Yunnan - China's most beautiful province


The Red Soil of Dongchuan

The Red Soil of Dongchuan
The Wumeng Mountains' bright red soil, the buckwheat's yellow and Yunnan's dramatic skies make the region around Dongchuan a paradise for photographers.


马健雄 (Ma Jianxiong): The Lahu Minority in Southwest China: A Response to Ethnic Marginalization on the Frontier

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The Lahu, with a population of around 470,000, inhabit the mountainous country in Yunnan Province bordering on Burma, Laos and northern Thailand. Buddhists, with a long history of resistance to the Chinese Han majority, the Lahu are currently facing a serious collapse of their traditional social system, with the highest suicide rate in the world, large scale human trafficking of their women, alcoholism and poverty. This book, based on extensive original research including long-term anthropological research among the Lahu, provides an overview of the traditional way of life of the Lahu, their social system, culture and beliefs, and discusses the ways in which these are changing. It shows how the Lahu are especially vulnerable because of their lack of political representatives and a state educated elite which can engage with, and be part of, the government administrative system. The Lahu are one of many relatively small ethnic minorities in China – overall the book provides an example of how the Chinese government approaches these relatively small ethnic minorities.

Yunnan Tours

We can put you in contact with personally vetted, experienced tour guides, speaking Chinese, English, Dutch and German, for southwestern China. They can help you plan a trip matching your personal interests and requirements and accompany you on your trip. We just provide the introduction, we do not charge any commission or fees.
For enquiries email tours@yunnanexplorer.com.

Raw pork skin, together with raw pork meat and sometimes even raw pork liver are traditional delicacies in Dali.



Once an important salt-mining town, now the second largest town along the Heihui River north of Yangbi.


Brenda McLean: George Forrest, Plant Hunter

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George Forrest, perhaps the most successful plant collector of his time, left little written about his numerous journeys to Yunnan, so this well-illustrated book fills in much needed detail about his life.


Extremely beautiful Wenchang Temple, created in part by national level Intangible Cultural Heritage transmitter Li Yunyi.



A pretty lake area south of Eryuan.

Markets this Wednesday

Kunming 昆明
Longtou 龙头街
Shilin 石林彝族自治县
Banqiao 板桥乡

Dali 大理
Wanqiao 湾桥
Shunbi 順濞
Zhongying 种英
Fengyi 凤仪
Qinghua 清华
Shaba 沙坝
Weishan 巍山彝族回族自治县
Zhouguanying 周官营
Shanglan 上兰
Wase 挖色
Dacang 大仓镇
Dianzhong 甸中
Niujie 牛街

Honghe 红河
Shengcun 生村
Zhicun 芷村镇
Nafa 那发
Tutai 土台
Hongtian 红田
Baiyun 白云乡
Jiache 架车
Zhongzhai 中寨
Yongning 永宁乡

Wenshan 文山
Puyang 普阳
Shupi 树皮彝族乡
Xichou 西畴县

Chuxiong 楚雄
Maojie 猫街镇
Yaoan 姚安县

Baoshan 保山市
Xiaopingtian 小平田
Wama 瓦马彝族白族乡
Tengchong 腾冲县

Lincang 临沧
Mangka 芒卡镇
Fengwei 风尾镇
Fengqing 凤庆县
Boshang 博商
Mengjiao 勐角乡

Yuxi 玉溪
Fuliangpeng 富良棚

Nujiang 怒江
Lazan 腊咱
Fugong 福贡
Lumadeng 鹿马登乡

Puer 普洱
Jiangcheng 江城哈尼族彝族自治县
Yongping 永平镇
Kangping 康平乡
Meng'a 孟啊