Yunnan

A series of tall mountain ranges spreads across the whole of Yunnan. In the north, these mountains reach more than 5000m in altitude. In the far northeast, the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau ranges in climate from hot and humid in the valleys to freezing and windy in the mountains. The south of Yunnan lies on the Tropic of Cancer, and is famous for its wild jungles. Tea is grown in most parts of the province, but the most famous area for the production of puerh is Xishuangbanna, in the far south of the province. 

Yunnan is also dotted and crossed by over 600 lakes and rivers, including the Yangzi, Pearl, Mekong and Irrawaddy rivers. 

Yunnan is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. Even though Yunnan covers only 4% of China's land surface, it contains half of all the birds and mammals found in the whole country. Tigers, elephants and monkeys all live in the wild in Yunnan, and the province is home to at least 15,000 species of plants. 

As one would expect, Yunnan is an important agricultural area for rice, corn, barley, wheat, sugarcane, coffee, tobacco and herbs for Chinese medicine. Yunnan is also China's biggest producer of flowers and in recent years it has received a great deal of investment from Dutch companies looking to benefit from the vast potential of the area.

Such diversity extends to the human population too - Yunnan is one of the most ethncially diverse provinces in China. 34% of the population of Yunnan is composed of officially recognised ethnic minorities, including the Yi, Bai, Zhuang, Dai and Miao people. 

Yunnan food is often spicy, but renowned for its use of locally grown mushrooms, herbs and even flowers.