My first major trip after the Corona period took me to the province of Yunnan, 3.5 hours by plane from Shanghai. It is located in southwest China, is as big as Germany and the Netherlands together and can be described as one of the most unusual provinces in China because of its cultural and natural diversity. In the north it borders on Tibet and Sichuan, in the south it forms China's outer border with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The climate zones are correspondingly different from the high mountains in the north, where Tibetans live, and the tropical jungle in the south with elephants living in the rainforest. Of the 55 recognized ethnic minorities in China, 36 live in Yunnan alone, and their customs and traditions are often part of the world cultural heritage. The province clearly offers the greatest diversity in several respects.
3.5 hour flight from Shanghai to Yunnan, the province is halfway to the western border of China in Central Asia. China's size never ceases to amaze. I wanted to go to the north of Yunnan, first to Kunming, the provincial capital, from there to Dali, the town of the Bai ethnic minority and the center of the former Dali Kingdom, then all the way north to Shangri-La, to the Tibetan area and from there to Lijiiang, the capital of the former Naxi Kingdom. All locations were over 2,000 meters throughout, with Shangri La setting the record at 3,200 meters. Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan I arrived in Kunming in the evening. I was awaited by the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations with bangers and fireworks, which in China are not only lit at midnight, but the whole evening before. The peak is undoubtedly at twelve o'clock at night, but continues into the morning and also in the following days. There are stalls selling tons of firecrackers and fireworks everywhere. A few years ago, the government banned popping, but no one complied. These restrictions have since been lifted. The first day of the new year began with sunshine and even though it was already a few weeks since New Year's Day in Europe, I got a feeling of real New Year's spirit, especially during a morning walk on this very fresh start of the year in the Emerald Lake Garden ( Green Lake Garden) in glorious sunshine. Kunming is known as the city of flowers and because of its mild climate as the city of eternal spring.
Because Kunming was only the starting point of my trip, I didn't want to stay long and soon I continued to Shilin, the Stone Forest, about 120 meters south of Kunming, a karst landscape that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage with its special rock formations. The strange stones can be crossed on walks through gorges and when climbing peaks. What I found more impressive, however, was that many visitors came in traditional costumes on this New Year's Day.
A tour group of Uyghurs is sitting in front of the entrance building to the nature park. On the same evening I went from Kunming by train to Dali.
Driving from Kunming by train, you could also have this sight in a German city, e.g. Frankfurt. Dali Dali was the capital of two great kingdoms in the 8th and 10th centuries, during the Tang Dynasty from 738 - 902 AD it was the center of the Nanzhao Kingdom, in the following Song Dynasty around 938 it became the Dali Kingdom, which lasted 500 years before being conquered by the Mongols under Kublai Khan, a grandson of the legendary Genghis Khan. During the conquest, the old city and the palace were destroyed and the political weight shifted from Dali to Kunming. Today's old town of Dali was rebuilt in the early 14th century during the Ming Dynasty. Dali lies between the foot of Cangshan Mountains and the shore of Erhai Lake at an altitude of 2000 meters. After all, the mountains of the Cangshan Mountains have a remarkable 4000 meters. From below from the city of Dali you don't notice this height, because you are already at 2000 meters and the mountains are forested far up.
A street in Dali's old town. The mountains of the Cangshan Mountains can be seen in the background. They rise directly on the western edge of the old town and are 4000 meters high.
Erhai Lake on the banks of which lies Dali's old town. The historical center of Dali looks like one would imagine an old city of China, no glossy skyline, instead two-storey houses and magnificent city gates, built mostly of wood and decorated with intricate carvings.
The South Gate of Dali - Dali has four major city gates, the city is laid out in a rectangular shape, two main streets crossing orthogonally in the middle, each ending at one of the four gates.
The north gate, in front of merchants selling fireworks. When I arrive in the evening, this city is also immersed in the New Year mood, the deafening noise of Chinacracker cascades fills the air, festive fireworks keep going up somewhere in the sky, many people let themselves be carried away by the evening atmosphere, the air is filled with smoke and steam Cookshops and grills soaked in gunpowder and the smell of freshly grilled food and the colorful lights of the restaurants, illuminated buildings and cookshops sink into the blur of the smoky air.
