China Yunnan Province Complete Guide 2026: Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-La, Stone Forest, Tiger Leaping Gorge

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China Yunnan Province Complete Guide 2026: Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-La, Stone Forest, Tiger Leaping Gorge

TL;DR

I spent three weeks from Kunming up to Shangri-La and back down through Xishuangbanna. Yunnan packs UNESCO sites (Lijiang, Stone Forest, Yuanyang), 26 ethnic minorities, and elevations from 700m jungle to 5,596m glaciers. The 240-hour visa-free transit covers Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali for most travellers, so entry is lower friction than the rest of China. Spring (March to June) and autumn (September to November) are the windows. Budget USD 60 to 120 per day mid-range.

Why Visit Yunnan in 2026

Yunnan sits in China's southwest corner, bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, and holds roughly one third of China's 56 officially recognised ethnic groups in one province. For 2026, entry options got friendlier. The standard L tourist visa runs about USD 140 for 90 days. The bigger shift is the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which now covers Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali airports for most Western and Asian passport holders moving between two different countries. I flew in from Bangkok and out to Hong Kong, and the immigration officer at Kunming stamped me through in eight minutes.

The reason to come is simple. Yunnan does not look or feel like the China most outsiders picture. Lijiang Old Town is an 800-year-old Naxi water town at 2,416m. Shangri-La is functionally Tibetan, with prayer wheels and yak butter tea at 3,200m. Xishuangbanna in the south is closer to Laos than Beijing, with Theravada temples and the Mekong (called the Lancang here) sliding past stilt houses. The Stone Forest is 350 million years old. Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest river canyons on earth.

Background and Context

Yunnan covers 394,100 km² and is China's 8th largest province by area. Population is around 47 million, density roughly 119 per km², low by Chinese standards. The capital is Kunming, the "Spring City," with 6.6 million people and an elevation of 1,890m that keeps it mild year-round. Currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY). The whole country runs on a single time zone, UTC+8, even though Yunnan sits more than two hours west of Beijing.

Of China's 56 recognised ethnic groups, 26 live in Yunnan in significant numbers. The Han are the majority, but the Yi (about 11%), Bai (3.6%), Hani (3%), Zhuang (2.7%), Dai (2.5%), Miao (2.5%), Lisu (1.5%), Hui (1.3%), Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Yao, Tibetan, Jingpo, Bulang, Pumi, De'ang, Achang, Nu, Jino, Drung, Mongol, Manchu, and Shui all maintain language, dress, and religious traditions that predate the modern state. The province borders Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, and Tea Horse Road trade still shapes settlement patterns. Climate ranges from sub-arctic at Meili Snow Mountain (6,740m) to tropical lowland in Xishuangbanna. I packed a down jacket and a sun hat in the same bag.

Lijiang Old Town

I gave Lijiang four nights and it earned every one. The Old Town earned UNESCO inscription in 1997, and at 2,416m elevation it sits on a high basin under Mt Yulong (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 5,596m, 13 peaks). The town is Naxi: cobbled lanes, three-channel canal system carved in the 13th century, wooden shopfronts, and the matriarchal echo of the Naxi Dongba religion, whose pictographic script is the last living pictographic writing system on earth and earned UNESCO Memory of the World status in 2003.

The Mu Family Mansion dates to the 14th-century Yuan dynasty and was the seat of the hereditary Naxi tusi (chieftain) lineage. Entry was 60 CNY when I went. Black Dragon Pool, finished in 1737, gives the postcard reflection of Yulong's snow ridge in still water. I got there at 7:15 a.m. and had it almost to myself for forty minutes before the tour buses arrived. Baisha Murals, a short ride north, preserve 15th to 17th century Buddhist and Daoist paintings inside village temples that survived because they were too remote to bother destroying. For Mt Yulong itself, the Glacier Park cable car goes to 4,506m. Take it slow. I watched two tourists from sea-level cities get put on oxygen at the top.

