshan Conference' in 794AD.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Walnut Festival | 01 Sep |
| Yunlong August Trade Fair | 13 Sep |
| New Rice | 15 Sep |
| "Replenish Provisions" Ritual | 16 Sep |
| Benzhu Festival | 16 Sep |
| Benzhu Festival | 16 Sep |
| Corpse Recovering Festival | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
| Shihe Luban Festival | 18 Sep |
| Yu An Hall Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Lingrui Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| 果城村 | |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| Xinjie | 新街镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| Mizhi | 密祉镇 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| 顺荡 | |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| Liuchang | 刘厂镇 |
| 龙街 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Shigu | 石鼓镇 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Xiaopingtian | 小平田 |
| Tengchong | 腾冲县 |
| Wama | 瓦马彝族白族乡 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Baozang | 宝藏乡 |
| Fubang | 富邦乡 |
| Mujia | 木戛乡 |
| Yongping | 永平镇 |
| Mengxian | 勐先镇 |
| Ankang | 安康佤族乡 |
| Meng'a | 孟啊 |
| Wendong | 文东佤族乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |
| Kaifaqu | 开发区 |