Sep 8th, 2011 at 6:00PM:
Sometimes it's the simplest images that reach out and grab the viewer. Take today's Photo of the Day, snapped by Flickr user Bernard-SD, of a red lantern snapped in Yunnan Province, China. The lantern's glow is almost magical. Though Bernard-SD took this photograph in July, the image's deep warmth strikes me as particularly appropriate for early September, as summer's slow turn into fall ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
yunnan posts
Photo of the day - Red lantern in China
Sep 8th, 2011 at 6:00PM:
Sometimes it's the simplest images that reach out and grab the viewer. Take today's Photo of the Day, snapped by Flickr user Bernard-SD, of a red lantern snapped in Yunnan Province, China. The lantern's glow is almost magical. Though Bernard-SD took this photograph in July, the image's deep warmth strikes me as particularly appropriate for early September, as summer's slow turn into fall ...South of the Clouds: Songtsam Retreat, Shangri-la
Jan 17th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
Set on a hillside directly overlooking the Songtsam Monastery, the Songtsam Retreat offers a taste of Tibet to the traveler in China. The collection of buildings are built in the style of Tibetan stone houses, and despite its grandeur, the quietly unassuming Retreat blends nicely with its surrounds. Heavy blankets cover thick doorways (which are locked with wooden bolts) to trap heat inside, ...South of the Clouds: Shangri-la, Yunnan, China
Jan 12th, 2011 at 11:30AM: Gadling's last stop on Yunnan's ancient tea horse road was Shangri-la, China, a high-altitude Tibetan city named after the mythical town in John Hilton's "Lost Horizon." Full of snapping prayer flags in high-altitude sunlight, the town has only been called Shangri-la since 2001, when a successful marketing venture changed its name from Zhongdian to appeal to adventure-seekers. Most Chinese still ...South of the Clouds: Around Shaxi in Yunnan, China
Dec 30th, 2010 at 11:30AM: A few days ago, Gadling told you about the historical charm of Shaxi, an intact way station from the ancient tea-horse road days. Though the little village offers plenty for a mellow day or two, part of what makes it so great is the quiet valley it sits in, as well as the surrounding hills.
Just outside the village's walls runs the clear Heihui River, with walking paths on either side and ...South of the Clouds: Shaxi, Yunnan, China
Dec 29th, 2010 at 11:30AM: Once an important market town on China's ancient tea-horse road, Shaxi is one of seemingly very few Chinese villages that have retained their original feel. Quiet, with cobblestone lanes and courtyard homes, Shaxi is currently undergoing a "remodel" to restore and preserve its historical market square, inner village, and, eventually, ready the entire Shaxi Valley for tourism. Though only a few ...South of the Clouds: Yunnan's ancient tea-horse road
Dec 23rd, 2010 at 9:30AM: In November, Gadling traveled with WildChina throughout Yunnan province. The theme of the trip was "the ancient tea-horse road," and it followed a trading route that runs from Yunnan's tropical lowlands up to the Tibetan plateau and eventually in to India.
As the name implies, the "road" was a caravan route along which tea and horses were traded, though salt was also a major commodity. Lesser ...South of the Clouds: Hiking Cangshan Mountains, Dali, Yunnan, China
Dec 20th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Gadling introduced you to Dali, in Yunnan Province, the other day, and touched on a few activities and sights there. Out of all of them, hiking the Jade Belt Road (also called the Cloud Road) in the Cangshan mountains was our favorite.
Green furry mountains rise out of Dali's back door, and are an easy escape from the town. A mostly flat, paved walking path winds in and out of valleys about ...Hotel Review: The Linden Centre, Xizhou, Yunnan, China
Dec 16th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Though it was only built in 1947, the Linden Centre is a nationally protected building - in fact, it holds the same status at the Great Wall. Built by a wealthy merchant in traditional Bai style architecture, the grounds were occupied by the army during the Cultural Revolution; the Red Guard were kept at bay, and thus the building and its paintings and artifacts remained intact.
