Located inthe southwest part of China, covering an are of 394,00 square kms, Yunnan Province is averagely 2000 meters above sea level and has a population of 40million. Three countries are its close neighbors: Burma to its west, Laos and Vietnam to its southwest. There are 17 preferctures and cities. Kunming is its capital city.

For Westerners, Yunnan and Kunming are possibly better associated with the Flying Tigers daring pilots who flew "over the hump" from Bengal to help China during the Second World War. Yunnan actually has plenty of other claims to fame.

Yunnan is a cradle of mankind. The Yuanmou Ape Man lived and multiplied in Yunnan as early as 1.7 million years ago. In ancient time, caravans ran through Yunnan along the Southern Silk Road into Burman and India. Today Yunnan boasts the country's most diverse population of cllorful minority peoples and such natural wonders as the Stone Forest, Xishuangbanna, Dali, etc.

There are 10 national scenic resorts and 48 provincial scenic resorts in Yunnna. The major tourist routes are as follows. Southeast Route: Kunming- the Stone Forest in Lunna-the Alu Cave-Puzhehei in Qiubei-Lubuge in Luoping. West Route: Kunming-Chuxiang-Baoshan-Dehong. Northwest Route: Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Diqing. Southwest Route: Kunming-Simao-Xishuangbanna.

As well as an important province sharing a large part in exporting to the ASEAN countries, Yunnan has been known for its well-developed tourism tourism industry and infrastructure apart from its rich tourist resources.

Yunnan is undoubtedly an ideal tourist destination.