March 29, 2021
One of the consequences of the European conquest of most of southern Asia was an insatiable interest in the region s geography. European-made maps at the time were full of blank spots or, at best, rough guesses of the exact location and height of certain mountains and the sources and accurate courses of major rivers. Ambitious individuals in the academic world sought to make their reputations by answering important geographical questions.
By the late 1880s Great Britain had already taken over northern Burma and France had seized northern Vietnam and Laos. That put both countries possessions on the border of Yunnan, at a time when Chinese central authority was in the throes of collapse. Both wanted to open Yunnan up to trade, so information on the province was at a premium. The only serious Western attempt so far to explore Yunnan was the French Mekong Expedition in 1868.
January 22, 2021
On December 30, 2020, the Dali-Lincang railway opened after five years of construction work. The much awaited new route began its first run that day departing from Lincang Station headed to Kunming South Railway Station. The 15.5 billion yuan project is part of Yunnan s poverty alleviation campaign by upgrading infrastructure and connectivity around the province. It is the first railway line to connect the prefecture-level city.
Cruising speeds are expected to reach 160 kilometers per hour, greatly reducing travel time to the land of Pu er tea. Initially trains from Dali will leave three times per day, while Kunming is serviced by a single train service daily. The trip from Dali to Lincang, which generally takes four to five hours by car, can now be completed within an hour and a half to two hours. Train services from Kunming leave at 08:19am from Kunming South Railway Station and at 08:41am from Kunming Station.
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