Today, the ...South of the Clouds: Dali, Yunnan, China
Dec 15th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Pressed by Erhai Lake on one side and the Cangshan mountains on the other, Dali attracts both Western and Chinese tourists drawn to its scenic location and laid-back vibe. Here you'll see long-haired Chinese hippies and Israeli backpackers throwing back beers in Dali's many bars, as well old folks from the Bai minority group shuffling along the sidewalks. One of Yunnan's most popular backpacker ...South of the Clouds: Introduction to Yunnan, China
Dec 13th, 2010 at 9:30AM:
Yunnan, which translates as "south of the clouds," is China's most diverse province, and offers travelers extreme variation: tropical lowlands bordering Laos and Burma curl at the bottom of the province, while the unsummited Meili Snow Mountain reigns near Tibet. It's home to more ethnic minorities than any other province in China (25 out of 56), three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the ...Relaxing in China Part 2: A Walk in the Park
Jun 29th, 2010 at 12:30PM: The twitter of birds, the fresh scent of flowers, a picnic on the grass -- is this your idea of an afternoon in the park? If so, you'd better stay far away from China.
Recently, I discussed the decidedly non-relaxing experience of a Chinese massage. A walk in the park is another activity that might normally be peaceful in a North American setting, but is cacophonous in China.
As you probably ...Relaxing in China part 1: Massage
May 17th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Picture a quiet room that smells of essential oils, maybe tea tree or lavender. The lights are dim, and there's a candle or two flickering in the corner. The background noise is either a small burbling fountain or a CD of monks chanting. A masseuse expertly spreads warm, fragrant oil across your bare back while you accidentally fall asleep....
Cue needle-ripping-off-of-record sound -- this is ...Classic Treks: Tiger Leaping Gorge, China
Jan 4th, 2010 at 9:00AM: China isn't usually the first place that comes to mind when adventure travelers are considering their next challenging, trek. But the country has plenty of remote, wild places that can offer backpackers an amazing hiking experience. Perhaps the best of those is a trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge, a deep canyon located along the Yangtze River in the southwest portion of the country. Tiger Leaping ...Far West in the Far East: Twenty-four hours in Xiding
Dec 26th, 2009 at 10:00AM: On my trip to Xishuangbanna a couple of weeks ago, I was able to time a trip to Xiding with its weekly Thursday market. A vibrant, colorful affair filled with photogenic Hani women, various animal parts, string tobacco, and pretty much everything else under the bright morning sun, the market was an obvious draw to the town. But Xiding is also a great place to hike around the rolling hills, as ...Far West in the Far East: Christmas in Kunming
Dec 25th, 2009 at 9:30AM: It's Christmas day here in China, but only Christmas Eve back home. I know the rhythms my friends and family are settling into in the States: the quiet streets, busy homes, smells of spices and baking, and the building anticipation of opening piles of colorful presents. Just writing that makes me feel a bit homesick, but thankfully Christmas is not a big deal in China so I don't feel as lonely as ...Far West in the Far East: The Wa Women of Nanya
Dec 21st, 2009 at 11:30AM: Last week I was treated to the kind of experience travelers look for but seldom - at least in my case - come across. An hour up a dirt road outside a small town in western Yunnan province, China, a dozen women from the Wa tribe donned their ceremonial clothing and spent the afternoon dancing for me and my friend. All they asked was that we take photos and video of them, since there's very little ...Forty-two hours on a train in China
Nov 12th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Amtrak it ain't. On a budget, with time to spare and feeling guilty about my carbon footprint, I decided to brave the train from Shanghai to Kunming. A soft-sleeper (equivalent to first class) wasn't any less expensive than the plane, so I opted for the hard sleeper class - three bunks to a wall, two walls to a "nook." It was definitely an adventure: following is a rundown of the 42 hours it took ...
