Yunnan: Travels in China beyond Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou

Local Sani woman in traditional costume, at Stone Forest, Yunnan Province, China. Yunnan offers a glimpse into China's many minority cultures. (Photo: Vince Russell via Unsplash)

Yunnan province in southern China is home to more than half of the country’s minority groups – as such, it offers a great view of China’s vastly diverse cultures.

Yunnan shares its borders with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam as well as the Chinese provinces and regions of Tibet, Guizhou, Guangxi and Sichuan.

It offers both adventure and relaxing experiences, situated, as it is, in a mountainous area with high elevations in the northwest and low rises in the southeast. This makes it the ideal destination for hiking, trekking, bike-riding and sightseeing. It also has the largest diversity of plant life in the country.

MENGZI

How to get there: You start with a flight to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. You can either take a direct flight from Mumbai to Kunming or Delhi to Kunming. Tickets would start from Rs56,000 if booked well in advance due to the current COVID19 restrictions. Once there, you have the option of taking the bus, train or a shared taxi to Mengzi. Now, while this is a long commute (anything between four and six hours), it is a beautiful one with splendid landscapes. This is a small city with broad, clean streets and a blend of modern and old architecture. This city caters to travellers, foreign students, businessmen and party lovers.

Things to do in Mengzi: Mengzi has plenty of fancy bars and clubs. In fact, they have a whole street dedicated to party hoppers called the ‘The Bar Street’ by foreigners. Almost all of the bars are lined up on Fuchun Road. From secret alley clubs to behind-the-counter bars, the city has it all. The whole secret or back-alley bars idea is to give you the feeling of being in a spy movie. You can order cheap local beer or German beer for as little as 10 yuan (around Rs120) or even try the local rice wine called Baijiu known for its funky and fruity sweet flavour.

If you’re looking for a night out with drinks, music and dance, this city also has a happening nightlife. One of the bars to look out for is the ‘Gentlemen’s club’. The entrance to this club will remind you of the ‘Kingsman’ movie. The face of the club is a well-designed tailor’s shop for bespoke men’s suits but there is a secret backdoor that takes you to the bar. Some of the other lively clubs are Hi-bar, Soho and C Plus.

You can also visit the local restaurants and cafés to enjoy the local cuisine. Hotpot and barbecues are a must-try, as are the ramen and noodle soup. One of the best things you could get for free at any of the restaurants here is unlimited green tea. It is complimentary with the food. If you’re a fish lover, don’t miss the sushi that comes with different sauces.

Apart from the nightlife, you also have amazing ancient buildings, parks, lakes and caves to explore.

One of the most popular sights is the hexagon-shaped Yingzhou Pavilion on a lake. It is also called the Pearl in the South of Yunnan Province. The beauty of this traditional pavilion reflected in the still waters of the lake is breathtaking. This tourist spot also offers a huge park for families and kids with different activities. You will find a play arena for kids, an outdoor gym for adults and an option for tai-chi by the natives open to anyone who would like to join for free since you cannot put a price on fun.

Next on the list is the old train station called Bisezhai Railway Station. Situated on a slope of Caoba Town, about 10 km north of Mengzi, it covers an area of 2 km with its original appearance well-preserved, surrounded by a large number of European style station buildings and Chinese style dwellings constructed in stone. If you love history and old architecture, this is your spot.

Mengzi also offers a fun activity you could do with your family or kids – Mulberry picking. Farms invite tourists and locals to pick mulberries for a small price, similar to the strawberry farms in Panchgani or the grape farms in Nashik. You can pluck and eat as many berries on the farm as you like and take home a basketful for a few yuan, depending on the weight.

Mengzi city, Yunnan, China

PUZHEHEI

How to get there:

Bus: You can take a bus to Qiubei County from Kunming - it takes about 5 hours to reach Qiubei. From here, you can take a taxi to get to the Puzhehei Scenic Area, the fare for should be around Rs 1,500. The best time to visit Puzhehei is in July and August as it is the lotus blooming season. If you love photography, you’re in for a treat.

Air: You can also take a flight to Wenshan Puzhehei Airport from Kunming and then take a taxi to the scenic spot. Flights start at around Rs 5,000, and take 50 minutes to get you there.

Things to do

Puzhehei is ideal for family trips, as it offers a range of sightseeing options. You can visit the Bamei Village to enjoy the life of the Zhuang people, Swan Lake, boat trips and the vibrant local market. Also, don’t miss out on the local seafood as this city is known for it.

Puzehei Scenic Area in Yunnan, China.

GEJIU

Gejiu is situated on top of a mountain, to the north of the Red River valley. It’s quite cold, but the fresh air, tall green mountains and friendly people make it worth a visit. It also has a Walmart – in case you’re craving a familiar façade in a new city. This beautiful rural city has a lot to offer in terms of diversity of culture, breathtaking sights and monuments, and delicious food ranging from chicken and pork noodles to barbeques. For vegetarians, the tofu skin hotpot with lotus stem is a must-try. You can take a shared or a private taxi from Mengzi to Gejiu starting at Rs 350. It’s a good 4-hour drive up to the mountain with narrow ghats, but it’s picturesque all the way.

Things to do in Gejiu

This city is known for the glass bridge/skywalk that you see on Instagram and Tiktok videos. You can see the whole of Gejiu standing on that bridge with the world under your feet. Tickets for the bridge start at 75 yuan, approximately Rs 800.

For the whole family, you can visit Laoyinshan Scenic Area. This spot offers parks for the kids, treks to the mountain top, beautiful temples and a cable car ride to the top if you’re not up for hiking. It also has magical sunset and sunrise points and a beautiful lake at the entrance. Except for the cable car, everything else here carries no charge.

This city also is filled with small local eateries serving delicious food, cheap local beer made from rice and bitter melon and green tea. One of the things about the local beer is that they are un-hopped, meaning it uses bitter melon as the bittering agent. These beers are also lighter than regular beer and have an unusual sour taste.

Gejiu is known for its ramen, soup noodles and karaoke bars. The locals love spending their evenings singing and clinking their beer glasses. Also, do not miss out on the boba tea, another local delight.

Gejiu definitely should be on your travel list if you love bike rides. The road to this city cuts through mountains, and is surrounded by cliffs and trees. Also, if you are a motor-head, Yunnan has plenty of superbikes and fancy cars as the locals seem to love them. Not to forget, the street fashion that you see on Instagram Reels. Yes, it’s real! The locals dress to kill every day. It’s like walking the red carpet.

Yunnan has a little something for everyone. The adrenaline junkie will find hikes and treks and motorcycle trails in Gejiu, while the partiers will find lots to like in Mengzi. Lookout for the pretty landscapes across this entire province if you are into photography or you could laze about at your window staring off into the mountains.

Glass suspension bridge in Gejiu, Yunnan province, China. (Photos by Surbhi Sharma)