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Yunnan, though a province of China, is, in many aspects, a part of Southeast Asia. This is the case because it is populated not only by Han Chinese who have migrated into the province in more recent times but by a large number of minorities who have been living here for as long as history has been recorded. Actually, one of the dominant ethnic groups of Southeast Asia, the Thais, trace their origin to Yunnan where they lived in their own, independent kingdom, Nanchao, for hundreds of years, until it was overrun by the Mongols of Kublai Khan. Dschingis Khan's and Kublai Khan's conquest of much of Asia forced many of the Thais of Yunnan, mainly those living in an advanced social order, the Nanchao state, to migrate south into an area which today forms the Kingdom of Thailand.
Nevertheless, a large number of ethnic Thais remained in Yunnan after Kublai Khan's conquest, especially in the mountainous regions of Yunnan which have less easily been penetrated, first by Kublai Khan's troops and later by Han Chinese administrations. Though these remaining Thais, known as Dais, Bais, and by other names, have, after Nanchao, never again been able to form their own, independent states, they have, until today, maintained their own way of life, their own religion, and their own customs which in many ways are quite different from those of the Han Chinese.
Yunnan is probably the most colourful, and the most diverse Chinese province. The particular ethnic mix certainly contributes to this fact.
About Yunnan
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| History |
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Yunnan used to be an independent kingdom which was occupied by a large number of non-Chinese aboriginal peoples who lacked any strong political organization during the Qin and Han Dynasties (201BC-263AD).
During the Tang Dynasty (618-906), the local minority Bai established a powerful kingdom, Nanchao, south of Dali. Initially allying its power with the Chinese against the Tibetans, this kingdom extended its power until, in the middle of the 8th century, it was able to challenge and defeat the Emperor's armies, Tang troops. |
It took control of a large slice of the south-west and established itself as a fully independent entity, dominating the trade routes from China to India and Myanmar.
The Nanchao kingdom fell in the Song Dynasty (960-1279)and was replaced by the kingdom of Dali (the name Dali has been used until today for the Bai Autonomous Prefecture).
During the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368), Kublai Khan conquered the area. This part of the south-west was finally integrated into the empire as the province of Yunnan.
During the Second World War Yunnan was the strong point of defense against the Japanese invaders. The "Burma Road" ended in Yunnan and the "Flying Tigers" earned their reputation flying military supplies and equipment into this province. After World War II Yunnan was largely spared the fierce fighting between the Communists and Nationalist/Imperialists with only a few small skirmishes taking place on Yunnan soil.
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| Geography |
| Yunnan is a boarder province of China. It contains more variety than any other province, with towering, icy mountains adjoining Tibet and Burma in the northwest and west and lush tropical jungles bordering Laos and Vietnam in the south where wild elephants still roam. Yunnan is a part of the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau where the average elevation is 2,000 meters above sea level. From north to south, the height gradually drops from 6,700 meters at the peak of Meili Snow Mountain to 76 meters in the south close to Vietnam. |
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| Climate |
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Yunnan has a diverse climate, embracing temperate, tropical and rigid zones in one province. Kunming, the capital city, is marked by a pleasant spring weather which prevails year round while it is also notable for the abrupt change into winter weather caused by rain. Dali's climate is somewhat similar to that of Kunming. Lijiang has a rather cold climate whereas Xishuangbanna is rather hot for most of the year.
Spring - February to April
Summer - May to July
Autumn - August to October
Winter - November to January |
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| Time |
The time in China is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+8 hours GMT).
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| Population |
The population of Yunnan is approximately 34 million. There are 24 registered minorities, including the Zhuang, Hui, Yi, Miao, Tibetans, Mongols, Yao, Bai, Hani, Dai, Lisu, Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Jingpo, Bulang, Pumi, Nu, Achang, Benglong, Jinuo, and Dulong.
The Naxi, living in and around the town of Lijiang in the northwestern part of Yunnan, bordering Tibet, are noted as one of the few Asian people who have maintained a matriarchal society (anthropologists believe that most early human societies have in fact been matriarchal, meaning to say, dominated by women). Apart from northwestern Yunnan, matriarchal societies are, for example, still found today in central Sumatra. |
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Ethnically, the Naxi belong to the Tibetan group. However, the region where they live, or roamed (as they used to be nomads), administratively belongs to the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. They count some 280,000.
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| Language |
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The official language of Yunnan is Mandarin Chinese (or Putonghua as it is known). The region is home to a plethora of dialects from Chinese, Tibetan and Thai language families. Yunnan is home to many minority groups who each have their own different language. Furthermore, local towns will often have their own dialect of Mandarin, which may make understanding the local language difficult. Interestingly the area around Lijiang is home to the world's only pictographic language still in use, the language of the Naxi. |
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| Art |
Legends tell us that the Creator created all things on earth from mud. In much the same way, the people of all ethnic groups in Yunnan have created lively folk art from natural things: stone, bamboo, paper and mud.
The Dongba clay's cultures of the Naxi ethnic group, and the Dongba paintings and characters, are some of the superb folk arts of Yunnan. The clay figures and paintings, created by folk artists and originally used in sacrificial ceremonies, are actually unique art forms. The clay sculptures include earthenware cats which are used for driving away evil spirits, and the five hundred arhats in the Qiongzhu Temple in Kunming. Popular handicrafts include Jianshui pottery, the black and white pottery of Xishuangbanna, Lijiang red pottery and brown clay teapots.
