having biked the area extensively and always on the lookout for traffic free areas, I can recommend the following:
Diqin (I assume you mean Shangri-la): head out east on the East Ring road, over Baishuitai, Haba and the east end of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Go to the west end. Do the trek back to the east. Hop in a ferry or take the new bridge over to Daju. Get transport or hike or ride towards Lijiang on this old road. It has a couple inevitable touristy spots, though. From Lijiang, if you are walking, there's a beautiful hike over Shigu (at the first bend of the Yangtze) on an old horse trail towards Jianchuan. If you can't hike, you're stuck to a fairly tourist-laden road to Jianchuan.
At Jianchuan head out to Shaxi, do Shibaoshan etc. Continue down the valley over Yangbi, or head out to Yunlong if that's not too far out of your way, go into Dali. From Dali take the old road over Chuxiong to Kunming.
Of course, if you can meander more, I suggest you approach Kunming from the north.
Rural Yunnan township takes flak for alcohol ban
发布者don't forget that Dulong is a heavily Christian area, AND that drinking there is a serious issue. You can compare it to the droughts and the alcohol bans in both the US and in the Nordic countries in the early 20th century, when drinking had half of the country on its ass. Or Kunming.
Study: Re-greening of China possibly not so green
发布者Refer to this ghostwritten blog post for a discussion of this topic elsewhere.
blog.worldagroforestry.org/[...]
Getting Away: Winter hiking on Yunnan's Laojun Mountain
发布者I'm sure the lakc of human habitation is because of the strict park law enforcement. How did you get in? You normally need to obtain a permit.
Food prices across China continue to soar
发布者"However, the RMB has, despite dropping recently, grown overall against foreign currency, so the real cost in global terms has risen even further, perhaps 15x and 6x. Yes, there has been inflation, but that happens everywhere and not 15x in 15 years, ie. 100% per year!"
That doesn't sound right. If you're consuming domestically, you can't state that food prices have actually risen a multiple of the actual inflation because of a difference of RMB vs foreign currency. At least that's not a good indication of economic situations.
This only holds true in the eyes of the few who shop in Yunnan using foreign currency (I guess importers are feeling it).
Life in Kunming: Urban gardening with James Osborne
发布者love your garden James