Dali Old Town

Dali sat on the Tea Horse Road for centuries and was capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom (8th to 9th century). The Bai people, who make up the majority here, build whitewashed houses with dark wood trim and detailed eave paintings, very different from Naxi architecture an hour north. The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are the visual anchor: the main pagoda is 69.13m, 16 storeys, and dates to the 9th century Tang dynasty. The two flanking pagodas came up about a century later. The whole complex was reconstructed after the 1996 earthquake using traditional methods, and you can still see the seam between original Tang brick and modern restoration if you look closely.

Erhai Lake, the second-largest in Yunnan, runs 40km long, 7 to 8km wide, and covers about 250 km². I rented an electric bike and rode the east shore in a day. Xizhou, a Bai village on the north end, is the place to stop for breakfast baba (Bai flatbread) and Three Course Tea, the Bai tea ceremony of bitter, sweet, then aftertaste. Cangshan rises behind the old town to 4,122m. The chairlift to Zhonghe Temple was 80 CNY return when I went, and from the ridge you see Erhai laid out below like a long blue tongue.

Shangri-La (Zhongdian)

Shangri-La is the official name of what used to be Zhongdian county; the rename happened in 2001, taking the place name from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon as a tourism move. The town sits at 3,200m, and most travellers feel it. I had a headache the first night and slept twelve hours. The population is mostly Khampa Tibetan, and the cultural register is fully Tibetan Buddhist (Gelug school, the same as the Dalai Lama's lineage), not Han.

Songzanlin Monastery, built in 1679 under the Fifth Dalai Lama, is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan and gets called "Little Potala" for its tiered hillside layout. About 700 monks live there. The 115 CNY entry fee includes a shuttle to the base. I walked the kora clockwise with a local family, spun the prayer wheels, and watched butter lamps burn in the assembly hall. Pudacuo National Park, gazetted in 2007, was part of the Three Parallel Rivers UNESCO site (inscribed 2003). Bita Lake and Shudu Lake inside the park are alpine meadows with Tibetan yak grazing in summer. Napa Lake, just outside town, fills seasonally and draws black-necked cranes in winter.

Stone Forest (Shilin)

The Stone Forest, 90km southeast of Kunming, is a karst landscape of grey limestone pillars formed over roughly 350 million years as ancient seabed eroded along vertical joint lines. It covers about 80 km² (27,000 acres) and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2007 as part of the South China Karst serial property. The local people are Sani, a branch of the Yi, and the women in traditional dress (embroidered black with bright cross-stitch) are not props for tourists; this is everyday wear in the surrounding villages.

I bought the 130 CNY combined ticket and spent five hours walking through Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest, and Naigu Stone Forest. Naigu is fifteen minutes by shuttle from the main entrance and gets perhaps a tenth of the foot traffic. That is where I would send anyone wanting to photograph the pillars without other people in frame. The pillar nicknamed Ashima, after the Sani folk heroine in the local epic poem, draws a queue but is worth the queue.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge cuts the Jinsha River (the upper Yangtze) between Mt Yulong (5,596m) and Haba Snow Mountain (5,396m) for about 16km. From river to summit is roughly 3,790m, which puts it among the deepest river canyons on earth. The legend is that a tiger once leapt the narrowest point (about 25m wide) to escape a hunter. The trek runs the high path on the Mt Yulong side, and it is one of the better two-day walks in Asia.

I started at Qiaotou (now called Tiger Leaping Gorge Town) and overnighted at Halfway House (also called Tea Horse Guesthouse), at the literal halfway point. The terrace there overlooks Jade Dragon directly across the gorge. Dinner was 40 CNY for a Naxi family-style spread. The next morning, the 28 Bends section is the steep climb, about an hour of switchbacks. Tina's Guesthouse is the standard exit point, and from there a road leads down to the river and the actual Tiger Leaping rock. Plan two full days. The trail is moderate, not technical, but the altitude (2,000m to 2,670m) and the drop-offs reward unhurried walking. I would not do it in rain.

Kunming

Kunming, at 1,890m, lives up to its "Spring City" nickname. I spent two days at the start and one at the end, and it never went below 12°C or above 22°C either time. Green Lake (Cuihu) Park is the social heart, with retired residents practising tai chi, ballroom dancing, and Chinese opera most mornings. In winter the lake fills with Siberian black-headed gulls. Yuantong Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Kunming, dates to the Tang dynasty (8th century) with major Ming and Qing rebuilds. The Western Hills (Xishan) give a hard climb up to Dragon Gate, carved into a sheer cliff over Dianchi Lake. The cable car saves the worst of it. Most travellers use Kunming as a day-trip base for the Stone Forest; I would still keep one full day for the city itself.

Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna prefecture, in the deep south where Yunnan meets Laos and Myanmar, is tropical lowland (about 700m) and is Dai cultural territory. The Dai are Theravada Buddhist, related linguistically and culturally to the Thai and Lao. The Lancang River, which becomes the Mekong once it crosses into Laos, runs through. Jinghong is the prefectural capital and the practical base.

I flew in (the high-speed rail from Kunming opened in 2021 and takes about three hours). Wild Elephant Valley, about 50km north of Jinghong, gives a chance to see wild Asian elephants, though sightings are not guaranteed. The Tropical Botanical Garden at Menglun, run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, holds over 13,000 plant species across 1,125 hectares and was the most worthwhile single site I visited in the south. The Water Splashing Festival, held mid-April for Dai New Year, was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2006.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

Yuanyang sits in Honghe Hani prefecture in southeast Yunnan, and the rice terraces here have been worked continuously by the Hani for at least 1,300 years. UNESCO inscribed them in 2013. The protected area covers 16,654 hectares and includes 11 villages and four core terrace clusters: Bada, Duoyishu, Laohuzui, and Quanfuzhuang. I went in early March, just before flooding for planting, when the terraces hold standing water and reflect the sky. The photographers' platform at Duoyishu fills before dawn; I arrived at 5:40 a.m. and was still in the second row. Hani mushroom-shaped thatched houses are still occupied; ask before photographing elders in traditional dress.

Meili Snow Mountain

Meili Snow Mountain rises to 6,740m at Kawagebo, the highest peak in Yunnan and one of the most sacred mountains in Tibetan Buddhism. Kawagebo has never been successfully climbed. The 1991 Sino-Japanese expedition lost all 17 climbers in an avalanche, the largest single-event mountaineering accident in history, and Chinese authorities formally banned further climbing attempts in 2001 out of respect for local religious sentiment.

The viewing town is Feilai Si, about 10km from Deqin. The classic shot is sunrise on the 13 peaks from the Feilai Si stupa platform. I waited four mornings; on the third, the clouds parted at 6:48 a.m. and held for nine minutes. Mingyong Glacier, on the eastern flank of Kawagebo, is one of the lowest-latitude glaciers on earth, though it has retreated significantly in the last twenty years.

Jianshui

Jianshui, in southern Yunnan, was a major administrative town under the Yuan dynasty (13th century) and retains one of the better-preserved historic cores in the province. The Confucius Temple here is the fourth largest in China after Qufu, Beijing, and Quzhou. It covers about 7.6 hectares and dates in its current form to the early 14th century. The Zhu Family Garden (1903) is a late Qing merchant compound with 42 courtyards. Jianshui purple pottery, fired since the Tang dynasty, is the local craft worth a slow afternoon.

Costs (CNY / USD / INR)

Item	Budget	Mid-range	Higher-end
Hostel dorm bed Lijiang	60 CNY / USD 8 / INR 700
Naxi courtyard guesthouse Lijiang		350-700 CNY / USD 48-95 / INR 4,000-8,000	1,200+ CNY / USD 165+ / INR 13,800+
Tibetan inn Shangri-La	180 CNY / USD 25 / INR 2,100	500-900 CNY / USD 68-125 / INR 5,750-10,500	1,500 CNY / USD 205 / INR 17,300
Yunnan rice noodle breakfast	8-15 CNY / USD 1-2 / INR 90-175
Mid-range meal	30-80 CNY / USD 4-11 / INR 350-925
Kunming-Lijiang HSR 2nd class	220 CNY / USD 30 / INR 2,550
Kunming-Dali HSR 2nd class	145 CNY / USD 20 / INR 1,675
Kunming-Shangri-La bus	230 CNY / USD 32 / INR 2,650
Lijiang to Tiger Leaping bus	65 CNY / USD 9 / INR 750
Stone Forest entry	130 CNY / USD 18 / INR 1,500
Mu Family Mansion entry	60 CNY / USD 8 / INR 700
Songzanlin Monastery entry	115 CNY / USD 16 / INR 1,325
Three Pagodas entry	75 CNY / USD 10 / INR 865

