If you're thinking of visiting China, get in touch. Rough Guides has paired with an expert local tour provider to offer fully personalised trips in the country.
3. Local cuisine
Every region of China has its own cuisine and
Yunnanese food tends to be spicier than you might expect. Barbecue is popular, with beef, lamb or fish skewered, grilled and served with herb-rich sauces. Fried cheese and stir-fried insects, such as silkworms and bamboo grubs, are more unusual local specialities. Slow-cooked soups of beef, chicken or pork, or all three, are also popular and wild Yunnan mushrooms are much sought after.
4. Shangri-La city
The former city of Zhongdian was renamed Shangri-La in 2001 to promote tourism in reference to the 1933 novel
Lost Horizon – where stranded pilot Hugh Conway finds a hidden utopia high in the mountains of Tibet. The new Shangri-La sits near the border with Tibet at 3,000 metres above sea level. It's a great place to go to experience Tibetan culture, which still remains dominant here. Visit the picturesque Songzanlin Tibetan monastery, spin a prayer wheel or buy a yak wool sweater. Much of Shangri-La is not as authentic as it looks, but get out into the countryside, hiking or on horseback, and you'll find a way of life that is still authentic.