Yunnan Province

Yunnan lies in the far southwest of China. A mountainous province, it is home to many so-called “minority people,” including numerous Tibetans. The region is extremely picturesque and, in contrast to many other areas of the country, relatively unspoiled. Lijiang lies an hour by air from the provincial capital Kunming: Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, it was home from 1922-1949 to the Austrian- American scholar Joseph Rock, once known familiarly as “National Geographic’s man in China.” James Hilton is supposed to have based his best-selling novel “Lost Horizon,” with its tale of the secret valley of Shangri-La, on Rock’s articles. Today, the Old Town remains a labyrinth of wooden houses (their upturned pagoda roofs hung with scarlet lanterns) and cobbled streets, laced by a network of tiny streams and canals. Lijiang is extremely popular with domestic tourists.