The west gate, also here fireworks vendors.
Xi-Zhou, a district of Dali Larger cities like Dali in China always include several ancient cities that were eventually incorporated. Therefore, there is not only one old town in Dali, but several. Xi-Zhou is one of the ancient small towns incorporated after Dali.
For typical street food, one must try Xi-zhou Ba Ba, Dali's best specialty. Pieces of dough are spread with plenty of lard, bacon and spring onions are sprinkled over them and everything is then baked. The whole thing is quite greasy, has a lot of calories, but it tastes good.
Za Ran - Baik technique of the Bai
The Bai ethnic minority lives in and around Dali. The women wear their traditional costumes not only on public holidays, but every day, do their work in them, wash vegetables in them on the market, scale fish on the street or make batik cloths Mainly older women wear traditional costumes. The Bai ethnic group numbers about 1.9 million people, living mainly in Yunnan but also in Guizhou and Hunan. Their Bai language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. The history of batik production in China dates back to the 6th century. In this family workshop, the knotting technique is used, in which ornaments are sewn into the cloth through threads that remain light when dyed, creating these patterns.
Many knots create complex patterns.
This work, which is ready for dyeing, looks like a ball of knots and cloth.
After the dye bath, the threads are removed and the cloth unfolded.
Bai women in the market Drive to Shangri-La and stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge From Dali my journey continued into the mountains to Shangri-La. You can choose between two routes to get there, either the older one, which takes a few hours to drive, or the brand new Xili Expressway, a hypermodern highway that connects Lijiang and Shangri-La in a significantly shorter travel time. For the drive to Shangri-La I chose the longer drive. First we went north from Dali on the G214. At some point the road leads directly to the Yangtze River, which makes its first big bend here in Yunnan and from here it no longer flows southwards but a little northwards. I stopped to see the huge river, which is small here but will become the third longest river on earth at 6380 kilometers. So far I only know the river from its mouth in Shanghai, where it is as wide as Lake Constance.
At the Songyuan Bridge, the G214 road crosses the river, which forms the border between the administrative divisions of Dali and Shangri-Las. On the Shangri-La side, one is in the land of the Tibetans, where a Tibetan Buddhist pagoda and some yak sculptures greet me.
From the village of Changsheng, the road leaves the course of the Yangtze River and winds its way up into the mountains. But before going uphill, I want to see the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is only six kilometers away, and make a stopover. A few more kilometers further under the Jinshajiang Bridge-Hutiaoxia, a brand new bridge opened in 2020 that belongs to the high-speed Xili Expressway. It crosses the river at a height of 260 meters, making it one of the tallest bridges in the world. on the way back from Shangri-La I will also drive over this bridge.
The Jinshajiang Bridge-Hutiaoxia with red ropes, 700 meters behind, a railway bridge crosses the river. In the background the impressive Jade Dragon Snow Mountains that lie above the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The Yangtze River in Tiger Leaping Gorge On the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, a wild mountain river, squeezes its way through the Tiger Leaping Gorge for 15 kilometers. The height difference from the top of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains to the water is 3900 meters, making this gorge the deepest in the world. It got its name from a rock that lies in the middle of the river. It is said that there used to be tigers there who could cross the river at this point with two courageous jumps over the rocks.
Is it legend or truth? Some sources claim it is a legend, but there are said to be ancient people who independently report seeing a tiger crossing the river through the jump. In southern China there was a tiger population of around 4000 animals up until the 1940s. In the 1950s and 1960s they were released as pests to be shot down. The population was reduced to 1000 animals and could not recover. Extensive investigations around the turn of the millennium found no direct evidence for the existence of the tiger in this region. Tigers still live in China, but not here.
The three parallel rivers of China Not only the Yangtze flows through Yunnan, but also two other large rivers, the Mekong, at 4909 kilometers one of the longest rivers on earth, which flows into the South China Sea and the Saluen, which reaches the Indian Ocean after 2980 meters. All three rivers, which are among the largest rivers in Asia, flow almost parallel through the Three Parallel Rivers National Park, separated by mountain ranges up to 6000 meters high.
