Exploring Yunnan.......Part 1
云南探秘—第一部分
My friend Andrew has sent to me his travelogue of Yunnan. He told me that this was his third trip to the province. I thought of doing some search on the internet about Yunnan for knowing about this rugged mountainous region of China which I have learnt is breathtakingly beautiful.
我的朋友安德鲁把他的云南游记发给我了。他告诉我这是他第三次去云南了。我想在网上搜索一下云南，了解一下中国这个多山的地区，对那里的美景我早有耳闻。
This is what Wikipedia says about the region:
这是维基百科对该地区的描述:
Yunnan islocated in the far southwest of the country. It spans approxmately 394,000 square kilometres (152,000 sq mi) and has a population of 45.7 million (2009). The capital of the province is Kunming, formerly also known as Yunnan. The province borders Vietnam, Laos and Burma.
云南位于中国的西南部。它占地约394,000平方公里(152,000平方英里)，人口为4,570万(2009年)。省会是昆明，以前又名云南。该省与越南、老挝和缅甸接壤。
Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast. Most of the population lives in the eastern part of the province. In the west, the altitude can vary from the mountain peaks to river valleys as much as 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Yunnan is rich in natural resources and has the largest diversity of plant life in China of the approxmately 30,000 species of higher plants in China
云南地处山区，西北高海拔，东南低海拔。大多数人住在该省的东部。在西部，海拔从山峰到河谷不等，最高可达3000米(9800英尺)。云南自然资源丰富，是中国近3万种高等植物中植物种类最多的。
The northern part of the province forms part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The province borders Guangx and Guizhou in the east, Sichuan in the north, and the Tib in the northwest. It shares a border of 4,060 kilometres (2,520 mi) with Burma in the west, laos in the south and Vietnam in the southeast.
该省北部是云贵高原的一部分。该省东部与广西和贵州接壤，北部与四川接壤，西北部与xz接壤。它与西部的缅甸、南部的老挝和东南部的越南接壤，边境长达4060公里(2520英里)。
Source:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan
It can roughly be divided into west and east, each with its own very different morphological regions. In the west, the high mountains and valleys are closely spaced, forming a steep, unusual, and dangerous landscape. The famous Three Parallel Rivers are located here. In the east is the plateau area, which mainly consists of undulating low mountains and round hills. Among the plateaus and mountains are scattered many fault basins, which are called 'Bazi' by the locals. The 'Bazi' are relatively flat with thick soil deposits and flowing rivers, hence fertile and helpful in develo the farming economy. Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan, is located in one of these 'Bazi'. Because of such a diverse topography there are a great number of plant species (more than 18,000) as well as an incredible array of animals, including the Asian elephant and the protected golden monkey, making this land the real 'Plant Kingdom' and 'Animal Kingdom'. The province also boasts beautiful and spectacular natural scenery with the changing topographies, like Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Lea Gorge, Meili Snow Mountain, and the Stone Forest as well as many more.
它大致可以分为东西两部分，每一部分都有自己非常不同的形态学区域。在西部，高山和山谷紧密相连，形成了陡峭、罕见和危险的地貌。著名的三江就在这里并流。东部是高原地区，主要由起伏的低山和圆山组成。在高原和山脉中散布着许多断层盆地，当地人称之为“坝子”。坝子相对平坦，土质厚，河流奔流，肥沃，有利于发展农业经济。昆明，云南的省会城市，就位于这些“坝子”之一。由于地形的多样性，这里有大量的植物物种(超过18000种)，还有许多令人难以置信的动物，包括亚洲象和受保护的金丝猴，使这里成为真正的“植物王国”和“动物王国”。玉龙雪山、虎跳峡、美丽雪山、石林等地形地貌多变，自然风光秀美壮观。
Ethnic Groups Yunnan has the most ethnic minorities in China, which make up about 1/3 of the province's population. Of China's 55 ethnic minorities, the province is home to 51 and 25 of them exceed populations of 5,000. These ethnic minorities live together over vast areas in the region while some live in individual concentrated communities in small areas. The residences of the ethnic minorities are various and characteristic; their clothes are colorful and distinctive; some of them have their own languages and writings. Last, but not least, they celebrate varied and colorful festivals. The most famous ones include the Torch Festival of Yi Nationality, the March Fair of Bai Nationality, the Water-splashing Festival of Dai Nationality, the Zongge Festival of ingpo Nationality and the Knife Pole Festival of Lisu Nationality, etc.
