COLORFUL YUNNAN
Yunnan, a beautiful province located southwest of China, borders the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou and the Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as the countries Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. The province spans approximately 394,000 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 45 million in 2019. Among Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, Yunnan has the largest number of ethnic groups — with 25 out of 56 recognized groups in the country.
In this article, we present five scenic areas in Yunnan: the Old Town of Lijian, Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain, Dali, Lugu Lake and Shangri-La city.
THE OLD TOWN OF LIJIANG: A PLACE TO FIND TRUE LOVE
The Old Town of Lijiang is located on the Lijiang plain in southwest Yunnan, where a series of strategic passes give access through the surrounding mountains. The Old Town of Lijiang perfectly adapts to the uneven terrain of this important commercial and strategic location, retaining the high quality and authenticity of the historical and urban landscape. Its architecture is noteworthy because it combines elements of several cultures over the centuries. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water supply system of great complexity and ingenuity, and the most amazing part is that this old-fashioned system still functions effectively today.
The Old Town of Lijiang consists of three parts: Dayan Old Town (including the Black Dragon Pond), Baisha and Shuhe housing clusters. Dayan Old Town, founded in the Ming Dynasty, is an ancient commercial center that includes the Lijiang County People’s Government, YIZI pavilion and Guabi Tower left by the original Mujia compound, and the Yuquan architectural structure of the Black Dragon Pond Park. The two-storey, tile-roofed, timberframed house combines Han and Zang architectural elements. The decorative wooden structures are carefully carved with domestic and cultural elements — pottery, musical instruments, flowers and birds. Another interesting thing about the old town is that there is an old saying in China, “meet you lasting love in Lijiang.”
JADE DRAGON SNOW MOUNTAIN: CLOSE TO HEAVEN
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the northwest is the source of the rivers and springs that water the plain and supply the Heilong Pool (Black Dragon Pond), which feed into a network of canals and channels. The view of the massif at Lijiang Black Dragon Pond Garden is considered as one of the best landscapes in China. The mountain is part of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Scenic Area and the National Geological Park, an AAAAA-level scenic spot. The park operates a cable car that takes you to an observation platform at an altitude of 4,506 meters. If you wish, you can climb hundreds of steps to reach one of the world’s highest observation platforms where you can enjoy the snow peak. Because of the extremely high altitude, many people have to carry cans of compressed oxygen.
DALI TOWN: A PLACE OF SPLENDID CULTURES AND LANDSCAPE
Dali Town is a township-level department in Dali City, located in the northwest of Yunnan. The town is the historical center of the county-level city of Dali and is commonly known as the Dali Old Town. Due to its picturesque location and historic Bai architecture, the old town has become a famous tourist attraction. As one of the ethnic minority cities, Dali Old Town is rich in cultural resources and the development of multi-ethnic culture. The Central Plains’ culture, foreign culture and local culture collide here, forming a splendid Nanzhao Dali culture and distinctive features. The Bai culture shows a rich ethnic custom and a humanistic landscape.
The Bai ethnic group is the 15th largest ethnic minority in China. They have their own language, and belong to the Tibetan-Burmese language branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Bai people are talented in art and their architecture, sculpture and painting art are famous both in China and abroad. In the process of formation and development, they have interacted with the surrounding ethnic groups and created a splendid culture.
LUGU LAKE: ‘THE KINGDOM OF DAUGHTERS’
Lugu Lake is located in the northwestern part of the Yunnan Plateau. The central part of the lake forms the boundary between Ninglang County of Yunnan Province and Yanyuan County of Sichuan Province. It is believed that the formation of the lake occurred in the geological faults of the late Cenozoic geological era. It is an alpine lake at an altitude of 2,685 meters and is the highest lake in Yunnan. The lake is surrounded by mountains, with five islands, four peninsulas, 14 bays and 17 beaches.
One of the most interesting part of Lugu Lake is that it is also called “the kingdom of daughters.” In China, women dominate everything in the matriarchal family, and they have a high status in the family. On one hand, if the men want to propose to women, they have to climb into the “flower room” — women’s private bedroom of the women — because men are not allowed to walk into the women’s front door. On the other hand, this minority ethic group is said to be the country’s last matrilineal society, where daughters are preferred to sons and children need to take their mothers’ surname.
This unique tradition has led to a booming tourism industry, with hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to here for the spectacular natural beauty and exotic cultural experiences.
SHANGRI-LA: EARTHLY PARADISE
Shangri-La is well-known around the world because of the famous novel Lost Horizon of British writer James Hilton in the 1930s. This novel was soon made into a movie of the same name and won a number of Oscars. Hilton described Shangri-La as a mysterious and harmonious valley and earthly paradise. In the novel, people living in Shangri-La are almost immortal. Their life span exceeds normal life for hundreds of years. In reality, the speculated scenery does deserve these descriptions.
Shangri-La’s Pudacuo Park is China’s first national park, located 22 kilometers east of Shangri-La County, “Pudacuo” in Tibetan language means that God helps the boat to reach the other side of the lake. The water quality and air quality of the Pudacuo National Park meet the national first-class standards. Pudacuo is now a major component of the Bita Sea and the Tudu Lake, with an altitude of 3,500 to 4,159 meters, and an important part of the “Three Rivers Parallel” Scenic Area. The original ecological environment is well preserved. The park has geological features, lake wetlands, forest meadows, river valleys, rare animals and plants.