The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子
The Dengchuan Plain 邓川坝子, north of Dali's Erhai Lake 洱海, has with West Lake 西湖 and the Miju River corridor 弥苴河 some beautiful, if hardly known, scenic areas. It's natural scenery, however, is man-made, the result of more than a thousand years of cultivation and water-management projects that have transformed a swamp and marshland into the current cultural environment.
Jim Goodman: Xishuangbanna
For most of its history Xishuangbanna existed as an autonomous state on the remote southern periphery of China, run by the same Dai family since the 12th century. Lying in the tropical zone, on the northern rim of Southeast Asia, with flora and fauna not only unlike the rest of China, but even unique in Yunnan province, it has had close ethnic and cultural relations with its neighbors in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The valleys are home to the Dai nationality, while several ethnic minorities inhabit the hills. Xishuangbanna: the Tropics of Yunnan narrates the history and development of the Dai people, their culture, society and religion, from ancient times through the period of incorporation into the Chinese state. It also covers the characteristics of the lifestyle, culture and celebrations of the peoples of the mountains, as well as the economic and political changes of recent times and their effects on both hill and plain.
Yunnan Tours
We can put you in contact with personally vetted, experienced tour guides, speaking Chinese, English, Dutch and German, for southwestern China. They can help you plan a trip matching your personal interests and requirements and accompany you on your trip. We just provide the introduction, we do not charge any commission or fees.
For enquiries email tours@yunnanexplorer.com.
Followers of Jianchuan Azhali Buddhism perform a candle dance in Shaxi.
A well-preserved Bai merchant town with perhaps the best examples of Bai traditional architecture.
Fog swirling on a cold winter morning over endless rice-terraces, the red of the
early morning sun reflected in the flooded paddies: this is the classic view of the
Hani Rice Terraces of Yuanyang, now of UNESCO World Heritage status.
Jim Goodman: Living in Shangrila
Abstract: When Diqing Prefecture, opened its doors to foreign visitors in 1992, tourist agencies and government officials promoted Zhongdian County as the Shangrila of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. In 2001 the city officially changed its name to Shangrila. On a high plateau of over 3200 meters, surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks, inhabited mainly by relatively prosperous, friendly and contented Tibetans, with beautiful monasteries, lakes, forests and summer flowers, the county’s scenery and lifestyle certainly bore a strong resemblance to that in the novel. Living in Shangrila describes the life and environment of the Tibetan people throughout Diqing Prefecture. It also examines their neighbors the Mosuo, a branch of the Naxi nationality, who adopted Tibetan Buddhism as their religion, but are still mainly a matrilineal society, unique to Yunnan, living around Lugu Lake, the most picturesque body of water in the province. The book includes over 200 photographs.
Raw pork skin, together with raw pork meat and sometimes even raw pork liver are traditional delicacies in Dali.
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 | 25 Jan |
| Gedong | 28 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 31 Jan |
| Daba Spring Festival Evening Party | 31 Jan |
| Lunar New Year's Eve | 31 Jan |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Feb |
| New Year Ritual | 01 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Feb |
| Benzhu Worship | 01 Feb |
| Heshen Festival | 01 Feb |
| Spring Festival | 01 Feb |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Shuixie | 水泄 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Gonglang | 公郎镇 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Majie | 马街 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Lvchun | 绿春县 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Niujie | 牛街镇 |
| Xinjie | 新街 |
| Shaochong | 哨冲镇 |
| Nanke | 南科 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Mengqiao | 勐桥乡 |
| Jinping | 金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Pingzhai | 平寨乡 |
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Nanping (Majie) | 南屏镇 (马街） |
| Banggu | 蚌谷乡 |
| Muyang | 木央镇 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Jiagetu | 价格土 |