We ran our first plant hunting trip to this Tibetan-like area of China in June 2001. Our small group was led by John Shipton, son of the famous Himalayan explorer, Eric Shipton. John said, "The plant hunting was a dazzling success. We found enough botanical wonders to satiate anyone. One great feature is that very little travelling is needed to find spectacular flora. It is a plant wonderland." As a result of his reconnaissance, we are greatly encouraged to continue our plant hunting treks and in a year or two we will start to offer other longer, harder treks into the mountains themselves.
Land
Yunnan is located in Southwestern China, it borders Tibet, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and the Chinese regions of Sichuan and Guizhou.
The capital, Kunming, is found in the northeast of the region where the terrain is generally flat and therefore very productive. The mild climate of this area gave the capital it’s name; the literal translation of Kunming is ‘South of the Clouds’.
West of Kunming, towards Tibet, the land becomes more mountainous and the climate changes. Around the towns of Lijiang and Zhongdian the weather is generally mild/warm between spring and autumn then the temperature drops dramatically from November to April. The further north you go the colder it becomes and the higher the chance of snow.
The landscapes of northeast Yunnan are a mixture of subtropical forests, snow-capped mountains, lakes and lush pasture. There is a multitude of trees and plant life in the region that attract botanists from all around the world.
Unfortunately about a third of this beautiful area was destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1996. However, the fauna and flora have returned and the government has funded a major rebuilding scheme to enable the region to continue to thrive.
History
200 BC Zhuang Qiao, a Chinese warrior prince, was thought to have founded the Dian Kingdom in the east of Yunnan. However, other historic findings indicate that the area had already been established and the Prince merely became chief of the region!
109 BC The Kingdom was acknowledged by China.
The emperor was hoping to gain control over the Southern Silk Road that runs through to India.
204 AD Han Empire collapsed.
Dissolution of Dian into private statelets.
700 AD Private statelets incorporated into the Nanzhao Kingdom which was emerging around Dali.
1200 AD The Nanzhao were eventually defeated by the armies of Kublai Khan.
This gave China control over the province.
Mongol invasion in China had introduced the natives to the religion of Muslim. The population of followers grew but they were angered by their deteriorating status in the country, so they formed a rebellion and managed to create a brief state at Dali.
Millions of people died due to the rebellion, this led to Yunnan being left for fifty years to be run by private armies and bandits.
1930s Yunnan was invaded by the Japanese.
The Guomindang government installed road and rail networks across the province, making transport and therefore trading easier.
1945 Civil war broke out between the Red Army and the government because of the appalling way ethnic minority groups were treated.
1980s The war with Vietnam hindered the communists’ plans of creating a better way of life for the inhabitants of Yunnan.
Present Day Today the province has settled into its place as part of China.
It thrives in trading between its many borders and playing host to the growing tourist industry.
People
Yunnan has a very large and varied population. There are thought to be 28 different ethnic groups in the region, this is the highest number in any single province and makes up a quarter of it’s total population. The most well known of these groups are the Naxi, Dai and Bai, Wa, Lahu, Hani, Lisu, Nu and Jingpo.
The capital of the Naxi kingdom is Lijiang. These people are dedicated followers of a religion called Dongba, which has developed here over the centuries. The Naxi are decended from Tibetan nomads who came and settled in the region just before the turn of the 10th Century.
The Dongba religion is written in a series of unique pictographs, some of which can be seen as beautiful murals on the walls of the numerous temples.
The Naxi society is run in a matriarchal manner, the women run the businesses (market stalls and agricultural land) while the men stay at home and raise the children. The houses, which are very important in the Naxi family culture, are beautiful to look at. They are usually surrounded by sturdy wooden gates and have mythological figures and fish (representing luck) carved into the solid wooden eaves and screens.
Every evening the Naxi Orchestra plays in a hall in the centre of the old town, there haunting music is said to be wonderful, with many elderly musicians seeming to be whisked away by the rhythm and words.
Economy
Due to its huge population and proportionally small productive land space, Yunnan is the poorest province in China.
Lijiang’s main industries are in textiles, wines, fur, leather processing and papermaking. A very popular and well know local speciality is a rice wine called ‘yinjiu’. In agricultural terms, wheat is the most profitable crop for the land, with an output of 12.72 million tons in 1997. Other crops that are farmed in the region include, rice, corn, broad beans, potatoes, rape seed and hemp.
Many of the ethnic groups in northwest Yunnan make traditional clothes and pottery, which they sell at markets for everyday use and to tourists to take away as souvenirs.
