China
 Yunnan
Home
Photography by Erwin Voogt
Kunming
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan.
With dazzling speed the old buildings are replaced by sky-scrapers.
Nevertheless, separate lanes for bikes still exist. Just like Holland.
Date: 4-11-1998, sunset.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Tokina 17 mm F3.5. 		Kunming
Taxi graveyard
In a city so rapidly modernizing, there is no place for human-powered cabs...
Date: 3-11-1998, sunrise.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35 mm F2. 		Taxi graveyard
Yuantong Temple
Not every building in Kunming is less than a decade old.
The Yuantong Temple is over a 1000 years old.
It is a target for Budhist pilgrims.
Date: 17-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 85 mm F2. 		Yuantong Temple
Shaping
Outside the big cities, traditional life is relatively unchanged.
This picture is taken on a market in a town called Shaping.
Not many people wear 'Mao-suits' nowadays.
Date: 17-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 85 mm F2. 		Shaping
Roof
Lijiang is an ancient town criss-crossed by canals and with a maze of
narrow streets. It is the centre of the Naxi culture.
The United Nations has placed Lijiang on the World Heritage Site list.
Date: 31-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Tokina 80-200 mm F2.8. 		Roof
Lijiang
Just one of the canals in Lijiang.
Date: 21-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35 mm F2. 		Lijiang
Tractor
Not many Chinese can afford a private car or even a real tractor.
These type of multifunctional two weeled tractors are very popular and
used for almost everything, including powering boats.
Date: 19-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35 mm F2. 		Tractor
Songzanlin Monastery
This 300 year old Tibetan monastery was heavily damaged during the
Cultural Revolution. Today, the monks can practice their religion again.
The Monastery is near the city of Zhongdian at an altitude of 3200 meter.
Date: 24-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35 mm F2. 		Songzanlin Monastery
Cleaning shoes
The monastery is surrounded by a small village.
Fortunately the village and the monastery are not part of the expanding city
of Zhongdian yet.
Date: 24-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 85 mm F2. 		Cleaning shoes
Hay Harvest
The farmers keep yaks for a living.
Ordinary cows will not survive a winter at an altitude of 3200 meter.
Date: 24-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 300 mm F4.5. 		Hay Harvest
Farm-house
A view down from the hills.
Date: 24-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 300 mm F4.5. 		Farm-house
Cooking time
Woodfire is still the number-one energy source in China.
In the afternoon the valley is filled up with the blue smoke from the fires.
Date: 24-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35-70 mm F3.5-4.5. 		Cooking time
Road to Deqen
The last major town of Yunnan on the road to Tibet is Deqen.
To reach Deqen, located at an altitude of 3600 meter, you have to cross a pass
at 4200 meter.
Date: 25-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 50 mm F3.5 macro. 		Road to Deqen
Shoes and nails
Ponies are still very important in highlands of Yunnan.
Deqen is well known for its horses and equipment.
Date: 26-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 35 mm F2. 		Shoes and nails
Sleeping Beauty
Yunnan is home to a third of all China's ethnic minorities.
Close to Tibet, Burma and Laos, the Han culture was never very dominant
in Yunnan.
Date: 26-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 135 mm F3.5. 		Sleeping Beauty
Snooker
Believe it or not, but snooker is a very popular game in the highlands.
Deqen has a square dedicated to snooker. It is crowded here all day round.
Date: 26-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 85 mm F2. 		Snooker
Hitch-hiking
Beyond Deqen the road continues to Tibet.
Public transport, however, has its final stop in Deqen.
Fortunately, hitch-hiking is no problem in China.
Date: 26-10-1998.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Tokina 17 mm F3.5. 		Hitch-hiking
Public transport
Only two buses a day drive from Deqen to Zhongdian.
So if the bus breaks down the only thing you can do is sit and wait.
Date: 27-10-1998, morning.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 28 mm F2.8. 		Public transport
Drive shaft
The driving shaft apeared to be broken. Not easy reparable.
Fortunately, a member of the local Communist Party was driving by in his
four wheel drive car and gave us a hitch.
Date: 27-10-1998, morning.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 28 mm F2.8. 		Drive shaft
Back-garden
The Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges in the world.
From the waters of the Yangzi river to the mountaintops is a giddy 3900 meter.
The farmers living on the hills have this impressive view when working their land.
Date: 28-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 28 mm F2.8. 		Back-garden
Backdoor view
Peeking through the backdoor of our lodge...
Date: 28-10-1998, afternoon.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 28 mm F2.8, T20 flash. 		Backdoor view
Sugar Pie
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has peaks of approximately 5500 meter.
The peak was climbed for the first time in 1963 by a research team from Beijing.
Date: 28-10-1998, sunset.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 300 mm F4.5. 		Sugar Pie
Moon rise
Just when we arrived at the lodge, the moon appeared beyond the mountains.
Fortunately, the backpack with the 300 mm telephoto lens was still within reach.
Most of the time you feel silly while carrying a lens of 1 kilo, sometimes not!
Date: 28-10-1998, sunset.
Equipment: kodachrome 64, Olympus OM40, Zuiko 300 mm F4.5. 		Moon rise
Order a Cibachrome print
Picture copyright owned by Erwin Voogt.
Please contact me first if you want to use any of these pictures for any purpose.