Daily budget for a mid-range trip lands around CNY 450 to 900 (USD 60 to 125, INR 5,200 to 10,500), including a private room, three meals, one paid site, and shared internal transport. A backpacker on dorms and noodles can do it on CNY 250 (USD 35, INR 2,900). A boutique Naxi courtyard with private driver pushes to CNY 1,800 and up (USD 250+, INR 21,000+).

Planning Your Trip

The two windows are March to June (spring, 15 to 25°C in Kunming, wildflowers on Cangshan and Mt Yulong, water in the Yuanyang terraces) and September to November (autumn, clear skies, harvest gold in the south, comfortable nights at altitude). June to August is the rainy season; Tiger Leaping Gorge gets slippery and Yuanyang fogs in. Winter is cold at altitude: Shangri-La regularly drops to minus 10°C at night, and roads to Deqin can close. Kunming itself is fine year round.

For visas, two practical paths. The standard tourist L visa runs about USD 140 for 90 days, processed in four to seven business days at most consulates. The faster route, if your itinerary fits, is the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, valid at Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali airports for citizens of 54 eligible countries, provided you arrive from one country and depart to a different country with a confirmed onward ticket. I used the transit route on this trip and it worked cleanly.

For flights, direct international routes into Kunming run from Bangkok (Air Asia, Thai Airways), Singapore (Singapore Airlines, China Eastern), Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Yangon, and Vientiane. From India, you typically connect through Bangkok, Singapore, or Hong Kong, total time 8 to 11 hours with layover. Air India and Cathay Pacific both work. Lijiang and Dali have their own airports with limited international service, mostly from Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Internal transport works as follows. The high-speed rail covers Kunming to Dali (about 2 hours) and Kunming to Lijiang (about 3 hours). Beyond Lijiang the network thins. Kunming to Shangri-La is a 4 to 5 hour bus ride (or a longer overland through Lijiang), and Xishuangbanna is best reached by flight or by the newer high-speed line opened in 2021. Tiger Leaping Gorge requires a bus from Lijiang plus walking; private 4WD is overkill for the trek but useful for the river-level rock.

Climate planning: Kunming holds 15 to 22°C almost year-round. Lijiang and Dali sit 5 to 8°C cooler. Shangri-La and Deqin at 3,200m+ require warm layers in any season, and altitude sickness preparation matters: I took it slow, drank water, and skipped alcohol the first 48 hours. Xishuangbanna is tropical, 25 to 32°C and humid, with a defined wet season May through October.

Payment is the one quirk that catches first-timers. Cash is rarely accepted outside small Bai or Naxi villages. Alipay and WeChat Pay run essentially everything else, including taxis, train tickets, temple entries, and Naxi grandmothers selling oranges on the street. Both apps now accept international cards (Visa, Mastercard) for foreign tourists; set this up before you arrive. The Tour Card option inside Alipay is the simplest. Bring some USD cash as backup for the rare case of app failure.

FAQs

1. Do I need a visa or can I use the 240-hour transit?
If your trip starts and ends in two different countries (for example, Bangkok to Yunnan to Hong Kong) and you fly into Kunming, Lijiang, or Dali, the 240-hour visa-free transit covers you. You must have a confirmed onward ticket to the third country. Otherwise, apply for the L tourist visa, USD 140 for 90 days, processed in four to seven business days.

2. Can I use Alipay and WeChat Pay as a foreigner?
Yes, and you should set them up before you arrive. Both now accept international Visa and Mastercard. Alipay's Tour Card feature is the cleanest entry point. Cash works in remote ethnic villages but almost nowhere else. Foreign credit cards are not widely accepted at point of sale.

