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Introduction & Highlights

There is no richer territory in the world for exploring culinary variety than in Yunnan Province. The cultural richness of Yunnan is unsurpassed. With its more than 50 ethnic minorities, and its closeness to many other Asian countries, Yunnan is a meeting ground where many different cultures encounter each other and have traded ideas and influences for centuries. That historical dynamic has produced an extremely rich cultural pastiche. That culture can be experienced in all aspects of daily life, but there is no more enjoyable way to experience that great cultural variety and richness than through cuisine.

Foodies of the world, it is time to discover the great richness of the unique cuisine of Yunnan Province! Yunnan cuisine, or Dian cuisine, is a variety of blends between Han culture and the various ethnic cultures of Yunnan.

Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles
Bean Curd Rice Noodles

Yunnan dishes use fresh ingredients and tend toward spicy and sour flavors. Some favorite Yunnan dishes include steam pot chicken, fried rice-flour cake, Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles, wild mushrooms hot pot and braised termite mushroom.

Where to Experience
Nanping Pedestrian Street
Address
No. 1 Dongfeng West Road, Wuhua District, Kunming

The Nanping Pedestrian Street is an ancient street in Kunming that was historically the downtown center of finance, commerce and entertainment, and today has been renewed as a lively commercial, leisure, culture and entertainment district. It brings together the history, culture and innovation that is characteristic of Kunming.

The area is decorated with eye-catching folk art sculptures and dry fountains, as well as stools mounted on cylindrical bases along the street. Local shops and restaurants gather there and make it a magnet for international tourists. 

Some of the recommended shops are Mihimihi, Royaltea, Dai People House and Jiahua Flower Cake.

Dianchi Road
Address
Xishan District, Kunming

Dianchi Road was once known as a place where many of the best seafood restaurants were gathered, but now it has evolved into a center of many different kinds of restaurants with a wide variety of offerings.

It is the home of many famous restaurants and hot pot dining establishments such as New Longmen Restaurant, Victoria Seafood Restaurant, Hong Kong Chain Restaurants of Zen, The Bund No.1, Little Swan Hotpot Restaurant, Sleeping Beauty Restaurant and Little Country Pavilions. It has some of the oldest and most famous restaurants, offering not only Chinese cuisine, but also Western-style or Japanese restaurants.

In addition, this area also has some new high-end restaurants, such as East Road of Tianshunxiang in Hongta East Road and Swan Lake Restaurant in Guangfu Road.

Middle of Guanshang Road
Address
Guandu District, Kunming

Middle of Guanshang Road is an up-and-coming center for restaura Guandu District, Kunming nts in Kunming. The area has a great number of fine restaurants, including the famous Young Pigeon Emperor Old Restaurant, the hot pot favorite Little Swan Hotpot Restaurant and Yunnan’s flavor boutique Kunming Spring Restaurant. It is a good place to find restaurants with an ecological style of cuisine as well as many other kinds of culinary innovation. There are many fine eating establishments on Wild Fungus Street, including Hongfanyuan Restaurant, Xiao Chao Hong Chun Restaurant, wild fungus, Red River Valley, Shanghai Family Restaurant and Hakka King. It's a great place to experience a wide variety of the tastes of Yunnan.

Dali Foreign Street
Address
Huguo Road, the Ancient City of Dali

Hu Guo Road, also known as Foreigners Street, in Dali Old Town is a great place to experience a variety of styles of food, including Chinese favorites, Bai and Tibetan specialties, and western food as well.

Because of its proximity to Erhai Lake, Dali is a good source of marine-based foods from the lake. One of the most popular delicacies of Dali is fish hotpot. Fish is cooked in an earthenware pot with tofu, vegetables, meatballs and other ingredients such as spices and herbs. Bai people are well known for their fish dishes and the fish hotpot is the soul of Bai fish dish.

Dairy foods are very popular in Dali prefecture. The most popular dairy product is Deng Chuan Ru Shan. Most families of Deng Chuan, in Dali Autonomous Prefecture keep dairy cows, so Deng Chuan has been called the "town of milk cows."

 

Other popular delicacies in Dali are plums, which grow in the area, and Da Li Erkuai or Ersi, a type rice cake particular to Dali.

 

Lijiang Sifang Street
Address
Old town of Lijiang City

Sifang Street is a popular area in the Central Square of Lijiang Ancient Town, covering an area of about six acres. The square is a central terminal where roads meet from all directions. It was the historical center of the Ancient Town.

There are four streets extending from the square, Guangyi Street, Qiyi Street, Wuyi Street, and Xinhua Street, the lower part of Huangshan Street.

Sifang Street is the place where bazaars of the ancient town are grouped together, making it a great place to find a variety of goods for sale.

Sifang Street is the heart of the old city, where the settlement began in ancient times. The Old Town preserves historical Chinese culture in many ways, including the many buildings that were built in the Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. That makes it a wonderful place to observe and experience ancient Chinese culture.