Yunnan

Yúnnán (云南), as described in Lonely Planet, is perhaps the most diverse province in all China, both in its extraordinary mix of peoples and in the splendour of its landscapes. That combination of superlative sights and many different ethnic groups has made Yúnnán the trendiest destination for China’s exploding domestic tourist industry.

More than half of the country’s minority groups reside here, providing a glimpse into China’s hugely varied mix of humanity. Then there’s the eye-catching contrasts of the land itself – dense jungle sliced by the Mekong River in the south, soul-recharging glimpses of the sun over rice terraces in the southeastern regions, and snow-capped mountains as you edge towards Tibet.

With everything from laid-back villages and spa resorts, to mountain treks and excellent cycling routes, Yúnnán appeals to all tastes. Transportation links are good so getting around is a breeze but you’ll need time to see it all – whatever time you’ve set aside for Yúnnán, double it.

Getting there

by Bus

A well-developed bus system covers the whole province and Yúnnán has seen a huge rise in the number of express highways in recent years. Expressways link Kūnmíng with Dàlǐ and Lìjiāng, and south to Bǎoshān and Jǐnghóng. Road networks link Kūnmíng with Sìchuān, Guìzhōu and Guǎngxī and on to Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

by Plane 

Kūnmíng is served by all Chinese airlines and has daily flights to most cities. International destinations include Hong Kong, Hanoi, Bangkok, Rangoon and Seoul.

With domestic airports in almost all corners of Yúnnán province being served by daily flights from Kūnmíng and other major Chinese cities, travelling within Yúnnán has never been easier. The northwest is linked by Shangri-la, Dàlǐ and Lìjiāng. Mángshì provides Déhóng prefecture in the southwest with an air link and Jǐnghóng is Xīshuāngbǎnnà’s air link.

Dàlǐ airport has flights to Kūnmíng and Guǎngzhōu. From Lìjiāng there are daily flights to Chéngdū, Shànghǎi, Shēnzhèn and Guǎngzhōu. From Shangri-la, Yunnan Airlines flies to Kūnmíng, Chéngdū, Lhasa, Guǎngzhōu, Shēnzhèn and Guìyáng.

Destinations from Jǐnghóng include Lìjiāng, Shànghǎi and Guǎngzhōu, as well as direct flights to Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Mángshì currently only has flights to Kūnmíng.

by Train

Most travellers arrive in Yúnnán by train to Kūnmíng. However within the province trains are less convenient, other than the popular overnight train from the capital to Dàlǐ. Development of the railways has been slower in Yúnnán than elsewhere; it was only in 1990 that the train line was extended out west to Dàlǐ. Railways link Yúnnán to Guìzhōu, Guǎngxī and Sìchuān.

When to go

Yúnnán has a climate as diverse as its terrain, with temperate, tropical and frigid zones; from the frozen northwestern region around Déqīn and Shangri-la (Zhōngdiàn) where winters (late November to February) reach chilling lows of –12°C and summer (June to August) temperatures peak at highs of 19°C, to the subtropical climate of Jǐnghóng where the summer months soar to 33°C. Dàlǐ has an ideal temperature year-round, with temperatures never dipping below 4°C in the winter months or above 25°C in summer.

Places to visit

Differing much from any other places in China, Yunnan is an exotic, amazing and unforgettable place, if you travel around Yunnan and see everything with your own eyes, it’ll make you believe that these words are true. Being one of the most popular tourism destinations, here you will find that this is such a pure place which contrasts as far as you can feel the harmonic neighborhood of high mountains, tropic forests, waterfalls, and distinct folk customs.

Yunnan is so popular and attractive tourism destination as far as when you travel Yunnan you have an opportunity not only to visit the best places in Yunnan and enjoy the fascinating sightseeing and attractions but also spend an unforgettable time on such a diverse minority group people living places. Yunnan as one of the largest provinces in China, it becomes an important and most attractive tourism destination nowadays. In case you decide to travel Yunnan, we suggest that the best places in Yunnan or even in China such as Shangri-La, Lijiang, and Dali and so on.

Kunming

When traveling in Yunnan, for most tourists, Kunmingwill be the first destination for a stop. As the capital of Yunnan province, Kunming is a modern city famous for its delicious food, adorable climate, friendly ethnic minority groups and the nearby wonderful natural sceneries. Within the city, there are many sites you must pay a visit, such as Black Dragon Pool, West Hill & Dragon Gate,Bamboo Temple, Yunnan Province Museum and Birds & Flowers Market where can full feel the local people’s leisure life. Around Kunming, the best place we suggest you to go for a visit is the Stone Forest. The Stone Forest is about 120 kilometers away from Kunming and covers about 400 square kilometers. It takes about 2 hours from Kunming to Stone Forest. There is a local saying’ A visit to Kunming is waste time without a visit to the Stone Forest.’ Therefore, it’s a value for you to have Stone Forest trip.

