Lugu Lake, Yunnan

Yunnan (Chinese: 云南;  pinyin: Yúnnán; literally "South of the Clouds) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers (152,000 square miles). The capital of the province is Kunming. Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast.  The province borders Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam.

Climate
Yunnan has a generally mild climate with pleasant and fair weather because of the province's location on south-facing mountain slopes, receiving the influence of both the Pacific and Indian oceans, and although the growing period is long, there is little arable land. See Agriculture in Yunnan. January average temperatures range from 8°C to 17°C; July averages vary from 21°C to 27°C. Average annual rainfall ranges from 600 mm to 2,300 mm, with over half the rain occurring between June and August. The plateau region has moderate temperatures. The western canyon region is hot and humid at the valley bottoms, but there are freezing winds at the mountaintops.

Languages
Most dialects of the Chinese language spoken in Yunnan belong to the southwestern subdivision of the Mandarin group, and are therefore very similar to the dialects of neighbouring Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. Notable features found in many Yunnan dialects include the partial or complete loss of distinction between finals /n/ and /?/, as well as the lack of /y/. In addition to the local dialects, most people also speak Standard Chinese

Yunnan's ethnic diversity is reflected in its linguistic diversity. Languages spoken in Yunnan include Tibeto-Burman languages such as Bai, Yi, Tibetan, Hani, Jingpo, Lisu, Lahu, Naxi; Tai languages like Zhuang, Bouyei, Dong, Shui, Tai Lü and Tai Nüa or northern lao dialect; as well as Hmong-Mien languages

Tourism
Yunnan Province, due to its beautiful landscapes, mild climate and colorful ethnic minorities, is one of China's major tourist destinations. Most visitors are Chinese tourists, although trips to Yunnan are organized by an increasing number of foreign travel agencies as well. Mainland tourists travel by the masses; 2.75 million Chinese visited Yunnan last October during National Holiday. Also a different trend is slowly developing; small scale and environmentally friendly ecotourism.

Tourist centres in Yunnan include:

Dali, the historic center of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms.
Chuxiong, the first stop on the way to Dali and Lijiang. Home of the Yi ethnic minority and their respective ancient town.
Jinghong, the center and prefectural capital of the Xishuangbanna Dai minority autonomous prefecture.
Lijiang, a Naxi minority city. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Shangri-La County (formerly Zhongdian), an ethnic Tibetan township and county set high in Yunnan's north-western mountains.
The Stone Forest, a series of karst outcrops east of Kunming.
Yuanyang, a Hani minority settlement with vast rice-terraces.
Xishuangbanna, a national scenic resort, famous for its natural and cultural attractions.

Cuisine
Yunnan cuisine (滇菜, pinyin: Diāncài; or 云南菜, pinyin: Yúnnán cài) is an amalgam of Han Chinese and Chinese minority cuisines. As the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities, Yunnan has a great variety of food, and it is difficult to make generalisations. Many Yunnanese dishes are quite spicy, and mushrooms feature prominently. Another important characteristic of Yunnan cuisine is the wide use of flowers as food.

The Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan
    The Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan are eighteen unique traits of Yunnan province. The Oddities often appear in promotional materials advertising the province to foreign and domestic tourists.

• Eggs are sold tied up in clusters
  
• Bamboo hats are used as wok lids
  
• Three mosquitoes make a meal - Yunnan's mosquitoes are very large
  
• Bamboo is used to make water pipes for smoking
  
• Erkuai ['ear piece(s)'] are a local culinary specialty made of rice

• The same dress is worn for all four seasons - clothing for all four seasons may be seen on a single day in Yunnan, as climatic conditions may vary widely according to altitude and region
  
• Young girls are called "Old Lady"
  
• Automobiles move faster than trains
  
• Toes are exposed all year round
  
• "Rain here but sunshine there" - the weather is often variable between areas just a few kilometers apart
  
• Girls wear flowers in all four seasons
  
• Girls carry tobacco bags
  
• Green vegetable is called "bitter vegetable"
  
• Grannies climb mountains faster than monkeys
  
• Trains go abroad but not inland
  
• Monks can have love affairs
  
• Children are raised by men - Yunnan women have a reputation for being hard-working, thus many men stay home to take care of their children
  
• Automobiles move in the clouds - many roads are high in the mountains