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Geographical region of China
Photo: Derivative work by Shaundd. Other authors listed on source image page., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
Guizhou (贵州; Gùizhōu) is a province in southwestern China.
Chongqing municipality is in Southwest China. It has a population of over 30 million and covers 82,403 km2 (31,816 sq mi).
Sichuan (四川; Sìchuān; previously known as Szechwan), is a province in Southwest China. It is China's fourth most populous province; at 83 million (2020) it has about the population of Germany.
Yunnan (云南; Yúnnán) is a province in southern China, bordering Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam as well as the Chinese provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Tibet.
Tibet (Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, Mandarin: 西藏, Xīzàng), officially known as the Xizang Autonomous Region, is sometimes described as the "roof of the world"; the entire region is on a high plateau and there are many large mountains. Part of High Asia, the area has its own unique culture, and most travellers will find some of the plants, wildlife and domestic animals quite exotic as well.
The Wikivoyage itinerary Hong Kong to Kunming overland covers travel through this region.
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Chengdu (成都 Chéngdū) is the provincial capital and largest city of Sichuan Province in southwest China. The megacity is home to over 21 million people.
Chongqing (重庆; Chóngqìng, formerly spelled Chungking) is fast becoming the most economically important city in the interior West China, with an urban population of around 8.8 million. In addition to the central urban area, Chongqing Municipality also includes some 80,000 km² (31,000 sq mi) of the neighboring countryside and smaller towns, with approximately 30 million people altogether.
Dali (大理; Dàlǐ) is a city in Yunnan Province in China famous for its old town and handicrafts.
Guiyang (贵阳; Guìyáng) is the capital of Guizhou province, China. While not the most spectacular of Chinese cities, it has much to offer as an introduction to the history, culture and natural splendor of Guizhou and China's southwest.
Jinghong (Chinese: 景洪; Jǐnghóng, Lü: ᦵᦋᧂ ᦣᦳᧂᧈ) is the capital of Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan. It is a hub for Chinese package tourists as well as for travellers passing between China and Laos.
Kunming (昆明; Kūnmíng) is the capital of Yunnan Province in China. Known in China as the City of Eternal Spring, Kunming is at an almost-tropical latitude but with a 2000 m (6600 ft) altitude, which gives it a very temperate climate.
Leshan (乐山 Lèshān) is a city in Sichuan Province. Sitting on the confluence of the Dadu, Mín and Qingyi rivers it is most famous for its huge riverside cliff-carving of Buddha and nearby Mount Emei; which together are a World Heritage Site.
Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་, Chinese: 拉萨 Lāsà) is the capital of the Tibet autonomous region in China. It is 3,650 m (11,980 ft) above sea level on the northern slopes of the Himalayas.
Shigatse (日喀则; Rìkāzé - Tibetan: གཞིས་ཀ་རྩ), officially spelled Xigazê, is the second largest city in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is 3,800 meters above sea level.
a lake between Sichuan and Yunnan
Mount Kailash (Tibetan: ཀང་རྡོ་རྗེ། Kang Rinpoche, Chinese: 冈仁波齐峰 Gāngrén bōqífēng, Sanskrit: कैलास Kailāsa or कैलाश Kailāsha) is a very sacred mountain in the far west of Tibet, China. It's height is 6,638 m and is near the source of the four rivers Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali.
Yunnan (云南; Yúnnán) is a province in southern China, bordering Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam as well as the Chinese provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Tibet.
The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek (虎跳峡; Pinyin: Hǔ Tiào Xiá), near Lijiang in Yunnan, is a mountain hike through some of the most naturally beautiful and diverse landscapes China has to offer. The high trail runs along the northern side of the gorge, passing quiet villages, shady forest, exposed mountainsides and verdant terraced farmland.
The Three parallel rivers region is in Yunnan, China, in part of the same complex of mountain ranges as the Himalayas, at the eastern end of the Himalaya proper. Descending from Tibet, three mighty rivers here run parallel to each other for over 200 km (125 miles), carving out vast canyons, before diverging halfway across Asia, nourishing billions and giving rise to splendid civilizations.
Mount Emei (峨嵋山 or 峨眉山; Éméishān) is a sacred Buddhist mountain in the southern part of Sichuan, China.
The Dazu District (大足区) is in the western part of Chongqing Municipality. It is home to the famous Dazu Rock Carvings (大足石刻), which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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