You will be amazed by the picturesque scenery and diverse ethnic population of this province in the south of China. Yunnan is set in the foothills of the Himalayas. Its climate ranges from the icy highlands of the western frontier to tropical lowlands bordering Myanmar and Laos in the east. Over the course of 6 days, visit Kunming, the historic towns of Dali and Lijiang, and all the natural beauty surrounding these three cities.

While riding from one town to another, marvel at the landscapes passing before your eyes, and get a good night’s sleep in a comfortable train.

Itinerary:
Day 1:	Arrival in Kunming
Day 2:	Kunming → Dali
Day 3:	Dali
Day 4 :	Dali → Lijiang
Day 5:	Lijiang → Jade Dragon Mountain →  Lijiang → Kunming
Day 6:	Kunming departure
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CULTURAL CORNER

Recommended Reading

Forgotten Kingdom, Peter Goullart, John Murray publishers ltd, 2002

A Journey to Yunnan and the Opening of the Red to Trade  by Dupuis, J.

Social organization of the Mosuo Ethnie

The Kingdom of Women

The Mosuo are a small ethnic group living in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, close to the border with Tibet, who practice matrilineality. The beginning of Mosuo matrilineality:

Historically, the Mosuo lived in a feudal system where a larger peasant population was controlled by a small nobility. The nobility was afraid of the peasant class gaining power. Since leadership was hereditary, the peasant class was given a matriarchal system. This prevented threats to nobility power by having the peasant class trace lineage through the female line. This system has led to numerous unusual traits among Mosuo society.

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoTrARDa8BU

A cup of TEA from Yunnan!

According to historic records, the inhabitants of Yunnan domesticated the aboriginal tea (known as the ‘wild tea’) 2,100 ago. In Yunnan province, an 800-year-old cultivated type of ancient tea tree is still growing in the Nannuo Mountain of Menghai County. Another 1,700-year-old ancient wild tea tree now grows in Bada of Menghai County and a third 1,000-year-old ancient tea tree grows in Bangwei of Lincang Prefecture. These three remarkable ancient trees are examples of the transition between the wild and cultivated types. They are praised as the ‘Three Ancient Tea-tree Kings’ of the world. These ancient tea trees are regarded as the ‘living fossils’ of Yunnan’s aboriginal tea plants.

Yunnan has registered a total number of 199 species of local tea trees, the good ones among which are 46 asexual-propagation species and 153 sexual-propagation species. Overall, Yunnan’s tea species are known as the “Yunnan large-leaf tea”, which, like the ideal Assam tea of India and the Kenya tea, belongs to the category of superb tea species of the world. It is the ideal raw material for producing the black tea and Pu-erh tea.

http://www.tuochatea.com/history-of-yunnan-tea.aspx