Xinshuangbanna

As the only tropical rainforest nature reserve in China, Xishuangbanna is ideal for nurturing wonderful plants and flora and is home to unusual wildlife. For many years, Xishuangbanna's fame as a natural paradise was as well known as that of the Amazon.

 the Stone Forest 

is among the most unique geological landscapes in the world. The karst topography began forming 270 million years ago, and now covers over a thousand kilometers in southwestern China. Formerly a giant lake, the combination of sediment formation, river erosion and plateau elevation has left us with these stunning rock formations.

 

Mt. . Changshan

also called Diancang Mountain, was once named Xiongcang Mountain and in ancient times was called Lingjiu Mountain. Mt. Cangshan is made of 19 peaks and make up the highest peaks of the Yunling Mountain Range. All are 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) above the sea level and at 4,122-meter (13,524-feet), Malong Peak is the highest. In between every two peaks are streams, and water rushes down the mountain and pours into Erhai Lake. These streams originate from spring water or thawing snow and irrigate the farmlands around.

 Dianchi Lake.

The lake is crescent-shaped, about 39 kilometers (24 miles) in length and 13 kilometers (8 miles) in width at its widest. Its natural banks are formed by mountains on all four sides. More than twenty rivers nurture the lake which has a shoreline of 163.2 kilometers (101 miles). Four surrounding hills contribute to the picturesque landscape, making visitors intoxicated and linger around. You may appreciate the beauty of the lake and hills from a boat, and explore this cradle of Yunnan culture.

With a population of 36 million, Yunnan has the most nationalities in the great family of China. There are 24 diverse minority nationalities, which include over 12 million people, constituting one third of the province's total population and one sixth of China's total minority population. They display their rich and distinctive features, such as the vastly different styles of buildings, the various colorful costumes and ornaments, the folk songs and dances brimming with idyllic flavors and very interesting marital customs.

it is the province with biggest number of ethnic minorities in China, including the Yi, Bai, Hani, Zhuang, Dai, Miao, Lisu, Hui, Lahu, Va, Naxi, Yao, Tibetan, Jingpo, Blang, Achang, Nu, Pumi, Jino, Benlong, Mongolian and Drung. Each of them has its own typical custom, architectural style and colorful literature. 

The predominate group is the Han as in China as a whole. While many languages are spoken and written by the different minorities Mandarin is the offical language. A very interesting but totally different from Chinese characters is the written language still practiced by the Naxi of Lijiang.Yunnan and Kunming in particular are home to many refugees from Vietnam. These refugees started arriving in 1977 and today there are over 150,000 Vietnamese living in Kunming alone. Many more call the border area close to Vietnam home.The Water Splashing Festival of the Dai, Torch Festival of the Yi and March Fair of the Bai are the main celebrations of these minorities. 

Culture:Operas of ethnic minorities like Dianju, Baiju, Daiju, etc. and dances like Peacock Dance, Fan Dance, and Lushen Dance