Photo. Yunnan, the wonderland of China. It wakes associations with the legandary Shangri-La. © Britt Myhrer.
Yunnan means South of the Clouds, and is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country. Yunnan is bordering the countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. Yunnan Province borders Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region to the east, Chongqing and Sichuan to the north, and Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest. Yunnan encompasses 394,000 square kilometres (152,084 square miles) and has a population of more than 42 million people.
Within these borders, Yunnan has a diverse topography that ranges from alpine mountain ranges to tropical rainforests and the greatest number of plant species in China, with more than 18,000, as well as an incredible array of animals, including the Asian elephant and the protected Yunnan golden monkey. There is even a rainforest in the area known as Xishuangbanna where there are many rare and endangered species of plants and animals.
Visiting ethnic minority groups
Yunnan has the highest number of ethnic groups among all provinces and autonomous regions in China. With its 25 different ethnic minorities, there are great opportunities for travellers to experience unique culture retained from thousand of years ago. Several other groups are also represented. Some live in permanent settlements, and hope to be officially represented as an own ethnic group. It`s estimated that 5000 of the groups require official status of being recognizable as a national minority in the province. One group, such as the Mosuo people, who are officially known as part of the Naxi, claimed their official status in the past as a national minority, and gained the status as they wanted.
In the past numerous tribes in Yunnan lived on the plains. Due to Chinese invasions over several centuries, they were forced away from their homeland and had to move into mountainous areas. Many ethnic groups who live here today are direct descendants of those original tribes.
At the southern end of Yunnan Province bordering on Laos and Myanmar is Xishuangbanna, a tropical rainforest that is the home of the Dai people. The Dai have many festivals that span across the year. The Water Splashing Festival occurs officially in the middle of April, but has become such a famous event that it is organised regularly.
More interesting things to explore
Stone Forest - Shi Lin, located outside of the capital city of Kunming, is one of the world's natural wonders. Here travellers can admire massive pillars of grey rock, which have formed a gigantic forest of stone. Some of these natural stone formations look like animals such as snakes, elephants, birds, and dragons.
Kunming is known throughout China as the City of Eternal Spring. The city has many interesting temples and parks such as Daguan Park, Black Dragon Pool, Zheng He Park, Bamboo Temple, Golden Temple, and the Western Hills. Each of these places has unique architecture, for example, the Bamboo Temple has 500 life-size luohans that were shaped in the 1800's.
The Western Hills contains three temples: Huating Temple (from the 11th century), Taihua Temple, and the Sanqing Temple. At the top of the path, which takes about two hours to reach, is Longmen (Dragon Gate). Dragon Gate is comprised of sculptures, grottos, and pathways that were built by a Taoist monk in the late 1700's. The view from Dragon Gate overlooking DianChi Lake and the city of Kunming is spectacular. Moreover, you can always be certain of fabulous spring weather in Kunming regardless of the time of year!
In the northwest section of Yunnan, on a plateau amidst the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - Yulong Mountain, is its most beautiful pearl, the city of Lijiang. The Old Town in Lijiang was rebuilt because of a devastating earthquake in 1996. Here you find old houses in dragon style.
Three small rivers course through Old Town's cobbles-stoned streets that are lined with trees, wonderful restaurants and cafes, shops, residences and a theatre where travellers can attend a performance of music played on original period instruments that date back to the Han dynasty.
Lijiang has been designated by UNESCO as one of the world's major cultural heritages, and is the Center of the Lijiang Naxi Ethnic Minority Autonomous County. Among 25 ethnic minorities in the Yunnan Province, the Naxi people are the major population of Lijiang and its surrounding area. There are also a variety of beautiful parks and temples around Lijiang.
This diversity of landscape and cultures has enriched the province with a unique heritage that is possible for travellers to explore. There is always something wonderful to see and do here. Until recent times most of Yunnan was not easily reachable since due to high mountains. In 1933 James Hilton wrote Lost Horizon, a tale of several travellers whose plane had crashed in a remote utopian valley. They eventually had to decide whether to stay in Shangri-La" or return to their world. This tale was made into a film in 1937 and made the term Shangri-La even more famous. Many believe that the Shangri-La referred to in James Milton's Lost Horizons, is inspired from the author`s impression of Yunnan during his journey there. It now may be the last virgin land where one can observe cultures which dates back thousands of years.
Stein Morten Lund, 29 June 2006
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