As one of China's most diversified provinces, Yunnan is certainly one of China's most alluring destinations. Yunnan is home to more than one third of China's ethnic minorities and over half of the country's plant and animal species. The province is blessed by its mixture of traditional folk cultures as well as breath-taking scenery. Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, resides at an elevation of 1890m and boasts a milder climate than most other Chinese cities. Celebrated as the "Spring City", Kunming has neither severe winters nor extremely hot summers and can be visited at any time of the year.

 

 

Kunming has developed a distinctive multi-cultural feeling that seems a world apart from other major Chinese cities. The city retains an individuality that has earned it a reputation as a laid-back, yet cosmopolitan provincial capital in southwest China. However, this is in light of the fact that rapid economic growth currently transforms Kunming into a modern Chinese city with wide roads, massive shopping malls, and skyscrapers.

 

 

Major tourist sites in Kunming include two Tang Dynasty Pagodas, Yuantong Temple, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming City Museum, and Green Lake Park. Aside from Kunming's array of tourist attractions, the city serves as a great jumping-off point for Dali, Lijiang, and Tiger Leaping Gorge to the north as well as Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, Pu'er and Yuanyang to the south.