Yunnan Province is located in southwestern China, bordering to Myanmar/Laos to the south and India/Tibet to the west-northwest. Situated on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the majority of this province is fairly elevated. The plateau is run through river valleys; the Red River in Vietnam rises here as well as several major tributaries of the Yangtse.

There is a high concentration of minority peoples who were assimilated into China only centuries after the first Qin emperor had conquered the rest of what was to become China. There are at least 53 tribes of minority people living in Yunnan, speaking different dialects, wearing different costumes, upholding different although in few cases similar traditions, performing different dances, etc. Some of them have even strikingly different facial features.

The first two cities in our trip, Guangzhou and Guilin, are actually not located in Yunnan but in Guangdong and Guangxi Province, respectively. This is my second time in Guilin; the first time it was in 1997. The famous cruise on the Li River did not produce any good images; the smoggy haze was fairly thick and did not disappear for the whole day and was still there the following day. I remembered seeing blue sky on a clear day, providing the spectacular and clear view of the towering karst topography 7 years ago. Too bad, so sad! However, the colorfully lit Reed Flute Cave was exactly like I remembered from back then.

Kunming is the Capital City of the Yunnan. The Dragon Gate of Western Hill, a series of winding steps, tunnels, statue-filled grottos leading to a lookout point is just outside the city and the Stone Forest, a 270-million-year-old limestone karst landscape is about an hour or so away. The Stone Forest is “enhanced” with features that I am not used to nor I can imagine of seeing here in the United States. Imagine seeing manicured lawn, planted trees and even man-made water fall at Bryce Canyon!

Dali is our next stop; it is about 10-hour bus drive to the west from Kunming . Dali’s most recognizable landmark is the three pagodas. The final city we visited was Lijiang. Lijiang’s Old Town, a network of narrow streets lined with small restaurants, intersected by canals and with a lively market square is utterly charming. The Old Town becomes alive and is full of energy after the sun goes down. The pretty Black Dragon Pool is on the edge of the town to the north, where we can view the Jade Dragon Mountain Snow from a distance. The meadow of the Jade Dragon Mountain Snow, reachable by chair lift, is another interesting spot where native people sing and dance.

Spending only in total 8 days, the images displayed in this gallery are only scratching the surface of the beauty, the variety of cultures and traditions of Yunnan. It was a very memorable trip that I will cherish for quite some time. I hope you enjoy the images and thank you for visiting this gallery.