"Mountains and Minorities" Top 5 Page for this destination Yunnan Sheng by XenoHumph

Yunnan Sheng Travel Guide: 2,541 reviews and 5,671 photos

Sunset on Ailao Shan Mountains, Yunnan - Yunnan Sheng

Not typical China

Yunnan is not very typical of China. This comes mainly from the fact that most of its population is made up by a mosaic of minorities, i.e. people of non "Han" Chinese origin. These minorities are related mainly to Tibetan populations in the North and West and to Vietnamese, Burmanese or Laotian in the South. Second, its history is different from that of China as Yunnan or part of it have been independant or semi-independant for several centuries in a row (for example the Nanzhao kingdom centered in Dali from the 8 to 13th century AD). So, although Yunnan seems now perfectly integrated into China as it does not seem to display the struggle of the Tibetans or the Uighurs for example, travelling through this province makes you encounter many customs, languages and art forms which are varied and not Chinese.

Woman of the Ailao Shan Mountains, Yunnan, China

A typical sight in Yunnan: a woman carrying a wicker basket on her back dressed in a minority costume (in this case probably Yi).
Your wanderings in Yunnan will probably make you meet several minorities, from the Dai in the Southern Xishuangbanna region to the few Mosu in the North around lake Lugu. Here is a glimpse of a few among the hundreds!
The Naxi, of tibeto-burman origin, live around Lijiang and have a matriarchal society and their own ancient writing made of pictograms.
The Bai, a sino-tibetan people live around Dali with their white dominated costumes, their earthquake proof traditional buildings and their thousands of years of agriculture practice.
The Sani, part of the tibeto-burman Yi minority serve as guides in the Stone Forest and make pretty embroided cloths. The Yi make the biggest minority (more than 4 million people) and are now found in many parts of Yunnan.

Location of Yunnan, China

Yunnan is located in the Southern part of China. It is bordered by Burma, Laos and Vietnam, therefore having heavy jungle, hot and humid climate on its Southern part. But it is also at the Eastern edge of the Himalayas, right next to Tibet, and therefore is mainly characterized by a very mountainous terrain and a nice mild and pleasant "spring like" climate.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful mountains, pretty villages, colorful minority costumes, great weather, good food
Cons:road construction, red dust, cigarette smoke, polluted lakes and rivers, earthquakes
In a nutshell:Northwestern Yunnan, edge of the Himalayas, is my favorite

Last visit to Yunnan Sheng: May 2004
Intro Updated Mar 4, 2005
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Reviews (63)

Angle of main pagoda of San Ta Si, Dali, Yunnan - Yunnan Sheng

Health concerns Warnings Or Dangers (4)

You do not need any special shots to go to Yunnan as far as I know. Maybe, just make sure your Hepatitis ones are up to... more travel advice

Tea Plantatins, Aialo Shan, Yunnan, China - Yunnan Sheng

Tea Plantations Local Customs (13)

In construction more travel advice

Rice Field, near Dali, Yunnan, China - Yunnan Sheng

Rice culture Local Customs (13)

In construction more travel advice

Help yourself rice, Yuanjiang, Yunnan, China - Yunnan Sheng

Rice of course! Restaurants (6)

Rice is the stapple food of Yunnan. Every meal will have it in huge quantities. It is generally white and sticky and... more travel advice

Transportation (17)
See All Bicycle Repair Shop
Shopping (4)
See All Clothes

Hotels (5)
See All Original Pleasant Hotel in Dali
Things to Do (14)
See All Visit local small temples

Travelogues (5)

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Comments (24)

kidfree Feb 22, 2009 at 10:23 AM Report Abuse

Great page, superb photos. I wish I`d taken the sunset myself.
tremendopunto Sep 21, 2007 at 2:05 AM Report Abuse

Amazing Yunnan page! You really got an eye for the right scenes - great pics! Your detailed tips complete this wonderful page. Im still sad for missing this part on my china travels, though....there is always a next time ;-)
elpariente Jun 19, 2007 at 9:30 AM Report Abuse

Your great pages will help me to prepair my China travel They are very intersting !!!!
y_lyn Sep 8, 2006 at 6:46 AM Report Abuse

Wow! What great pages you have! Nice photos... make me want to go Yunnan by this year :)
nepalgoods Apr 27, 2006 at 12:27 PM Report Abuse

GReat page! I hate karaoke!
roamer61 Mar 16, 2006 at 4:45 AM Report Abuse

Extraordinary, beautiful. No one word can describe it. Excellent page and tips. Will hopefully go there one day.
chewy3326 Feb 17, 2006 at 6:31 PM Report Abuse

What a beautiful place, Tiger Leaping Gorge looks very impressive!
luckyzen Nov 1, 2005 at 11:58 AM Report Abuse

Hi Xeno, Loved your opening pic of the sunset on your Yunnan Sheng page. Stunning! Also loved the tea shop. I was also confused. Have Great evening!
Trekki Sep 29, 2005 at 12:27 PM Report Abuse

Have heared already that Yunnan is an awesome part of China (outside of the cities) and your page is the proof :-) Shilin looks stunning, and Lijiang so beautiful ! Yes, what a shame that they destroy so much of their heritage towns !
perfectly_zen Jul 1, 2005 at 3:49 PM Report Abuse

I´m impressed with your pictures!! very unique....and the tips about water were very helpful as well.....=) If one day i get to China, surely i´ll be heading to Yunnan...