Yunnan

Yunnan, which refers to ‘the place south of the colorful clouds’, or ‘the place south of Yunling (cloudy ridge) Mountain’, is the most southwest province of China.Yunnan has always been known as a mysterious land attracting tourists from all over the world. With thousands of years of history, it has bred the marvelous ancient towns and unique minority folk culture; Kunming, Dali and Lijiang stand out most.

The topography of Yunnan undergoes significant changes due to the sharply decreasing altitude, resulting in distinct morphological regions in the west and east. This diversity in terrain adds to the province’s appeal and offers varied landscapes to explore.

Yunnan has the most ethnic minorities in China, which make up about 1/3 of the province’s population. Of China’s 55 ethnic minorities, the province is home to 51 and 25 of them exceed populations of 5,000. These ethnic minorities live together over vast areas in the region while some live in individual concentrated communities in small areas. The residences of the ethnic minorities are various and characteristic.