Yunnan Travel Guide
Location: Yunnan is located in the southwest of China.
Population: 45,960,000
Area: with an area of 390,000 square kilometers
Nationalities: Yunnan is said to have the most ethnic minorities. It gathers almost all the ethnic minorities but Yugu ethnic minority, Dongxiang ethnic minority, Luoba ethnic minority and Hezhe ethnic minority.
History: Yunnan province is probably one of the longest and most fascinating histories of any province in China. It used to be an independent kingdom which was occupied by a large number of non-Chinese aboriginal peoples who lacked any strong political organization during the Qin and Han Dynasties (201BC-263AD).
During the Tang Dynasty (618-906), the local minority Bai established a powerful kingdom, Nanzhao, south of Dali, initially allying its power with the Chinese against the Tibetans.The Nanzhao kingdom fell in the Song Dynasty (960-1279)and was replaced by the kingdom of Dali.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368), Khubla Khan conquered the area. This part of the south-west was finally integrated into the empire as the province of Yunnan. During the Second World War Yunnan was the strong point of defense against the Japanese invaders. After World War II, Yunnan was largely spared the fierce fighting between the Communists and Nationalist/Imperialists with only a few small skirmishes taking place on Yunnan soil.
Climate: Because of its unique geographical location, highly complex topography, and big variations in elevation, Yunnan’s climate is of the subtropical plateau monsoon type. Under the Köppen climate classification, much of the province lies within the subtropical highland or humid subtropical zone, with mild to warm winters, and tempered summers, except in the almost tropical south, where temperatures regularly exceed 30 °C in the warmer half of the year. In general, January average temperatures range from 8 to 17 °C; July averages vary from 21 to 27 °C. Average annual rainfall ranges from 600 to 2,300 millimetres, with over half the rain occurring between June and August. The plateau region has moderate temperatures. The western canyon region is hot and humid at the valley bottoms, but there are freezing winds at the mountaintops.
Transportation: Air-There are 10 airports in Yunnan province, namely Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Simao, Dali, Lijiang, Baoshan, Mangshi, Zhaotong, Zhongdian and Lincang(TBA) airports. There are now 50 domestic airlines to some large and middle cities and 6 international airlines Rangoon, Bangkok, etc.
Highway-Now, Yunnan has formed a fairly good communication network with Kunming as its center, the national and provincial highways as the trunk lines linking up sub - trunk lines, cities and the countryside, ra¬diating to all parts of the province, connecting to Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Tibet as well as the neighboring countries
Railway- The Yunnan region is connected with other part of China by railways. With Kunming as the center, there are Guikun line in the east; Chengkun line in the north and Nankun line in the south.
Waterway-Yunnan has 6 rive systems, which ranks first in temis of water systems in China and is very rich in water resources.
Local Specialties: Pu-er Tea, Embroidered Handcrafts, Jade, Medicines, Baiyao, Cigarettes
Local Food: Steamed-pot Chicken (Qiguoji), Bridge-crossing Rice Noodles (Guoqiaomixian), Xuanwei Ham, Mushrooms, Shiping tofu
Attractions: Stone Forest-Known as “One of Earth’s Natural Wonders”, All visitors to Kunming from home and abroad never hesitate to come here to admire the unique scenes formed by the stones. Covering a few hundred square kilometres, stone peaks rise abruptly from the ground in numerous layers like bamboo shoots, forests and pagodas.
Erhai Lake-Erhai Lake, named after its ear-shape, is a barrier lake formed after a fault foundering of the earth’s crust. The beautiful scenery and limpid waters of Er-hai Lake are very charming and attractive. On the boundless expense of the lake, there are steamers, sailing boats and flying birds.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-It is about 15 kms to the north of Lijiang Ancient Town. Along the mountain top it is all covered by snow all around the year and that makes it look like a jade dragon lying on the top of the mountain, therefore it was named “Jade Dragon Snow Mountain”.
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