From Niujiaozhai to Yuanyang
Yuanyang county, south of the Red River in the province's southeast, is famous for its Hani rice-terraces. With its splendid vistas and ethnic mix it is also a great area for hiking. Here we describe a moderate day-hike starting at the market-town of Niujiaozhai, passing through Yi and Hani villages and ending with stunning sunset vistas over the rice-terraces of Longshuba.
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.
A spectacularly narrow canyon high above the Jinsha River.
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.
Benzhu Temple dedicated to 段宗棒.
Unspoiled Weishan boast Yunnan's most beautiful county town, an important Taoist mountain and areas of strong Muslim and Yi tradition.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 14 Mar |
| Zhaoxia Mountain Temple Fair | 15 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Jianchuan Area) | 16 Mar |
| Men's Festival | 17 Mar |
| Pear Flower Festival | 17 Mar |
| Weibaoshan Pilgrimage | 19 Mar |
| New Moon Ritual | 19 Mar |
| Madeng Trade Fair | 19 Mar |
| Aluowuluo | 19 Mar |
| Kaixinjie | 19 Mar |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu) | 19 Mar |
| Wrestling Festival | 20 Mar |
Markets this Saturday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Duomei | 朵美 |
| Zhoucheng | 州城 |
| Junhua | 均化 |
| Yongping | 永平县 |
| Paiying | 排营 |
| Lijiao | 力角 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Haidong | 海东 |
| Shijing | 师井 |
| Diannan | 甸南 |
| Liuhe | 六合 |
| Heqing | 鹤庆县 |
| Jiangwei | 江尾镇 |
| Hedian | 禾甸镇 |
| Changyi | 长邑村 |
| Xiazhuang | 下庄镇 |
| Deju | 德苴乡 |
| Shalong | 沙龙镇 |
| Hongyan | 红岩镇 |
| 龙洞村 | |
| 桥街 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
|---|---|
| Jiuhe | 九河 |
| Zhaotong | 昭通 |
|---|---|
| Shuanghe | 双河 |
| Puer | 普洱 |
|---|---|
| Jiangcheng | 江城哈尼族彝族自治县 |
| Nuofu | 糯福 |
| Lancang | 澜沧县 |
| Dashan | 大山乡 |
| Mengma | 孟马镇 |