Since the last edition China’s Yunnan province has opened up considerably to travellers and become a focus for ecotourism.
Coverage of Yunnan’s many attractions include the provincial capital of Kunming, legendary Yangtze and Mekong rivers, Buddhist stupas and Tibetan border monasteries. Essential practical information is backed up by a detailed insight into Yunnanese history and culture, giving an all-round picture of this intriguing province.
Yunnan is in many ways a perfect microcosm of China, or what China should be, its staggeringly varied landscapes and richly varied ecology rarely seen in greater China today.
Yunnan's matchless landscapes have been the subject of Chinese poets for centuries. One ancient line reads:
Sunrise in the East Cangshan's nineteen peaks in the West Snow to the North Endless hills and clouds to the South.
According to the author Stephen Mansfield, travellers are drawn to Yunnan for a number of reasons. The province is regarded as one of the most relaxed, stress- and bureaucracy-free places in China, a place to stimulate but also recuperate the battered traveller.
Yunnan is an all-seasons destination, a place where you can find good weather somewhere in the province for most of the year. For active, exploration-minded travellers, Yunnan offers a full itinerary. Highlights include the provincial capitals of Kunming, renowned for its food and laid-back atmosphere; a petrified forest at nearby Shilin; Xishuangbanna, home of the stunning Dai people; and the drug town of Ruili near the Burmese border, with its Buddhist pagodas, ethnic minorities and shady deals.
Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest ravines in the world, is a challenging trek, but there are countless others, most of them unexplored. The ancient town of Ljiang, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its nearby monasteries on the road to Tibet, the lakeside town of Dali with its Bai-style architecture, and the province's many festivals are other persuasive reasons to spend time in Yunnan.
Yunnan is China's most ethnically and geographically diverse province, and a mecca for naturalists. Carved by the power of the legendary Yangtze and Mekong rivers, and backed by the majestic Tibetan highland, its landscape has given rise to such magical-sounding places as Tiger-Leaping Gorge and the petrified forest at Shilin. |