Saturday, September 03, 2005

Yunnan

Yunnan (Simplified Chinese: ??, Traditional: ??, pinyin: Y�nn�n) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country.
???/???
Y�nn�n Sheng Province Abbreviation(s): ? (Dian) or ? (Y�n)
Capital  Kunming (??)
Area
 - Total
 - % water Ranked 8th
394,000 km²
xx%
Population


 - Total (2000)

 - Density  Ranked 12th


42,880,000

109/km²
Administration Type  Province
Governor Xu Rongkai
Image:China provinces yunnan.png
Contents
1 History
2 Geography

2.1 Rivers
2.2 Borders
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Tourism
7 Miscellaneous topics
8 External links
History

Human life has been found in Yunnan as early as 1.7 million years ago, predating Peking Man of northern China by up to 1.5 million years. The remains of "Yuanmou Man" (???), unearthed by railway engineers in the 1960s, have been determined to be the oldest in China. By the neolithic period, there were human settlements in the area of Lake Dian (??). These people used stone tools and constructed simple wooden structures.

Around the third century BC, the central area of Yunnan around present day Kunming was known as Dian. The Chu general Zhuang Qiao (??) entered the region from the upper Yangzi River and set himself up as "King of Dian". He and his followers brought into Yunnan an influx of Chinese influence, the start of a long history of migration and cultural expansion.

In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified China and extend his authority south. Commanderies and counties were established in Yunnan. A existing road in Sichuan was extended south to around present day Qujing (??), in eastern Yunnan - called the "Five Foot Way". In 109 BC, Emperor Wu sent General Guo Chang (??) south to Yunnan, establishing Yizhou commandery and 24 subordinate counties. The commandery seat was at Dianchi county (present day Jinning ??). Another county was called "Yunnan", probably the first use of the name. To expand the burgeoning trade with Burma and India, Emperor Wu also sent Tang Meng (??) to maintain and expand the Five Foot Way, renaming it "Southwest Barbarian Way" (????). By this time, agricultural technology in Yunnan had markedly improved. The local people used bronze tools, plows and kept a variety of livestock, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs. Anthropoligists have determined that these people were related to the people now known as the Thai. They lived in tribal congregations, sometimes led by exile Chinese.

During the Three Kingdoms, the territory of present day Yunnan, Yuexi (??) and southern Sichuan was collectively called "Nanzhong" (??). The disollution of Chinese central authority led to increased autonomy for Yunnan and more power for the local tribal structures. In 225 AD, the famed statesman Zhuge Liang (???) led three columns into Yunnan to pacify the tribes. His seven captures of Meng Huo (??), a local magnate, is much celebrated in Chinese folklore.

In the fourth century, northern China was largely overrun by peoples from Central Asia. In the 320s, the Cuan (?) clan migrated into Yunnan. Cuan Chen (??) named himself king and held authority from Dianchi (then called Kunchuan ??). Henceforth the Cuan clan ruled Yunnan for over four hundred years. In 738, the kingdom of Nanzhao (??) was established in Yunnan by Piluoge (???), who was confirmed by the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty as "King of Yunnan". Ruling from Dali, the thirteen kings of Nanzhao ruled over more than two centuries and played a part in the dynamic relationship between China and Tibet. In 937, Duan Siping (???) overthrew the Nanzhao and established the kingdom of Dali. The kingdom was conquered by the Mongol and Chinese armies of Kublai Khan.

In 1894, George Ernest Morrison, an Australian correspondent for The Times, travelled from Beijing to British-occupied Burma via Yunnan. His book An Australian in China details his experiences.

From 1916 to 1917, Roy Chapman Andrews and Yvette Borup Andrews led the Asiatic Zoological Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History through much of western and southern Yunnan, as well as other provinces of China. The book Camps and Trails in China records their experiences.
Geography

Yunnan is one of the most culturally and geographically varied province in China, with many minority peoples nestled throughout the region's mountains, jungles and river-valleys.

See also: Maotianshan shales
Rivers

Several major rivers flow through the province, including:

    * the Mekong (???; l�n cang jiang), which empties in the South China Sea via Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
    * the Red River (??; yu�n jiang), which empties in the South China Sea via Hanoi, Vietnam
    * Salween (??; n� jiang), which empties in the Andaman Sea via Burma.

Borders

Bordering provinces are Tibet, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. Bordering countries are Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
Economy
Demographics

Ethnic groups include:

    * Achang (Dehong)
    * Bai (Dali)
    * Dai (Xishuangbanna)
    * Gelao
    * Hani (or Akha)
    * Hui (Muslims)
    * Jino
    * Jingpo
    * Miao (or Hmong)
    * Mosuo (Lijiang)
    * Wa (Lincang)
    * Yi
    * Zhuang

Culture

One of Yunnan's famous products is Pu-erh tea, named after the town of Pu-erh, as well as the Yunnan Golden Needle tea.
Tourism

Tourist centres in Yunnan include

    * Dali, the historic center of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms.
    * Jinghong, the center of the Xishuangbanna Dai minority autonomous prefecture.
    * Lijiang, a Naxi minority town labelled 'Shangri-la' by the Chinese government. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
    * The Stone Forest, a series of karst outcrops east of Kunming.
    * Yuanyang, a Hani minority settlement with vast rice-terraces.
    * Shangri-La County (formerly Zhongdian), an ethnic Tibetan township and county set high in Yunnan's north-western mountains.

Links

  • Yunnan Network - Main English portal to the province: news and information on history, business, tourism, ethnic minorities and major cities.
    -- http://english.yunnan.cn   Regional: Asia: China: Yunnan   (19)

  • Yunnan Photo Gallery - Pictures of landscape and people, including Zhongdian festival, folk costumes, and rice terraces.
    -- http://www.asia-photo.net/yunnan/menu_e.html   Regional: Asia: China: Yunnan   (19)

  • Yunnan Kunyang Phosphate Fertilizer Factory - Specialized manufacturer of phosphate fertilizers and phosphate chemicals.
    -- http://www.kunlin.com.cn   Business: Chemicals: Agrochemicals: Fertilizers   (2)

  • Photos de voyage au Yunnan - Un volumineux album photo annot� sur Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, la for�t de pierre.
    -- http://nosvoyages.free.fr/yunnan/   World: Fran�ais: R�gional: Asie: Chine: Voyages et tourisme   (4)

  • Funeral Customs in Yunnan Province, China - Describes funerary practices in a Chinese village.
    -- http://www.chinavista.com/experience/funeral/funeral.html   Society: Folklore: Death and Funeral Customs   (1)

  • Journey to Yunnan - China 2002 - Travelogue of a three week trip to China, with photos. Includes GPS waypoints and a short video.
    -- http://home-1.tiscali.nl/~mndell/enchina.html   Recreation: Travel: Travelogues: Asia: China   (2)

  • Yunnan Institute of Development DRH - International volunteer program based in Yunnan, China. Volunteers work with children and poor farmers from the area. Program (in English) includes learning Chinese language.
    -- http://www.volunteerchina.org   Society: Philanthropy: Volunteering: Opportunities   (1)

  • Yunnan Yunri Health Food Industry Development Co., Ltd. - Offers truffle, porcini and other edible mushrooms of Yunnan, China.
    -- http://www.sinohost.com/yunnan_pages/mushrooms/   Business: Food and Related Products: Produce: Mushrooms and Wild Foods   (1)

  • Photographys in Yunnan, china - Gallery located in China, about yunnan. Portraits, candid shots, landscapes and travel photography by famous photographers.
    -- http://www.cnimages.com/index.asp   World: Chinese Traditional: ?????: ??: ??   (1)

  • Schmeidel, Jedrzej aka Yunnan - Informacje o autorze, jego hobby (TeX/LaTeX, Anime) oraz udziale w programie Socrates Erasmus.
    -- http://www.yunnan.tk   World: Polska: Spoleczenstwo: Strony osobiste: S   (1)

  • The Burma Road to Yunnan - Cultural tour in Burma and China.
    -- http://www.mtsobek.com/mts/bmr   Regional: Asia: Myanmar: Travel and Tourism: Travel Services: Tour Operators   (1)

  • Pu-erh Tea Company - Supplier of finest pu-erh tea, including pu-erh special tea, green tea, black tea. Company located in Yunnan, China.
    -- http://www.pu-erhtea.com/   Business: Food and Related Products: Beverages: Tea   (2)

  • Asian International Rivers Center - The AIRC is a research center attached to Yunnan University in Kunming, China. It was founded to conduct research, develop information and decision support tools, and build human capacity.
    -- http://airc.ynu.edu.cn   Science: Environment: Water Resources: Rivers and Streams   (2)

  • China Driving Tours - Self-driving tours to Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet and Mongolia. Includes itineraries, prices and terms and conditions. Based in New Jersey, USA.
    -- http://www.driveinchina.com/   Regional: Asia: China: Travel and Tourism: Travel Services: Tour Operators   (3)

  • Pinus yunnanensis (Yunnan Pine) - Taxonomic notes and description of physical characteristics. Includes an illustration.
    -- http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/conifers/pi/pin/yunnanensis.htm   Science: Biology: Flora and Fauna: Plantae: Coniferophyta: Pinaceae: Pinus: Pinus yunnanensis   (1)

  • Regional Information Service Centre for Southeast Asia on Appropriate Technology - Resource on appropriate technologies in the fields of sustainable agriculture, waste management, textiles and renewable energy, primarily in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan province in China.
    -- http://www.ist.cmu.ac.th/riseat/index.html   Regional: Asia: Science and Environment   (1)

  • Regional Information Service Center for Southeast Asia on Appropriate Technology - Resource on appropriate technologies in the fields of sustainable agriculture, waste management, textiles and renewable energy, primarily in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan.
    -- http://www.ist.cmu.ac.th/riseat/   Science: Agriculture: Sustainable Agriculture   (1)

  • Regional Information Service Centre for Southeast Asia on Appropriate Technology - Resource on appropriate technologies in the fields of sustainable agriculture, waste management, textiles and renewable energy, primarily in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan province in China.
    -- http://www.ist.cmu.ac.th/riseat/   Science: Environment: Sustainability   (1)

  • Warum nach China? [Seyfried, Claus] - Umfassende Berichte �ber zwei Reisen nach Yunnan und Sichuan.
    -- http://www.csey.de/china/china.htm   World: Deutsch: Freizeit: Reisen: Reiseberichte: Asien: China   (3)

  • Zas Poti - Importer i dystrybutor herbat ze Sri Lanki, Indii, Bangladeshu i Chin (Jones, Garden Tea, Tylos, Yunnan).
    -- http://www.zas-herbaty.com.pl/   World: Polska: Regionalne: Mazowsze: Warszawa: Biznes: Spozywczy   (2)
  • No comments: