Into the Land of the Black Lisu
The Nujiang Canyon, on Yunnan's western frontier, was until the 1930s a blank area on the map that not even Chinese troops dared to enter. In 1905 two British explorers made the first foray into this land of the Black Lisu.
Hidden in the forests above Shangyun 上允 are the ruins of a Buddhist temple fortress founded during the Qing Dynasty by separatist monks from Jizushan who built a significant religious following by the local Lahu and Dai people.
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.
Historic Building of the Pacification Commission in Menglian
Largest Miao village in the Kunming area with a large Christian community and a nationally-acclaimed church-choir.
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.
The Danxia, or red sandstore, cliffs around Liming are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just now being discovered.
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 |
| Yu An Hall Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Lingrui Temple Fair | 18 Sep |
| Shihe Luban Festival | 18 Sep |
| Benzhu Worship | 18 Sep |
Markets this Tuesday
| Kunming | 昆明 |
|---|---|
| Jiulong | 九龙乡 |
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Fuheng | 富恒 |
| Zhongsuo | 中所 |
| Liandong | 炼洞 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Fengyu | 风羽 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Fengyi | 凤仪 |
| Guanping | 关平 |
| Wase | 挖色 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Yongjian | 永连 |
| Baofeng | 宝丰乡 |
| Yinqiao | 银桥 |
| Madeng | 马镫 |
| Binju | 宾居 |
| Shuijing | 水井 |
| Dacang | 大仓镇 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Zhongjiang | 中江 |
| 西庄 | |
| 蛇街 | |
| Shidongcun | 石洞村 |
| Luming | 鹿鸣乡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| 妙姑村 | |
| 寅街村 | |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Midian | 米甸镇 |
| Qinghaiying | 青海营 |
| Jindunjiecun | 金墩街村 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Judian | 巨甸镇 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
|---|---|
| Mosha | 漠沙镇 |
| Xingmeng | 兴蒙 |
| Fuliangpeng | 富良棚 |
| Hexi | 河西 |
| Nujiang | 怒江 |
|---|---|
| Gudeng | 古登 |
| Bingzhongluo | 丙中洛 |
| Lishadi | 利沙底乡 |
| Fugong | 福贡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Weideng | 维登 |
| 岩瓦 |