Essay · 3 min · EN
Guanyin of the Dali Valley
From the dawn cries of the slaughterhouse to the figure of Acuoye Guanyin: the protector of kingdoms and the soul of the valley.
Writing
Essays and field notes
Essays, field notes and research by Noam Backner on China, Inner Asia, Buddhism, the Silk Roads, food, agriculture and the lived experience of place.
Yunnan (9)All writing
Essay · 2 min · EN
Locusts on the Sabbath Table
An improvised Sabbath dish blending eggplant, shan yao, and spicy grasshopper dip in the style of southern Yunnan.
Essay · 3 min · EN
The Last Farmers of Dali
From the view through my window to the challenges of 2026: observing the vanishing world of intensive agriculture in the Erhai Valley.
Essay · 4 min · EN
From a Bowl of Porridge to a Plate of Spaghetti
Roads, bridges, and the financing of infrastructure in Imperial China and contemporary Yunnan.
Essay · 3 min · EN
Dali’s Market Basket
A seasonal dispatch on wild mushrooms, orchid tubers, and the art of the market find.
Essay · 3 min · EN
The Hall of Idleness
A return to Yunnan and reflections on the labor of sloth, the weight of purpose, and a poem by Bai Yuchan.
Essay · 2 min · EN
Matsutake: From the Forest Floor to the Global Market
The wild mushrooms of Yunnan sit at the center of a vast network connecting foragers, traders, and high-end restaurants across East Asia.
Travel Journal · 3 min · EN
The Trade Cities of Western Yunnan
Dali, Lijiang, Gyalthang, and Jinghong: four cities, four political traditions, and a polycentric landscape in Southwest China.
Field Note · 3 min · EN
The Ginger Garden
On gardening, rhizomes, and a small botanical obsession in a Dali courtyard.