●Things to See & Do好玩的
Lijiang Old Town 丽江古城
A Unesco-listed maze of canals and cobblestones beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Stay inside the walls after the day-trippers leave.
Dali & Erhai Lake 大理洱海
Ride a bicycle around the lake with the Cangshan mountains behind — the classic slow-travel loop of western Yunnan.
Shangri-La 香格里拉
Tibetan monasteries and prayer flags at altitude; a different China, a hundred kilometres from the tourist trail.
Yuanyang Rice Terraces 元阳梯田
Hani people's mountainside terraces that fill with dawn mist like silver mirrors — one of the great landscapes of Asia.
●Food & Drink好吃的
Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles 过桥米线
A bowl of boiling broth, raw ingredients, and rice noodles added at the table — the province's most famous meal, served as theatre.
Steam-Pot Chicken 汽锅鸡
Chicken steamed for hours in a special clay pot with only ginger and salt — clear broth, profound flavour.
Wild Mushroom Hotpot 野生菌火锅
In the rainy season, Yunnan's forests deliver porcini and a dozen more mushrooms for a hotpot that tastes like the mountain itself.
●Folk Customs Few Have Heard Of民间习俗
01
Water Splashing Festival 泼水节
The Dai New Year in April turns whole towns into a water fight — splashing is a blessing, and getting soaked is getting lucky.
02
Dongba script 东巴文
The Naxi people's pictographic writing is one of the last living scripts of its kind, still read by a handful of elderly priests.
03
Naxi ancient music 纳西古乐
Tang-dynasty court music preserved for a millennium in Lijiang — played on antique instruments by aging masters in nightly concerts.