Yunnan

Introduction
Land
- Relief and drainage
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
Economy
- Agriculture and forestry
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Health and welfare
- Education
Cultural life
History

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Map of China and surrounding regions with the province of Yunnan highlighted in orange in the southwest, bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. Major international boundaries, disputed borders, and lines of control are shown, with the provincial capital Kunming labeled. An inset map at lower left shows Yunnan's location within China.

Yangtze River near Shangri-La, Yunnan province

Three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in Dali, Yunnan, China, with their reflections in a calm lake and a traditional Chinese pavilion in the foreground.

Tall, jagged limestone formations rise from the ground in the Stone Forest near Kunming, China, beneath a sky streaked with thin clouds.

At a Glance

Yunnan summary

Related Questions

How are the Dai people of Yunnan related to peoples in Myanmar and Thailand?
How did the Dian Kingdom become part of Han territory?
How did the Ming dynasty encourage Han Chinese migration to Yunnan?
How did the Sino-Japanese War transform Yunnan’s economy and infrastructure?
How did the tusi system govern local communities in Yunnan?
How did traditional farming practices of the Hmong and Mien peoples change in Yunnan?
How do the Ailao Mountains divide Yunnan into two main regions?
How does Kunming connect Yunnan to other parts of China and Southeast Asia?
How does elevation affect temperatures in Yunnan province?
What caused Wu Sangui to rebel against the Qing dynasty from Yunnan?
What farming methods have traditionally been used by the Dai people of Yunnan?
When did the Han dynasty establish Yizhou prefecture in the Yunnan region?
When does Yunnan receive most of its annual rainfall?
Where are Yunnan’s major tin deposits located?
Where is Yunnan province located within China?
Which city is the capital of Yunnan province?
Which countries share borders with Yunnan province?
Which crops are grown in the low-lying valleys of southern Yunnan?
Which crops are important in Yunnan’s rice-growing regions?
Which cultural practices of Yunnan’s minority peoples revived after the Cultural Revolution?
Which ethnic group is the largest minority population in Yunnan?
Which industries developed in Kunming after 1949?
Which languages are spoken by the Wa, Bulang, and De’ang peoples of Yunnan?
Which livestock animals are raised in Yunnan?
Which religious tradition is practiced by Tibetans in northwestern Yunnan?
Which three major rivers flow through the deep valleys of western Yunnan?
Who governed Yunnan before Chinese settlers spread farther into the province?
Who led the Panthay Rebellion in Yunnan?
Why are ethnic groups in Yunnan widely intermixed rather than separated by county?
Why are many rivers in Yunnan difficult to navigate?
Why can Yunnan grow crops from tropical and temperate climates?
Why did Yunnan restrict timber production in the late 1990s?
Why did many Hui people move to Yunnan after the Mongol conquest?
Why did road construction have a major effect on remote parts of Yunnan?
Why does Yunnan have such a wide variety of plants and animals?
Why is Gejiu known as Yunnan’s “tin capital”?
Why is only a small share of Yunnan’s land suitable for farming?
Why is the old town of Lijiang a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Why was the Hanoi-Kunming railway built?
Why was the Great Wall of China built?
Can you see the Great Wall of China from space?
What caused the Russo-Japanese War?
Where was the Russo-Japanese War fought?
How did the Russo-Japanese War end?
What is the climate in Guangzhou?
What UNESCO World Heritage site is found at the heart of Beijing?
What are the major ethnic groups in China?

Geography & Travel States & Other Subdivisions

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External Websites

Official Tourism Site of Yunnan, China
Consulate General of India, Guangzhou - Yunnan
CNN travel - See gorges, eat insects, soak in history in Yunnan

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Yunnan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Yunnan

province, China

Also known as: Yün-nan

Written by

Ping-chia Kuo

Emeritus Professor of History, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Senior Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1973–74. Author of China; China: New Age and New Outlook.

Ping-chia KuoAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 5, 2026 •History

Yunnan, sheng (province) of China, a mountain and plateau region on the country’s southwestern frontier. It is bounded by the Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest, the provinces of Sichuan to the north and Guizhou to the east, and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi to the southeast. To the south and southeast it adjoins Laos and Vietnam, and to the southwest and west it shares a long border with Myanmar (Burma). The provincial capital...

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