Slideshows Yunnan Province 云南

Xihu 西湖, a 坝子 in the south of Eryuan county, with its seasonally fluctuating lake is one of the last remnants of mixed aquatic and dry agriculture which must have been quite common in Yunnan before Ming and Qing dynasty settlers drained most valleys.

Stinky Tofu from Shiping 石屏臭豆腐 is a Yunnan delicacy. Here we have a look at how it is made. Bon appétit.

Xiaoshuijing 小水井 is the largest Miao village in the Kunming area and predominantly Christian.

History has left its marks on this hometown of many wealthy Bai merchants.

The Mute God or Yaba 哑巴 ceremonies in Xiangyun county have evolved into an elaborate Gesamtkunstwerk with dance, body ornamentation, sculpture and painting involving the entire Yi village. Compared to a few years ago, the imagery has taken on a much more sexualized character, maybe reflecting a need to create ever more outlandish 'traditional' festivals.

The old temple complex on 五印山 is the destination of the annual pilgrimage up the mountain for the 朝山节 of the Yi in Weishan county. This year they were collecting donations to build a new temple.

Once a decade snow falls on the Dali plain, dusting not only the Cangshan mountains, but also the old city and its beautiful pagodas in white.

The Danxia, or red sandstone, landforms around Liming, a charming Lisu township north of Laojunshan, are a hikers' and climbers' paradise that is just being discovered.

Bisezhai, near Mengzi, was once the second most important train station in Yunnan: passenger services between Kunming and Hanoi stopped here overnight and later a branch railway connected to the mines near Gejiu and Shiping. A fuel depot, ware-houses, accommodation for railway personnel, even a Greek-run guesthouse all developed around the station.

Fire-throwing is part of the Bai Torch Festival in Shaxi.

North of Bingzhongluo the road ends and Tibet begins: a narrow dirt track, still wide enough to carry supply trucks, follows the Nujiang up to Chawalong, a small commercial center for the scattered Tibetan villages beyond. Beyond it, transport is by caravan only. The trail winds perilously along arid slopes, sometimes with spectacular views of the snow mountains, until it reaches Bitu, connected by road to Tibet.

Late July is the season for the tasty Matsutake or 松茸. To this market on the outskirts of Zhongdian locals come to sell their pickings to the highest bidders, every mushroom assessed individually, the best morsels fetching more than 20Y.