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.
WeiBaDa 维巴达 is a Dai ritual worshipping traces of Buddha, such as footprints and handprints, in Jinggu county 景谷县.
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.
Main Benzhu Temple in Wase.
A history trading post on the upper reaches of the Yangzi.
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.
Ancient Daoist temple music performed in Dali.
Best surviving station on the French-built Vietnam-Kunming railway.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Zheng He Cultural Tourism Festival | 11 Jul |
| Southern Dipper Ritual | 14 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 14 Jul |
| Lizhi Festival | 16 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Jul |
| Flowery Face Festival | 18 Jul |
| Sixth of June | 19 Jul |
| Waxberry Festival | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Bai Yi New Year | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Jul |
Markets this Wednesday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Shunbi | 順濞 |
| Shaba | 沙坝 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Caicun | 才村 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Zuòyì | 作邑 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Shuanglang | 双廊镇 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Zhongying | 种英 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| Shanglan | 上兰 |
| Zhouguanying | 周官营 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| Gongguoqiao | 功果桥镇 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Shangcang | 上沧 |
| 顺荡 | |
| 龙街 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Zhicun | 芷村镇 |
| Mengla | 勐拉 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Sancun | 三村 |
| Baiyun | 白云乡 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Tutai | 土台 |
| Maandi | 马鞍底 |
| Hongtian | 红田 |
| Baoshan | 保山市 |
|---|---|
| Manglong | 芒龙 |
| Lincang | 临沧 |
|---|---|
| Guoda | 郭大彝族白族乡 |
| Cangyuan | 沧源佤族自治县 |
| Lushi | 鲁史 |
| Quannei | 圈内 |
| Shuangjiang | 双江拉祜族佤族布朗族傣族自治县 |
| Junsai | 军赛乡 |
| Zhenkang | 镇康县 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |