Discovering Yunnan: China's Paradise on Earth

Touring China and deciding to visit the Yunnan province, then you are guaranteed a wonderful time spending it with Chinese minority groups. Yunnan is a beautiful province which is proud of its ethnic minorities and culture; this is reflected in the lifestyle of the locals who inhabit the community. Considered as one of the beautiful places to go in China, the province of Yunnan is a place that celebrates life. It can be divided into different cities namely Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian and Deqin. Each of these cities has various sightseeing and highlights which attracts tourists all year round.
Kunming is known as the city of eternal spring which is usually the best city to travel to in China in spring. This is because of its mild climate which has in turn boosted the tourism and natural beauty of the city. With over four hundred types of flowers and orchids in the various gardens, it is no wonder horticulturists and nature lovers’ flock to this part of China to spend some time. Kunming is also known to be the center of the Yunnan minority culture where over 25 different ethnic groups live together. The major ethnic minorities have their various cultures, languages, and customs and celebrate different festivals. Major highlights to see in Kunming include the stone forest, a long acre of karsts limestone formations which were formed into cliffs, peaks, caves and arches; the birds and flowers market where different species of birds and flowers are sold; Dian Chi Lake, the Yunnan nationalities museum and the World Horticultural Expo garden.

Dali is another city in Yunnan well known for preserved relics for historical interests. The beautiful sceneries, different traditions, the locals and the unique environment are what makes Dali a stop over for tourists on their Yunnan province tour. For example the Old town of Dali is a place that was set up in the Ming Dynasty where you will find well preserved traditional styled houses of the Bai people. These houses were built with unique designs featuring grey tilted roofs, stone walls, windows and doors carved in dragon patterns. The streams fed by the run offs from the Cangshan Mountains and the idyllic courtyards and peaceful streets which were well known in the ancient times have now become a place of interest for visitors. Major highlights in Dali include the Erhai Lake, an ear like shaped Lake, the Three Pagodas, the Butterfly Fountain and Dali Museum to enrich your knowledge about the history and culture of Yunnan.

Lijiang is an old town resting in northwestern Yunnan. It is located on a plateau which rises on an elevation of 8,530 feet above sea level. Lijiang Old town is Yunnan’s mecca for most Chinese tour groups and this is because of the magnificent landscape which it has. The Old town is a world heritage relic site as listed by UNESCO. It has a number of attractions for tourists to visit, many of which includes The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: a snow capped mountain which looks like a jade dragon lying in the clouds when seen from Lijiang, the tiger leaping gorge believed to be the deepest gorge in the world which attracts rafters and adventure tourists. Other interesting things to do in Lijiang are the use of cable cars to the top of Cangshan Mountain to witness a panoramic view overlooking Erhai Lake and the traditional musical concerts.

Zhongdian and Deqin should be the final destination on your Yunnan province tour. It is one of the three counties that form the Diqen Tibetan Autonomous Territory. With some of its history based on the concept of Shambhala, a mystical city in Tibetan Buddhism; it was formerly called Zhongdian County and was later renamed to Shangri-la after the fictional land in the book ‘Lost Horizon’ in 2001. Shangri-la is considered to be a mythical distant paradise on earth characterized with great beauty and peacefulness; this is why many travelers come to this place to spend some peaceful time. This town has also been used by hikers and mountaineers as a gateway to Tibet. Some of the major highlights in this town include the Emerald Pagoda Lake (Bita hai Lake), the Meili Snow mountain (God Mountain) and the Ganden Sumtseling Gompa monastery.

This monastery is a 300 year old complex which has around 600 monks. The small town is centered with multi story temples filled with statues and colorful paintings of Tibetan lamas, guardians and mandalas. The landscape of Zhongdian is not enough to describe in words, it gives a kind of feeling which is difficult to describe; this is why most people recommend a visit to Zhongdian and its sacred temples.

Climbing the Great Wall of China

So much has been written and published about the Great Wall of China but one thing is certain, if you travel to China without visiting this world renowned landmark, then your trip is incomplete. The history of the great wall is one which is difficult to comprehend, although it is said the construction of the wall began in the warring states period in the early seventh century BC.

The Great Wall of China is the one the artificial wonders of the world which symbolizes the greatness of China. With a functionality of over a thousand years, the great wall was built to protect the villages from the invasion of the northern tribes providing a stable life, culture and government. The history of this wall is what contributed to the growth of China in terms of political, economy, culture and tourism.

The length of the Great wall extends approximately 6700 kilometers across deserts, and plateaus from the border of China to the Hun territories in the north. The beauty of the great wall is such that you cannot appreciate its beauty except you climb it step by step. It is better seen from an aerial perspective if you are on the plane or a helicopter.

In the ancient times, it was called the Wall of ten thousand li (a li is one third of a mile) and its construction started as earth works built for the protection of the different kingdoms. Each kingdom had its own section of wall; like in the east, the wall was built out of stones and bricks, while the section on the western part of China was built with less durable materials. The individual sections of the wall was later renovated and connected to one another during the time of the Qin dynasty (221 – 206 BC) when Emperor Qin recruited peasants, soldiers and farmers to work on the wall. This tradition continued for centuries until each dynasty added to the height, length and design of the wall through forced labor. The wall has now become a major landmark for tourists visiting China.

The Great Wall of China can be climbed from different sections all of which serve different purposes. The four main sections best suited for climbing and sightseeing are the Badaling section, Mutianyu section, Simatai section and the Shixiaguan section.

The great wall at Badaling became a strategic point of the wall since the Warring states period when it was built. Being the very first section of the wall to be opened to tourists, it has recorded a statistics of about 140 million visitors who have climbed successively. This section was built with huge bar stones which weighed hundreds of kilograms with watch towers at every distance. These watch towers were used as the deployment points for the military during the olden days. This section of the wall is very crowded being that it is the most visited section.

The Simatai Great Wall is located in the northeast of Beijing. Its construction started in the Ming dynasty and measures around 5.4 kilometers with 35 watch towers. This section of the wall retained its original feature and has earned the reputation of being the most beautiful section of the wall. Unlike the other sections, Simatai section of the great wall is very quiet and remote and this has challenged many hikers to climb this section in quest of adventure.

The Mutianyu section of the great wall is the most preserved section of the great wall which is very important in Chinese military history. This section has cable cars installed allowing tourists to move from end to the other. It is slightly rugged and full of green plans making it the greenest part of the wall. The Mutianyu section is noted as the essence of the great wall because of the distinct style and construction of this part.

Shixiaguan Great Wall is the most part of the great wall to be opened to visitors and still shows the ruins of some of the old construction from the ancient times.

In conclusion, the great of china is definitely a must see on your next trip to china. In order for you to enjoy your tour around the wall, it is advisable to consult the services of a tour operator in China to assist you with the itinerary.

Interesting facts about the Great Wall of China

In my article about the new Seven Wonders of the World, I made mention of the highly admired Great Wall of China which happens to be in the list. As the declaration ceremony fast approaches, I have decided to feature a post dedicated to the Great Wall of China.

By far, this icon has become an manmade wonder which continue to attract tourists from around. With a rich historical and cultural background, the Great Wall of China has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But then again, you may be curious to know why the Great Wall of China was built. Something about the Great Wall of China is that, you need to see and climb it to truly appreciate its majestic beauty.


Dating back to some two thousand years ago, the Great Wall of China was built as a key to protect the agricultural lands from invasion and to keep the nation’s people from vacating the empire. Originally built out of stone, wood, grass and earth, the construction of the great wall began in the early seventh century B.C when the earliest regional kingdoms were built solely for their own defensive military needs. The different watch towers across the wall were used by the army as a warning system. The time warning system during this period used the fire and smoke signals to declare night time and day time respectively. This enabled reliable communication to be relayed from one tower to the other. Progressively, more sections were added to the construction of the wall as the different kingdoms flourished. It was later during the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) that unified China made the wall a whole entity; the wall was built, repaired and further renovated to link the old sections which were previously built to the new ones.

Over the next 1700 years, the Great Wall of China was enhanced which gradually became a world renowned manmade wonder. Additional information about the Great Wall of China is:

• It used to be called the Ten Thousand Li Wall. This referred to the length of the wall. (1 li is equivalent to half a kilometer or one third of a mile).

• Being the travel icon of China, the great wall has become a world renowned tourist destination.

• It is a beautifully structured photogenic symbol with imposing watchtowers winding up and down steep hills, cliffs, plateaus and deserts from across the east coast to Xinjiang in the northwest of China.

• It was built by over a million people who happened to be peasants, prisoners and soldiers many of who lost their lives in the construction process.

• It was during the Qin (pronounced as "chin") dynasty that the modern word "China" was derived.

• The sections in the eastern part of China were built out of bricks and stones while the western sections of wall were made out of low quality materials – earth and grass.

• The watch towers on the wall served as a deployment zone between one another.

Now that the Great Wall has become what it is today, it has four popular sections where you can visit when you travel to china. These are the Badaling section, Mutianyu section, Simatai section and Shixiaguan section, all of which serve different purposes for scholars, tourists and researchers on a great wall tour. The best month to visit the Great Wall of China is between May and October when weather allows for great visiting periods.

To see more information on how to travel the great wall, visit Great Wall of China tours.

Read More about 100 Wonders of the World at Hillman's Wonders of the World.