The three rivers and their surroundings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage, among other things because of their distinctive biodiversity, the evolutionary and ecological importance and the scenic beauty. There are several climate zones within a short distance due to the height of the mountains.
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountains seen from the other side, that is, from Lijiang. Behind them lies the Tiger Leaping Gorge with the Jangste.
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountains in the morning sun For my onward journey to Shangri-La I drive back to the G214. It goes into the mountains and with every kilometer higher. At some point, a marking on the side of the road indicates that I have exceeded the altitude of 3000 meters. The views are breathtaking. In the distance, I am always accompanied by the sight of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains and at some mountain villages that I drive through or that are on one of the opposite slopes, I wonder how the people live there and how they celebrate the New Year festival there. Are there also extensive family banquets or fireworks here? Driving through the easternmost part of the Himalayas is fascinating. On the one hand, it looks like the Alps, but it is quite different. The rough landscape, which demands a lot from its inhabitants, and the millennia-old adaptation of the people to their environment are the only common denominator. You can feel the gigantic size and height of the Himalayas and be impressed. From here it stretches 2500 kilometers to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Shangri La Shangri-La is 3200 meters above sea level. When I arrived, the weather was great and will remain so in the coming days. The nights can get very cold up here. The beds have heated mattresses. When I arrive at the hotel, I look for a warm spot by the stove, but the door is wide open. This is not uncommon in China, as the Chinese have a fresh air fetish, no matter how much energy it costs. During the night, temperatures drop to minus 7 degrees. Sometimes I wake up gasping for breath, like I forgot to breathe in my sleep. The altitude and the lack of oxygen are noticeable. Climbing stairs is also exhausting and gives a foretaste of old age.
Shangri-La was formerly called Zhongdian County Town. In 2001 it was renamed and got its current Tibetan name, which means something like "sun and moon in the heart". The place has been renamed to better market it for tourism. The fictional name comes from the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" by British author James Hilton. The place in the novel is considered a retreat from world events and the earthly paradise on earth. Since the novel became a bestseller and there was also a successful film adaptation, a Shangri-La hype arose, which led to the fact that the name now has a certain life of its own in many languages.
The site is over 1300 years old and was an important stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road that brought brick tea to Tibet. But it is also an important link between Chinese and Tibetan language, culture, people and religion.
The heart of the ancient city is the Guishan Buddhist Temple, also known as "Big Tortoise Hill". The newly built temple occupies the site of an original structure from 1667 dedicated to a replica of the Sakyamuni statue in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. It was rebuilt after Shangri-La burned down in 2014. 1084 houses were destroyed, fortunately no one was injured. The reconstruction started immediately afterwards and without this knowledge you would absolutely not notice that many houses are not really as.
The temple complex houses the largest prayer wheel in the world. It is over 21 meters high and weighs over 60 tons. Moved by many believers, it keeps turning in a leisurely motion.
One of the main attractions of Shanri-Las is the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery. Built in 1674 at the behest of the fifth Dalai Lama, it was modeled after his seat of government, the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Located at 3400 meters above sea level, it was destroyed in 1959 during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in the 1980s. Today, Ganden Sumtseling is the spiritual center of 700 Tibetan monks and lamas. It is the largest Tibetan Buddhist complex in Yunnan and one of the most important monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism. During the visit, the spiritual aura was announced from afar by isolated deep, dull drumbeats that sounded across.
The entrance gate to the monastery is at the foot of Foping Hill. The forecourt in front of the two main halls, the Zhacang Hall and the Jikang Hall of the monastery, which form the center, can be reached via 146 steps.
Access to the main hall of Songzanlin Monastery.
Photography is not allowed in the halls, the impressions are overwhelming. The main hall is supported by 108 imposing pillars that fill the space like a forest and because of their height in the upper part of the building disappear like in a sky. The height at which the pillars are lost reminds me a bit of a fly screen in a theater. The walls of the hall are painted with wonderful frescoes depicting Buddhist stories and legends. Cushions lie on the floor between the pillars, places for more than 1600 monks who can sing and meditate here. The halls are lit with incense and yak butter lamps. The altars are permanently adorned with yak butter flower sculptures. The cloisters are all adorned with beautiful sculptures and finished frescoes. A few monks are sitting on the cushions, which you only notice when you walk along the edge of the hall, as they are sometimes more, sometimes less visible in the forest of columns as if behind tree trunks. A standing monk leaning against a pillar has under his arm his typical yellow headgear worn by the monks of the Tibetan Gelug school. The two main halls are surrounded by eight khamstsen, the study and living quarters of the monks.
