Yunnan Basic Facts

As an important border province of southwestern in China, Yunnan borders Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. It has long been reputed as 'Colored Clouds in the South.' It has an average altitude of 2,000 meters and a temperatetropical plateau monsoon climate. It boasts imposing natural scenery, such as snowcapped mountains, glaciers, lakes, hot springs, plateaus, virgin forests, and tropical rainforests. In addition, it abounds in biological resources and enjoys such good reputations as the Kingdoms of Plants and the Realm of Animals, which has greatly benefited in the development of ecological tourism. Yunnan is known as one of the birthplaces of human beings, and the remains of the Yuanmu Man found in the province date back 1.7 million years. Furthermore, countless places of historic interest are scattered around the province. Yunnan is inhabited by such 26 ethnic groups as the Han, Dai, Bai, Yi, and Hani, making it the province with the most nationalities in China. Each ethnic minority has its unique, colorful customs. A famous tourist province in China, Yunnan has now two World Heritage sites, namely the LijiangAncientTown and the Three Parallel Rivers.

Transportation

Yunnan is an important passage between southwest China and Southeast Asia. It has developed advanced highway, railway, river, and air transportation systems. The Chengdu-Kunming Electric Railway link Yunnan to the national railway network. There are eight civil airports respectively in the province's Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Baoshan, Zhaoong, Simao, Mangshi, and XishuangbannaCities. A total of 50 international, national or regional flight routes have been opened. The Kunming international Airport boasts an air transportation network connected to all major countries in Southeast Asia. An across-province highway network, with Kunming as the center and national and provincial highways as the framework, has been formed in the province. The highways linking its major cities are all high-ranked. Its main watercourses are the JinshaRiver and the Langcang-MekongRiver, and its key ports include the Jinghong Prot, SimaoPort, DaliPort, ShuifuPort, and SuijiangPort.

Local Products

Among well-known products of Yunnan, such medicine and herbs as Yunnan baiyao(white medicinal powder for treating hemorrhage, wounds, bruises, etc.), pseudo-ginseng, Chinese caterpillar fungus, and tuber of elevated gastrodis are famed nationwide, such local products as Yunnan Tuo tea, Pu'er tea, and Yunnan black tea are sold well in many countries, and pine mushroom, dry fungus, and dictyophora phalliodea ( a kind of edible fungus found in bamboo groves) are wild funguses unique to the province. In addition, such craftworks as Dali bandhnu, batiks, Jian kerchiefs, Dai silk, Husa knives, and rusty bronze handicrafts are popular souvenirs among tourists from both home and overseas.