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.
An important Dai festival traditionally marking the beginning of the summer retreat for monks.
Jim Goodman: Children of the Jade Dragon: the Naxi of Lijiang and their mountain neighbours the Yi
In the first half of the 1990s Lijiang had barely made its appearance on the Chinese tourism stage, even less so the then remote mountains of Ningland and Lugu Lake. Jim Goodman's account of the Naxi and the Yi draws back to a time where not everything was staged for mass tourism: an account of a lost world.
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 big festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
Liao Yiwu: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu, one of China's most prominent dissidents, was driven out of China, but not before he used a period of internal exile to research Christian groups, mainly in Yunnan. In this book he tells the stories of the Christians of Dali and of Wuding county.
Making small figurines in Dali.
Upcoming Festivals
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Ghost Month | 13 Aug |
| Longkan Ghost Festival | 13 Aug |
| Dicang Fair | 15 Aug |
| Wild Mushroom Festival | 16 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship (Fengyu Area) | 17 Aug |
| Mule Fair | 17 Aug |
| Qixi Festival | 19 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 19 Aug |
| Benzhu Worship | 21 Aug |
| Moerduo Temple Fair | 22 Aug |
| Playing the Fragrant Dragon | 23 Aug |
| End of Heat | 23 Aug |
Markets this Sunday
| Dali | 大理 |
|---|---|
| Jiuzhou | 旧州 |
| Sanying | 三营 |
| Shanyang | 衫阳 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Wanqiao | 湾桥 |
| Xintun | 辛屯 |
| Songgui | 松桂 |
| Yunlong | 云龙县 |
| Binchuan | 宾川县 |
| Beitou | 北头 |
| Longjie | 龙街 |
| Liantie | 炼铁 |
| Lawu | 拉乌 |
| Jianchuan | 剑川县 |
| Caojian | 漕间 |
| Changxin | 长新 |
| Eryuan | 洱源县 |
| Huangping | 黄平镇 |
| Pingpo | 平坡 |
| Puping | 普淜镇 |
| Minjian | 民建乡 |
| Junhuacun | 均华村 |
| 青苗 | |
| Niujie | 牛街彝族乡 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
|---|---|
| Pingbian | 屏边苗族自治县 |
| Niujiaozhai | 牛角寨 |
| Diema | 垤玛 |
| Mengzi | 蒙自县 |
| Liangdi | 浪堤 |
| Chake | 岔科 |
| Jiayin | 甲寅 |
| Azhahe | 阿扎河 |
| Sankeshu | 三棵树 |
| Dixibei | 地西北 |
| Baohua | 宝华 |
| Yongning | 永宁乡 |
| Luoen | 洛恩 |
| Laomeng | 老勐 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
|---|---|
| Guangnan | 广南县 |
| Badaoshao | 八道哨乡 |
| Pingyuan | 平远 |
| Zhesang | 者桑乡 |
| Heizhiguo | 黑支果乡 |
| Dongma | 董马乡 |
| Boai | 剥隘镇 |
| Babao | 八宝镇 |
| Xinzhai | 新寨乡 |
| Qujing | 曲靖市 |
|---|---|
| Daba | 大坝 |
| 干海子 | |
| Kuangshan | 矿山镇 |
| Laochang | 老厂乡 |
| Sandao | 三道 |
| Wuxing | 五星乡 |
| Xinjie | 新街回族乡 |
| Yangmeishan | 杨梅山 |
| Yulu | 雨碌乡 |
| Diqing | 迪庆 |
|---|---|
| Shangjiang | 上江 |