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Jianshui pottery includes many unusual tea sets, wine goblets, dinner plates and bowls, and tourist souvenirs. This stone ware is extremely strong, yet delicately-made,and makes excellent wind chimes. It has been praised as having unique properties. The Dai and Wa ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna still use traditional pottery - making methods, and their pottery ware is simple and tough.
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| Culture |
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The Dongba culture denotes the old traditional cultures of the Naxi Nationality. Dongba in the Naxi dialect is "wise men". These "wise men" have a wide knowledge, and are very good at singing and dancing, and know very well astronomy, geography, agriculture and animal husbandry, medicine and etiquette. The Dongba characters are some primitive pictographic characters. There are altogether 1300 words. The Dongba characters are also called the Naxi pictographic characters. Head line, each symbol, and each drawing has a special meaning. Now it is "the only living pictographic characters in the work!. |
"The Dongba Scripture" is a scripture written in the Dongba characters, and consists of 20 000 volumes. The contents involves religion, philosophy, history, folk costumes, literature, art, astronomy, geography, medical science, animals, plants, birth, music, dance, painting, etc. So it is an encyclopedia of the ancient Naxi culture and society. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Dongba culture has drawn much attention of the scholars. There are collections of "the Dongba Scripture" both at home and abroad. At home Lijiang library and Beijing library have the richest collections. Abroad the American library of Congress has the richest collection. In the world now there are only 20 000 odd copies of the "Dongba Scripture.
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| Religion |
Yunnan ranks first in China in terms of religious beliefs and is worth the name of “the Kingdom of Religion”. The five main religions in Yunnan are Buddhism (including Mahayana, Hynayana and Lamaism), Taoism, Christianity, Islam and primitive religion. According to the statistic made in May 1996, except primitive religion, there are 4,789 places for religious activities, 9,481 people are involved in religious service, and about 2 million people believe in different religions.
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| Social Etiquette |
To well understand Chinese, some concepts should not be ignored:
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| Mianzi (Face) |
The idea of shame, usually expressed as 'face' could be loosely defined as the "status" or "self-respect" in Chinese and by no means alien to foreigners. It is the worst thing for a Chinese to lose face. Never insult, embarrass, shame, yell at or otherwise demean a person. Since all these actions would risk putting a Chinese in a situation that he might lose face. Neither try to prove someone wrong nor shout at him in public.
In order to get a successful effect without letting a Chinese lose face, any criticism should be delivered privately, discreetly and tactfully, or else, just opposite to what you wish.
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Jianshui pottery includes many unusual tea sets, wine goblets, dinner plates and bowls, and tourist souvenirs. This stone ware is extremely strong, yet delicately-made,and makes excellent wind chimes. It has been praised as having unique properties. The Dai and Wa ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna still use traditional pottery - making methods, and their pottery ware is simple and tough.
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| Guanxi (Relationships between People) |
Throughout much of Chinese history, the fundamental glue that has held society together is the concept of guanxi, relationships between people. It is very important for the Chinese to have good relationships. They often regard good social relations as a symbol of personal ability and influence. Someone who has no connections would be despised and is only half-Chinese.
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| Keqi |
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Keqi not only means considerate, polite, and well mannered, but also represents humbleness and modesty. It is impolite to be arrogant and brag about oneself or one's inner circle. The expression is most often used in the negative, as in "buyao keqi", meaning "you shouldn't be so kind and polite to me," or "you're welcome."
Besides, Chinese seldom express what they think directly and they prefer a roundabout way. Neither show their emotions and feelings in public. |
They rarely greet people with a handshake, though it is very popular among foreigners, say nothing of embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye. Consequently, it is better not to behave too carefree in public, even though you are well-intentioned. Do not particularly push yourself forward, or else you are unwelcome.
Having said that, you need not worry about these cultural barriers since most Chinese are hospitable and amiable and will not mind your non proficiency.
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| How do Chinese address foreigners? |
Officially, foreigners are addressed as Waibin (foreign guests or foreign friends) but privately, they are call as Lao Wai.
In China, it is a usual practice, also the most intimate and friendly way, to address people with the word "Lao" (meaning "old") added before the family name. For example, people may kindly call Mr. Li as Lao Li. Not least, people also call those who come from Guangdong Province as "Lao Guang," and those from Jiangxi "Lao Biao".
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Analogically, they call foreigner "Lao Wai". Pronounced somewhat like "law why", this address means "old foreigner". It is not intended to be aggressive or insulting. So when you hear people call you "Lao Wai", you should feel complemented since it seems that Chinese have treated you as their own fellows.
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| How do the Chinese say "no"? |
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Chinese people attach great importance to their "face". They do not like to lose face, neither risk letting others lose face. So they seldom say "no" or make negative comments directly. Instead of saying no, they often express their disagreement by means of a graceful excuse or a suggestion. For example when you invite someone to have the dinner with you, if he wants to refuse you he would say: "sorry, I have something to do" or "sorry, I have a date with someone." And also if one doesn't agree with your ideas, he would say: "I have another idea!" |
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