Yunnan - The South - West of China
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China’s south-western Province, Yunnan borders Burma in the west, and Laos anf Vietnam in the south. Yunnan is a Chinese province with a great variety of peoples. There are 26 different nationalities on the Yunnan Guizhou high plateau, mostly peasants in the mountain villages, while in the towns Han Chinese predominates. The Yi, Naxi, Bai and Dai are amongst the most populous groups in the province. There are no grand buildings, archaelogical finds or cultural artefacts to be viewed by travellers. It is the unspoilt countryside, rare animals, rich flora and the variety of ethnic groups and their cultural traditions that attract.

Dukou , the town on the Sichuan border is an artificial creation, constructed out of nothing and as uninviting as many of the Siberian settlements that probably served as an example in the 1950s. All the inhabitants are strangers from other provinces. The indigenous people, particularly the Yi, live in the mountain village. Visitors are usually greeted at the entrance of the village, where people will do a circle dance around a fire, in simple, rhythmical steps to the sounds of the Lusheng, a reed flute. Hospitality is shown mainly by offering plenty of spirits, and older inhabitants will sing spontaneously improvised texts of old tunes to greet the guests.

The road from Dukou to Lijiang, the area of the Naxi people, crosses several mountain passes and narrow gorges. Huge rocks, tumbling waterfalls and wild streams make visitors aware of the force of nature. The Black Dragon Pond (Heilongtan) in Lijian, offers a marvellous view of the Jade Dragon Mountain which stood at 5,600 metres high, dominates the open Lijiang plain. In a small park is Five Phoenix Pavilion, which exhibits Naxi cultural artefacts. A small institute dedicated for research into Naxi culture is also located in the park. The Jade Dragon Mountain has so far resisted any human attempts to conquer it. No expedition has yet succeeded in reaching its summit.

The town of Dali takes its name from a proud and powerful empire that ruled in south-west China from the 10^th to the 13^th century before Kublai Khan conquered this remote corner of the empire. The Bai people, had already created the first kingdom called Nanzhao three centuries before. The last, well preserved relics of that culture can be seen in the caves of the Stone Bell Mountain (Shizhongshan). It contain both religious sculptures and several depictions of the kings of Nanzhao. The symbols of Dali, which is known in the whole of China, are the Three Pagodas (Dali Santa). The central pagoda which stands at 70 metres high dates from the 9th century and used to stand in the centre of a temple. During restoration work in 1978, more than 600 different artefacts were discovered, hidden in the buildings. They date from the 7^th to 10^th century. The Pagodas of Dali are painted white. Bai means "white", but its real significance is still not known.

Kunming, the City of Spring is the capital of Yunnan province with nearly two million population is situated on a 2,000 metres high plateau. Its protected location favours a mild climate, making it spring all year round. Green Lake, located to the north of the town is a favourite spot for the local resident with its lovely promenades, small temples and pavilions. Different cultural artefacts from the different nationalities can be found in the Yunnan Provincial Museum. On the southern edge of the town is Lake Dianchi. It is the sixth-largest inland lake in China with its 40 km long and 8 km wide. The main attraction of Kumming is the Stone Forest (Shilin). The "trees" in this almost 26,000 hectares forest consist of narrow, bizarrely shaped rock needles which are between 5 and 30 metres tall. This karst formation goes back about 200 million years when the earth crust rose and the waters from a lake receded. A huge rock carved with the two symbols , Shi and Lin, greet visitors at the entrance to the approximately 80 hectares area usually toured.

Xishuangbanna is most easily reached by flying from Kumming to Jinghong, the capital of the Autonomous District. This Chinese looking town gets crowded with peasants from the outlying villages, mostly the Dai who made up one-third of the population. There are few sacral buildings to see and the most striking and beautiful is the White Pagoda of Damenglong, located 50 km south of Jinglong. Legend has it that the feet of Buddha are burried in this pagoda, which has been built in the very distinct South-East Asian style.