云南是中国少数族群最多的地区，约占全省人口的三分之一。在中国55个少数族群中，该省有51个，其中25个民族的人口超过5000人。这些少数族群在该地区的广大地区共同生活，而有些少数族群则生活在小地区的个别集中社区。少数族群民居多样而有特色;他们的衣服五颜六色，与众不同;他们中的一些还有自己的语言和文字。最后一点也同样重要的是，他们庆祝各种各样丰富多彩的节日。其中最著名的有彝族火把节、白族三月集市、傣族泼水节、景颇族宗教节、傈僳族刀杆节等。
If I continue to reproduce here the plagiarised stuff, the beauty of Andrew’s effort will be suppressed, but I had to bring to you something about the place and its people, so as to know and tell you too as to where on the globe does Yunnan exst.
如果我继续复制这些剽窃来的东西，安德鲁的努力就白费了，但我必须为你们介绍一下那个地方和那里的人，这样你们会知道云南在地球上的什么地方存在。
The following text and pictures are by Andrew - I have only changed a word here and there
下面的文字和图片是Andrew准备的，我只在某处修改了一个单词
A Travelogue of My 3rd Yunnan Adventure
我第三次云南冒险的游记
Part One: The hardest stuff is all about taking the first step..
第一部分:最难的事情就是迈出第一步。
There is a widespread saying among Chinese travelers, you are either in Lijiang or en route to Lijiang. Without denying, the south-westernmost province of Yunnan where Lijiang is located makes herself most prominent across China when compared with cultural diversity and imposing landforms. From subtropical forests with unbearable humidity to sacred Tiban mountains towering over 6km above sea-level, Yunnan definitely owns almost everything you could image.
中国游客中流传着这样一种说法：你不是在丽江，就是在去丽江的路上。毫无疑问，丽江所在的云南省位于中国最西南的省份，她的文化多样性和壮丽的地貌在中国最为突出。从湿度难以忍受的亚热带森林，到海拔6公里以上的xz圣山，云南几乎拥有一切你能想象到的东西。
I have been to Yunnan in 2010 as a sophomore and in 2013 after college. Hiking in Tiger-lea gorge, trekking around Lugu Lake, cycling on the Shangri-La grassland, all those memories have been constantly emerging in my dreams with nostalgic themes. This time as an opportunity occurred, I quivered with excitement and I bought the flight ticket only 2 hours later and hurriedly packed my 55-Litre backpack. Off I stepped, like a trotting doe or a young bouncy maiden brimming with dreams and got in a tax. Anxous and excited, I felt as if I was flying on the airport-bound expressway at 100mph. The thrill matched like the one I have often felt when going home for spring festival reunion.
我在2010年读大二，2013年大学毕业后，都去过云南。我在虎跳峡徒步，在泸沽湖漫走，在香格里拉草原骑行，所有这些回忆都在我的梦中不断浮现。这次机会来了，我激动得浑身发抖，两小时后我就买好了机票，迅速打包好了我的55升背包。我出发了，像一只小跑的母鹿或一个充满梦想的蹦蹦跳跳的年轻少女，坐上了一辆出租车。我既焦虑又兴奋，感觉就像在以100英里/小时的速度行驶在飞往机场的高速公路上。这种刺激就像我回家过年时经常感受到的那种。
It was 1 A.M. in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan when we landed.
我们在云南省会昆明着陆时，已经凌晨1点了。
昆明市区
云南大学
It was not until 3 O’clock in the morning when I took the shuttle bus to the railway station with some sort of disappointment of missing a ride on the new airport metro. It was a smooth ride, all brand-new elevated expressways and flyovers compelled me to believe that I was still in Shanghai.
直到凌晨3点，我才乘上穿梭巴士去火车站，因为我错过了一趟新机场的地铁，我有点失望。还好一路顺利，全新的高架高速公路和立交桥让我以为自己还在上海。
昆明火车站前的街道
