Yunnan
From World travel guide
Yunnan (云南) is a province in southern China.
Contents |
Regions
Cities
- Kunming
- Dali
- Lijiang
- Shangrila (formerly Zhongdian)
- Jinghong (In the Xishuangbanna area of Yunnan)
- Deqin
- Yuxi
- Ruili
Understand
Its name literally means south of the clouds. The province is one of the most diverse in China. The North of the province is heavily influenced by Tibet, with whom it shares a border. The South is influenced by its proximity to Laos and Myanmar. The province is famed for its multitude of ethnic groups, whose diverese customs can still be seen today.
Talk
The official language of Yunnan is Mandarin Chinese (or Putonghua as it is known). The region is home to a plethora of dialects from Chinese, Tibetan and Thai language families. Yunnan is home to many minority groups who each have their own different language. Furthermore, local towns will often have their own dialect of Mandarin, which may make understanding the local language difficult. Interestingly the area around Lijiang is home to the world's only pictographic language still in use, the language of the Naxi.
Get in
Train
Until 2005, Kunming was accessible by rail from Hanoi (Vietnam) via a narrow-gauge railroad built by the French. This rail route is now closed, though, so the best way to get down to the border is by bus, or by air from Kunming directly to Hanoi. There is a railway from Nanning in Guangxi with some sensational scenery.
Air
Kunming has non-stop service from Beijing
Get around
From Kunming you can take a train to Dali, but from there you'll need to travel by bus north to Lijiang and Shangrila.
From Kunming you can take a short flight into Jinghong (Xishuangbanna)
See
The Caves of the Liujng (Wenshan region)
The Stone Forest (Kunming region)
Do
Hike the Mekong (Lancang) River
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
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