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Yunnan is situated on a plateau in southwest China formed with the rising of the Himalayas from the ancient sea. In the northwest it borders on the eastern section of the Himalayas, thus it seems to be the last step to Tibet, the "roof of the world". "Yunnan" in Chinese means "south of the clouds". Various colors and shapes of the clouds over this plateau give yunnan its full name "South of the Colorful Clouds". These beautiful rosy clouds always appear in the south, which is thought to be an auspicious sign. Yunnan people, therefore, are proud of living on this blessed land.
Yunnan is called "Yun" or "Dian" for short. It is a vast land with towering mountains and plentiful rivers as well as abundant natural resources. The land area is 394,000 square km, the eighth largest province in China. The province has a total population of 41 million people, with 16 prefectures, autonomous prefectures and cities within its jurisdiction. Yunnan borders on Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Ethnic Minority Autonomous Region to the east, Chongqing and Sichuan to the north and Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest. To its west is Myanmar and to its south are Laos and Vietnam. The boundary line of China stretches 4,060 kms in Yunnan. About 94 per cent of the province is mountainous area.
Yunnan is an area of many different national cultures. 26 ethnic minority groups give a rich patina of diversity and color to the Yunnan scene, contributing with their colorful ethnic costumes, their traditional songs and dances, to the attractive life of the cities, the villages, the fairs and the festivals. The Water Splashing Festival of the Dai people, the March Fair of the Bai people, the Torch Festival of the Yi people, keep the traveler so entranced he never wants to leave.
Yunnan is also one of the cradles of human civilization. The bones of a primitive hominid 1.7 million-years-old have been found in Yuanmou, dinosaur fossils in Lufeng County. From Dali, capital of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom to the Golden Temple, Black Dragon Pool and many other ancient temples most of which are amazingly intact, Yunnan is a wonderland, with a long history and a deep culture.
Yunnan is a place of neverending fascination. The stone drums, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the worship not of gods but of the sky, the earth, and the mountains; languages whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity; and the Burma Road which once provided a gateway of American supplies and aid to war-time China in World War II.
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