Lijiang

One of the two ancient cities of Yunnan is in Lijiang. Lijiang is a place where boasts fresh air, clear water, magnificent snow mountains, and wonderful landscapes. In the fairyland under the colorful clouds, Lijiang inhabited by friendly groups of ethnic minority people that create rich culture. In case travel Lijiang, the Lijiang Ancient Town is one of the must go places. Lijiang Ancient Town designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 after an earthquake and reconstruction in 1996. As mentioned Lijiang’s culture, it’s easy to get Naxi Ancient Musicin mind. When travel in Lijiang, you can also go to appreciate the Naxi ancient music in the evening. Except Naxi ancient music, one of the important elements for Lijiang Culture’s development may be the unique Tea Horse Road. 

You can walk on the Tea Horse Road and go into some roadside teahouse to have a cup of tea. Lijiang ancient town has a special water system, and its main water source is come from Black Dragon Pool. Black Dragon Pool also is a wonderful place worthy of visit. About half an hour, north of Lijiang ancient town is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with several scenic park areas, some hiking trails and a 4,680 meter foot peak. People can climb to near the top of the peak on a stairway and pass by a glacier. Another amazing places in Lijiang should not be missed are Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lugu Lake. Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular hiking place for tourists when they travel in Lijiang.

Dali

Except Lijiang Ancient Town, the other famous ancient town of Yunnan province must be DaliAncient Town. These two ancient towns make Yunnan unique. Dali city is located 300 kilometers away from Kunming and only a 40 minute flight apart Kunming. Dali is predominantly inhabited by Bai people that enriched Dali’s culture. Dali is supposed to be one of the most charming villages in south of China, surrounded by mountains of its east, west and south, and boasts the Erhai Lake in its center area. Located 13 kilometers away from Dali city, Dali Ancient Town stands lots of old buildings which were built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and have well preserved. Most of its buildings were built in the traditional Bai ethnic minority group style and make it in a distinct feeling. In Dali, you can also go to pay a visit to the Three Pagodas which 1 kilometer away from Dali ancient town or to climb the Cangshan Moutain. You can overlooking them from different angles at the Ancient town.

Shangri-la

Another unique and marvelous place of Yunnan is Shangri-la, which firstly known by people is in the English author James Hilton’s work Lost Horizon. Shangri-La is an untouched place where blessed with wonderful scenery, fresh air and inhabited friendly pristine people. Shangri-La which described as Utopia by James Hilton based on the Deqing Prefecture. Located in the northwest of Yunnan province, Shangri-La is in the south of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and borders Sichuan province and Tibet. Because composed of different ethnic minority groups, the culture of Deqing Prefecture is rich and colorful. In case you decide to travel Shangri-La, the must go place should be Bita Lake, Songzanlin Monastery and White Water Terraces. Here streams from limestone hills have deposited tufa (calcium carbonate) in a series of terraces like frozen, creamy cascades. What’s more, Meili Snow Mountain also is a wonderful choice when you travel in Shangri-La.

Getting around

Kunming city is the transportation network hub of Yunnan province, from here we can reach other cities, towns and village by

- Bus (day and overnight bus): there is a large collection of bus schedules, taken at bus stations all around the city. Normally it takes 4 hours to drive to Dali, 7 hours to Lijiang.

- Plane: there are also planes flying from Kunming to Jingling, Dali, Lijiang, and Zhongdian as well as lesser known destination such as Wenshan and Zhaotong, Dehong, Tengchong.

- Train: they also operate day and night trains to go to Dali and Lijiang. Trains heading to east stops by stone forest. 

Buy

- Yunnan stones Yúnzǐ (云子)

- The game of Go (Chinese: weiqi 围棋)

- Puer tea (普洱茶) a local favourite of Yunnan

Eat

• Guo Qiao Mi Xian (过桥米线), meaning "Crossing the Bridge" Rice Noodles, is a local style of steamy noodles with a variety of vegetables, meats, and usually a raw quail egg. The price of Guo Qiao Mi Xian is ¥3-15 or higher, which determines what types of dishes you are given to add to the mix. 
• Yunnan people eat lots of spicy food, nearly each dish you order in a restaurant is very spicy, so if you don't like spicy food, you should tell the waiter or waitress first, in Mandarin: wo bu chi la, which means I don't eat spicy food or wo bu xi huan la cai, which means I don't like spicy food.
• The tofu in Shi Ping county /石屏/ is very famous. The sauerkraut in Xinping county is famous. Xinping is a Yi Nationality Autonomous County in Yuxi city.
• RuBing, Yunnan goat cheese, is one of the two cheeses (the other being Yak cheese) traditionally produced in China. Its quite soft and doesn't taste as strong as Western ones. It is usually served fried with vegetables, musrooms, or meat. 
• LaoNaiYangYu (Grandmother's Potatoes) are another Yunnan favorite. While potatoes are usually called Tudou in the rest of China, Yunnan calls them Yangyu (Yang 洋 is a term often designating imported or foreign things, so supposedly potatoes were called 'yangyu' because they were not originally part of chinese agriculture and diets but were a food choice adopted from foreigners). Laonaiyangyu are like a spicier version of mashed potatoes with green onions mixed in. 
• SuHongDou is a kidney bean dish. The beans are deep fried to the point of being crispy and are a great vegetarian option for any travelers in Yunnan.