South of the Clouds (eBook)

';The perfect choice for anyone and everyone interested in all things Chinese.' Library Journal South of the Clouds takes readers on a journey to southwestern China, a province where as late as the 1990s the people still followed millennia-old ways of life. Originally conquered by the Mongols and eventually introduced to foreigners as a vibrant setting for trade, Yun-nan, ';South of the Clouds,' became a critical crossroad connecting East and West. In 1992, Bill Porter left his home in Hong Kong to tour the small towns and major cities of Yun-nan, starting with a ten-hour boat ride up the West River and continuing by bus and bicycle, train and tractor, and often, on foot. He visits Bulang Mountain, where the local people have no written language of their own, so they send their children to live as monks in nearby temples to learn Tai script. In Dali, a small town turned urban center, he describes a massive museum built to show off the city's new wealth, only to have half its halls left empty and unvisited. He attends weddings and celebrations, and endures rice wine hangovers. This is the story not only of one man's journey, but of a spread of land with a thousand years of human history';as satisfying as any trip by Paul Theroux' (Kirkus Reviews). Includes photographs ';Porter uses his personal charm and fluency of the language to uncover hidden gems... His journal-like entries will spark curiosity about this varied region, filled with warm and very human inhabitants.' Booklist