3. Is Yunnan cuisine vegetarian-friendly?
Reasonably so. Mushroom hot pot is a regional speciality and uses dozens of wild varieties. Buddhist temple restaurants in Dali, Kunming, and Shangri-La serve fully vegetarian set meals. Lijiang and Naxi food leans more meat-heavy. Xishuangbanna Dai cuisine includes good vegetarian dishes built around bamboo shoots, banana flower, and pineapple rice. Learn the phrase "wo chi su" (I eat vegetarian).

4. Will I get altitude sickness in Shangri-La?
Possibly. Shangri-La is 3,200m and Deqin is 3,400m+. Roughly a quarter of travellers feel mild symptoms (headache, sleep disruption, breathlessness on stairs). Ascend gradually: spend two nights in Lijiang (2,416m) before going up. Hydrate, avoid alcohol the first 48 hours, sleep flat. If symptoms worsen, descend.

5. What is the etiquette around photographing ethnic minorities?
Public spaces and festivals are generally fine. Inside villages, ask before photographing people, especially elders and women in ceremonial dress. A small gesture, holding up the camera and meeting their eyes, is usually answered with a nod or a wave-off. Do not photograph inside Tibetan monastery assembly halls during prayer; signs make this clear.

6. Do I need a VPN?
For most Western apps, yes. Google services (Gmail, Maps, Search, Drive), Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most major Western news sites are blocked. Install a reputable VPN on your phone and laptop before you arrive; download in country is harder. Chinese alternatives (Baidu Maps, WeChat) work well once set up.

7. How hard is the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek?
Moderate. The high trail runs about 22km over two days, with one significant climb (the 28 Bends, an hour of switchbacks). Altitude is 1,800m to 2,670m. Halfway House at the literal midpoint is the standard overnight. Trail is well-marked, accommodation is friendly, and the views are constant. Avoid in heavy rain (July to August). I saw walkers from 25 to 65 finishing comfortably.

8. What festivals are worth planning around?
Three stand out. The Yi Torch Festival in late July (24th or 25th day of the 6th lunar month) sees torch processions, bullfights, and wrestling, biggest in Yi and Sani areas around Stone Forest and Chuxiong. The Dai Water Splashing Festival in mid-April (UNESCO ICH 2006) is Dai New Year in Xishuangbanna, three days of water throwing, peacock dancing, and Buddhist temple visits. Sanduo Festival in March (8th day of the 2nd lunar month) is the main Naxi festival in Lijiang.

Useful Phrases

Mandarin (the working lingua franca everywhere in Yunnan):

Ni hao: hello
Xie xie: thank you
Duo shao qian: how much
Wo chi su: I am vegetarian
Ce suo zai na li: where is the toilet
Bu yao xiang cai: no cilantro
Mai dan: the bill, please
Wo bu hui shuo Zhongwen: I do not speak Chinese
Ting bu dong: I do not understand

Naxi (Lijiang and surrounding villages):

Aliki: hello
Jju bei sei: thank you

Bai (Dali and Erhai shore):

Junio: hello
Mo zhe: thank you

Tibetan (Shangri-La, Deqin):

Tashi delek: hello and good fortune
Thuk je che: thank you
Lhasa: lama, monk

Dai (Xishuangbanna):

Sawadee: hello (shared with Thai)
Khob khun: thank you

Cultural Notes

Yunnan holds 26 of China's 56 recognised ethnic minorities at meaningful population levels. Approximate percentages of the provincial population: Han majority, Yi 11%, Bai 3.6%, Hani 3%, Zhuang 2.7%, Dai 2.5%, Miao 2.5%, Lisu 1.5%, Hui 1.3%, and smaller communities of Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Yao, Tibetan, Jingpo, Bulang, Pumi, De'ang, Achang, Nu, Jino, Drung, Mongol, Manchu, and Shui. Each group has distinct dress, architecture, cuisine, and in many cases language and religious tradition.

The Naxi of Lijiang practise Dongba religion, a syncretic system with shamanic, Bon, and Tibetan Buddhist influences. The Dongba pictographic script is the only living pictographic script in the world. UNESCO added it to the Memory of the World register in 2003. The Naxi orchestra in Lijiang still performs Tang and Song court music that has died out in Han China.