A traditional Tibetan breakfast. The main ingredient is yak milk, from which quark and butter are made. You drink butter tea to which yak butter and salt are added. The tea is further used to knead it with tsampa, a flour made from roasted barley grains, into a pulp that is formed into balls that are eaten with butter tea. Tampa can be seen in the photo above left, cottage cheese and butter in the two middle bowls. The butter is swimming in fat. Yak milk products have an unusual taste and are very nutritious. Without yaks, life in the heights of the Himalayas would be difficult or even impossible, as they are essential sources of nutrients.
A yak
Tibetan houses have an unusual architecture. The walls taper slightly upwards, as do the window reveals. The flat gabled roofs protrude over the house walls and thus appear like roof shapes in the Alpine regions. One side of the house is open like a log and is usually supported by two large tree trunks, i.e. columns. Unusual and less aesthetic are the winter gardens built in front of the houses. They keep out sharp winds and cold.
From Shangri-La the journey goes back south. This time over the express highway, which will also take me over the bridge over Tiger Leaping Gorge. I'm impressed with the road. It consists almost entirely of tunnels and bridges. The construction of the road is an impressive feat of engineering. Naxi - another ethnic minority of China Finally, I come to Baisha, the first Naxi settlement on my way. The Naxi culture was researched by the Austrian-American botanist Joseph Francis Rock, who actually wanted to study the fauna in Yunnan, but became a polymath, geographer, linguist and ethnologist. He wrote the two-volume work The Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of Southwest China. Rock lived and researched in Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, eastern Tibet and Hawaii for almost 30 years and is considered one of the most renowned researchers of Chinese and Hawaiian flora. He lived in a village near Lijiang in a house that now houses a museum about him. His experiences, which he published in National Geographic Magazine, inspired writer James Hilton to write his novel Lost Horizon, which focuses on Shangri-La, a fictional place in Tibet that became a world literature novel and sold millions of copies , became a myth. The Naxi have a strong relationship with nature and respect it accordingly, especially their forests. Throughout its history, tree felling has been prohibited. Those who violated these principles had to go into nature and ask for forgiveness there. Naxi society is a matriarchy, women are the heads of the family, inheritances go to daughters not sons. There are no monogamous marriages among the Naxi, so there are no marriage rituals and every Naxi, whether man or woman, can have several partners. The Naxi religion is heavily influenced by Tibet, which is why most Naxi adhere to Tibetan Buddhism. However, their way of life is gradually disappearing along with the writing. Despite this, 60% of Lijiang's residents are still Naxi.
The Tea Horse Road and Silk Embroidery in Baisha The ancient city of Bashi at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains is an important city for silk embroidery and also an important center on the ancient Tea Horse Road, also known as the Southern Silk Road. This Southern Silk Road was primarily for trading in two commodities: brick tea and horses. The tea was brought to Tibet from Yunnan, and horses came to Yunnan from Tibet as payment. There was not just a single road, but a whole network of trade routes. The road to Tibet was arduous, going up over 4000 meters and it took 2000 kilometers to get from Dali to Lhasa. From there, some of the tea continued to Calcutta, which was an additional 1000 kilometers, because there was no tea in India until 1830. It was first introduced there by the British to avoid dependence on China. However, most of the tea remained in Tibet. Trade on the Southern Silk Road began in the 7th and 8th centuries. century started. Mules or porters who transported up to 300 pounds of tea on their backs were used as transport animals. Of course, neither mules nor porters covered the entire route, only parts of it. Then the goods were reloaded onto the animals and carriers for the next stage. Brick tea - a specialty of southwest China Brick tea is pressed tea that could be transported in a space-saving manner in this way. Because of the transport routes in the country, it is also called caravan tea. It was mainly drunk in Russia, from where it got the name Russian tea, which is common in Germany. It is dark, reddish brown and has a spicy, earthy taste. It is said that storing it next to the campfire gave the tea leaves a smoky aroma that is still a characteristic of caravan tea today. The fact that the smoky taste penetrated the tea through the campfire "probably belongs in the realm of romantic fairy tales that are occasionally told while drinking tea". (Rohrsen, P. (2022). The book on tea: Varieties, cultures, trade) Silk embroidery is another Naxi heritage and is considered to be some of the finest and most influential in all of China. This culture has been cultivated for 1200 years. Pictures with landscape motifs from the area around Lijiang are embroidered from silk or appliqués with ornaments for clothing. There is an institute in Baisha where students can learn the art of silk embroidery.
The old town of Baisha lies at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains, which can be seen in the background of the photos below. I already knew this massif from the Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is now on the other side as seen from Baisha and Lijiang.
In the alleys of Lijiang, in the background the jade dragon snow mountains shine again in the sunset. Lijiang From Baisha we continue to Lijiang, about 15 kilometers away, a city with a huge, labyrinth-like old town, Dayan, where you can quickly get lost walking through the picturesque alleys along the canals and watercourses. It is one of the best preserved ancient cities in all of China. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.
The Black Dragon Pool Lijiang is the residence city of the Mu rulers. In 1737, just outside the city, they created the area around the Black Dragon Pool. The most famous view is the five-arched marble bridge leading to the "Pavilion that Embraces the Moon". The snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountains can be seen again in the background.
An old legend gave the Black Dragon Pool its name: long ago there were ten evil dragons that caused a lot of destruction and caused great harm to people. One day, one of the eight immortals of Chinese legend Lu Dungbin subdued nine of the dragons and imprisoned them in a tower. Only the youngest black dragon was left, who offered to benefit and protect the people as a price for his freedom. It is said that he has lived in these waters ever since.
This beautiful garden was laid out by Tusi Mu, one of the tribal chiefs or princes of the Naxi. The Tusi ruler system was introduced by the Mongols, who had conquered the kingdom of Dali in 1253 and ruled the Middle Kingdom to the Ming Dynasty as the Yuan Dynasty. In this Tusi system, tribal chiefs of former princely kingdoms or tribal chiefs were appointed as officials by the Yuan rulers in Beijing, but continued to live like princes and could inherit their titles. On the one hand, the system served to integrate the conquered areas into the empire, on the other hand, the national minorities could retain their customs and way of life. The Tusi system was first introduced in Yunnan Province and later adopted in numerous, mainly western Chinese provinces. It was maintained throughout all subsequent imperial dynasties, the Ming and Qing dynasties following the Yuan. It even existed after the German Empire ended in 1912 and was only dissolved in the People's Republic. Many cultures and religions suffered during the Cultural Revolution, but now all minorities are protected and there is freedom of belief in the People's Republic. The garden surrounding the Black Dragon Pool was a retreat for the Naxi princes, their summer residence, so to speak.
Dongba - the oldest pictogram script still in use by mankind The Dongba script is taught and preserved in a center by the lake. The special paper for the picture writing is also made here. The raw material for the paper is the leaves of a plant that only grows in the gorges of the Gold Sand River in the Snowy Mountains, which are over 2000 meters high. This script, consisting of pictograms, still exists today, the oldest existing imagery in the world, which is taught by shamans and resembles hieroglyphs. Thanks to the shamans who continued to teach the script during the times of popular oppression during the Cultural Revolution, the script survived the Cultural Revolution. It is part of the intangible world cultural heritage.
The Dongba scriptures number more than 20,000 books. They are considered an encyclopedia of Naxi history. The Mu Palace in the old town of Lijiang There is also a palace within the city of Lijiang, in the middle of the maze of alleys, one of the largest residential complexes in all of China, the Mu Palace. It was started during the Ming Dynasty and during its heyday the palace grounds comprised over 100 buildings. There is a saying, "To the north is the Forbidden City, to the south is the residence of the Mu". It is also called the Forbidden City in miniature and the Mu rulers used this as a model in Beijing.
A mountain rises behind the palace grounds, on the slope of which a garden stretches upwards. Definitely worth going up there as there are great views of the old town from the top.
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