Image credit: Courtesy of Josh Moore, Flickr. Because of this climate, the potential natural vegetation of the Yunnan Plateau consists of seasonally wet, evergreen broadleaf forest adapted to monsoonal summers and an extended dry season that lasts from November until April.
Although the potential biodiversity is high, much of the Yunnan Plateau forest cover is converted into agriculture or secondary forest stands of Yunnan pine and broadleaved species like Michelia and chestnut.
Higher mountain ridges support temperate cloud forests in which the trees are cloaked with mosses and hung with foliose lichens, epiphytic ferns, and orchids. Here the understory includes small-statured bamboo and shade-tolerant plants like the root parasite Balanophora. Rhododendron grows in open forests on hill slopes throughout the ecoregion. Although Yunnan pine has been established as a sub-climax forest type for more than a century, relict stands of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest still occur in the West Hills near Kunming, on the slopes of Jizu Mountain near Dali, and in small temple forests throughout the region.
The Yunnan Plateau once supported large mammal species that have now been extirpated by millennia of human activity. They include giant panda, Asian elephant, Javan rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, and other large cats, as well as their prey base of deer and other hoofed mammals.
Today, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, common leopard, and large bamboo rat persist in some areas where steep terrain and persistent summer cloud cover discourage human settlement. Four subspecies of black-crested gibbon are recognized, all critically endangered.
The Central Yunnan subspecies is restricted to a few remote localities within this ecoregion, but distribution data is as sparse as the population itself. It is known from historical records that gibbons in China have declined drastically in recent centuries and continue to do so. The estimated global population of the Central Yunnan black-crested gibbon is about individuals. The Yunnan Plateau is also an Endemic Bird Area with two restricted range bird species: Yunnan nuthatch and white-speckled laughing thrush.
Other threatened bird species with a broader habitat range include giant nuthatch and white eared-pheasant. Several large but shallow freshwater lakes occur on the Yunnan Plateau, with lacustrine ecosystems that have been imperiled by decades of neglect. On both sides of the Temple are grown camellia trees of the Ming Dynasty and crape myrtle. According to the legend, two hunters in the Tang Dynasty, Gao Guang and Gao Zhi, chased a rhinoceros to this spot, only to find it missing.
Instead, they saw several monks in the clouds. When they went nearer to take a close look, the monks also disappeared. All they saw were several bamboo sticks on the ground. Lake on, the sticks turned into bamboo trees and a temple was built here.
The Temple is surrounded by dense forests and air here is refreshing. Inside the Temple are famous clay statues- Five Hundred Arhats, which have been famed as a pearl in the oriental treasure house.
Inscription and antithetical couplets from the Yuan and Ming dynasties are also found in the main hall of the Temple. The temperature of the spring water is above 40C. The spring is free from odour of sulphur, has good purifying effects and is effective in curing ailments such as arthritis and skin disease. It covers an area 27, hectares, of which the scenic area occupies over 80 hectares. The stone peaks in various shapes call to mind vivid imagination. Some are in the shape of bamboo shoots, swords or pagoda.
Others are in the shape of Human figures, such as warriors, mother and baby as well as girls and boys. There are still many others that look like kind of animals and birds in movement. Following a narrow and winding path through various rock formations, one will have a close view of the Stone Forest that is incredibly grand and magnificent. And one can not help feel that he has entered a fairy world.
This site is frequently updated and permanently "under construction". All rights reserved. A dvertisement on this website? Customers in China, please call our China Office at. Climate of Yunnan Province Yunnan has a humid monsoon climate typical of subtropical and tropical plateau zone, with distinctive dry and rainy seasons and drastic changes in climatic conditions. It boasts valuable Chinese medicinal herbs, including pseudo-ginseng, gastrodia, caterpillar fungus, musk and pilose antler.
In recent years, tropical crops such as rubber tree, cocoa tree, cinchona, pepper tree, sisal hemp, lemongrass and shellac have been introduced and grown in Yunnan, which has proved a success. Yunnan grows a great variety of fruits, the most famous of which are Baozhu pear from Kuming, Snow pear from Dali and pomegranate from Mengzi.
Local Food and Cuisine of Yunnan Province Yunnan abounds in resources and, as a result, offers many delicacies with distinct local flavour. Kunming has been designated as one of the first group of leading historical and cultural cities with national renown and a key tourist city.
Beijing Office and China Topics. General Information. Diplomatic Missions. Real Estates. Who's Who. Back to HOME. Enter your search terms. China's Cities and Provinces Yunnan Province. Yunnan Province. Location of Yunnan Province Area:. Capital City:. Local Time. Geography of Yunnan Province.
Climate of Yunnan Province. Brief History of Yunnan Province. Yunnan Local Products. Local Food and Cuisine of Yunnan Province. Places of Interests and Tourist Attractions in Yunnan. Yunnan has many tourist attractions in Kunming and Dali and is particularly well-known for the Stone Forest.
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