Many of the books I read that deal with China emphasize how polluted the air is– that the skies are not blue. Actually, that has not been my experience. The most maligned city in China, Beijing, has, during the 6 times I have visited, had two or three smoggy days, but aside from them, the skies have been clear and blue.

However, everyone agrees that the western part of China, Yunnan Province, has beautiful crystal clear skies and is a most magnificent place to visit.

One exquisite city in Yunnan is Dali, home to two of China’s ethnic minorities, the Yi and the Bai. Bai means white and their native dress is beautifully embroidered white clothing which both the men and women wear. Dali is surrounded by mountains and is the recipient of the vast water flow that comes from the mountains. Freshly flowing water streams through conduits in the streets and between the water, the mountains, the blue sky and the meticulous cleanliness of the city, one can’t help thinking that this is one of the most idyllic places on earth.

A street in the walking area of downtown Dali

Everywhere one looks there is something beautiful to see– or at least something interesting.

A town square, Dali

One of the things one notices when in the far east is how hard the women work. While women in the US were asking for the right to go out and work, women in the far east were doing more than their share in planting, harvesting, and even carrying heavy loads. With small families, older people work to support themselves as long as they can.

Street scene, Dali

Remember that expression “for all the tea in China?” Well, that is not a small quantity. All over China tea is sold– in tins and packed into different shapes. It’s quite a culture there. No tea bags. And the teas all have special healing qualities. It’s not unusual to see a tea store such as this.

Teas in China

One of the very special treats of a trip to China is seeing the children. I don’t know if it is objectively true, but I think that every one of them is beautiful. Most of them are from single child families and are doted upon and it shows. The seem self confident and mature This day I caught some children returning from school. They were walking through the market, laughing and joking good naturedly. Notice how lovely they look in their school uniforms.

The boys

and the girls