Southwest China
Southwest China is the most exotic area of China, home to many minority ethnic groups. It has much in common with Northwest China; both areas are far less prosperous than the eastern and southern coastal regions.
Much of the terrain is quite mountainous. Tibet and Northwestern Yunnan are located on the Tibetan Plateau and have many very high mountains; including the world’s highest (Mount Everest) which is located in on the Tibet/Nepalese border. Guizhou has smaller mountains, terraced rice fields, and many caves.
The regions of Sichuan and Chongqing Municipality are considered part of Western China, because they are the edge of “China proper” (the area historically inhabited by Han Chinese) even though they are near the geographical center of the modern Chinese state. Western Sichuan was once part of a Tibetan Empire and part of Eastern Tibet; it lies at the edge of the region and is the gateway to the frontier/minority provinces of Tibet and Qinghai.
Regions
Section titled “Regions”
Map of Southwest China
| Guizhou Province |
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| Chongqing Municipality |
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| Sichuan province |
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| Yunnan Province (Kunming Prefecture, Central Yunnan, Eastern Yunnan, Southeastern Yunnan, Southern Yunnan, Western Yunnan, Northwestern Yunnan,Xishuangbanna) |
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| Tibet Autonomous Region |
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Chongqing is historically and culturally part of Sichuan, but is now administratively a separate municipality and a mega-city in its own right. It is China’s largest city, with a population of almost 30 million counting suburbs, countryside, and the many towns under its administration.
Cities
Section titled “Cities”- 1 Chengdu, Sichuan
- 2 Chongqing, the central urban part of Chongqing Municipality
- 3 Dali
- 4 Guiyang
- 5 Jinghong
- 6 Kunming Yunnan
- 7 Leshan, Sichuan
- 8 Lhasa Tibet
- 9 Xigatse Tibet
Other destinations
Section titled “Other destinations”-
2 Mount Kailash, known as Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan, Tibet (5,656 meters), sacred to Hindus, Jains and some Buddhists
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Two fantastic hiking areas hiking areas in Yunnan, both featuring large gorges winding between large mountains:
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3 Tiger Leaping Gorge, accessible and popular
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4 Three parallel rivers, more remote but sensational
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5 Mount Emei, Sichuan Province (3,099 meters)
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6 Dazu, a district of Chongqing Municipality, famous for extensive Buddhist rock carvings which are a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Understand
Section titled “Understand”This part of China is culturally very rich, with many ethnic minorities like the Zhuang, Miao, Naxi, Bai, and Tibetans who speak their own languages. Nevertheless, as Mandarin is the medium of instruction in all Chinese schools, nearly all younger locals are bilingual in their ethnic language and Mandarin.
Get in
Section titled “Get in”Get around
Section titled “Get around”The Wikivoyage itinerary Hong Kong to Kunming overland covers travel through this region.
Itineraries
Section titled “Itineraries”No visit to Chongqing would be complete without a visit to one of the famous hot pot restaurants throughout the city. A spicy broth with seasonings most westerners have never tasted, diners boil their meats and vegetables in this heavenly stock. Try the pig brain and lotus roots or stick with the beef and potatoes - everything tastes better from a hot pot!
Stay safe
Section titled “Stay safe”Go next
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