The Bai of Dali are organised around the March Fair (Sanyue Jie), which dates to the Tang dynasty and runs for a week in the third lunar month. Three Course Tea, a bitter-sweet-aftertaste sequence, is shorthand for the Bai philosophy of life. The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple (9th century, main pagoda 69.13m) anchor the religious landscape.

The Dai of Xishuangbanna are Theravada Buddhist, sharing tradition with the Thai, Lao, and Shan. The Water Splashing Festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2006. Tibetan communities in Shangri-La and Deqin practise Mahayana Vajrayana Buddhism, primarily Gelug school. Songzanlin (1679) is the principal seat. The Yi are the largest minority, and the Torch Festival in late July is the largest minority festival in Yunnan, particularly visible around Stone Forest (Sani branch).

Pu'er tea, named for the town south of Kunming, is the region's most exported product. Aged Pu'er from old-growth trees in the Yiwu and Bulang Mountains sells for thousands of yuan per cake. Yunnan mushroom cuisine draws on over 700 named wild varieties; eat them at established restaurants only.

Pre-Trip Prep Checklist

E-visa (USD 140, 90-day L tourist) applied 4-7 days ahead, OR confirm 240-hour visa-free transit eligibility (different entry and exit countries, Kunming or Lijiang or Dali airport, confirmed onward ticket)
Alipay and WeChat Pay installed and verified with an international Visa or Mastercard before arrival (Tour Card feature in Alipay is the cleanest)
USD cash backup (not strictly needed but useful if app verification stalls)
Modest dress for temples and ethnic villages (covered shoulders and knees in monasteries; remove shoes inside Tibetan and Dai temple halls)
Photography permission asked before photographing people, particularly elders
Power adapter: Chinese plug types A, C, and I, 220V 50Hz
Altitude preparation for Shangri-La and Deqin: gradual ascent, hydration, no alcohol day one, consider acetazolamide on doctor's advice
VPN installed on phone and laptop before arrival (Google, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp blocked)
Cold weather layers if going above 3,000m; sun hat and SPF 30+ for any high-altitude day
Offline maps downloaded (Maps.me works without Google Maps)

Suggested Itineraries

5-day Kunming, Dali, Lijiang. Day 1: arrive Kunming, Green Lake, Yuantong Temple. Day 2: Stone Forest day trip. Day 3: HSR to Dali, Three Pagodas, Old Town walk. Day 4: Erhai Lake east shore by e-bike, Xizhou for lunch. Day 5: HSR to Lijiang, Old Town in the evening, fly out next morning.

8-day add Shangri-La and Tiger Leaping Gorge. As above through day 5. Day 6: Lijiang Old Town, Mu Family Mansion, Black Dragon Pool. Day 7: bus to Qiaotou, trek to Halfway House. Day 8: 28 Bends to Tina's, descend to river-level rock, bus on to Shangri-La. Add days 9 and 10 in Shangri-La for Songzanlin and Pudacuo.

12-day full circuit including Xishuangbanna and Yuanyang. Days 1-8 as above. Day 9: fly Shangri-La to Kunming. Day 10: HSR or flight to Jinghong, afternoon at Mengle Buddhist Temple. Day 11: Tropical Botanical Garden at Menglun. Day 12: fly Jinghong to Kunming, evening bus to Yuanyang for sunrise at Duoyishu next morning, fly out from Kunming on day 13.

Related Guides

Tibet Lhasa complete guide (Potala Palace, Jokhang, Tibetan plateau permit process)
Sichuan Chengdu complete guide (giant pandas, Mount Emei, Leshan Buddha)
Guizhou Miao villages complete guide (Xijiang, Langde, silver festivals)
Myanmar Mandalay and Bagan complete guide (cross-border via Ruili)
Laos Luang Prabang complete guide (Mekong river cross from Xishuangbanna)
Vietnam Sapa and Hanoi complete guide (Hmong and Yao mountain villages south of Yunnan)

External References

Wikipedia: Yunnan Province
UNESCO World Heritage Centre (whc.unesco.org): Old Town of Lijiang (1997), South China Karst including Stone Forest (2007), Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (2003), Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (2013)
Travel China Guide: Yunnan section
Wikivoyage: Yunnan
Lonely Planet: Yunnan chapter

Last updated 2026-05-19.

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