Yunnan is China's most diverse province. Not only is it geographically varied, with glaciers in the north and jungles in the south, but it is also home to over a third of the country's ethnic minorities.
Rich in flora and fauna, the place is in some ways the least affected by the central government's pervasive social policies and remains, as the author stresses in this excellent guide, "one of the most relaxed, stress- and bureaucracy-free places in China."
There is much to see: the capital Kunming; the fine old town of Dali on the shores of Erhai Lake; Lijiang, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Stone Forest; the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world's deepest; subtropical Ganlanba, homeland of the Dai people, and a lot more.