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Yunnan, the land of the ancestors
Message from the past: A visitor takes a picture of the impressive dinosaur exhibits at Lufeng Dinosaur Valley in Yunnanâs Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture
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span class="caption">Message from the past: A visitor takes a picture of the impressive dinosaur exhibits at Lufeng Dinosaur Valley in Yunnan's Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture.
An invitation from the Yunnan provincial government to visit Yunnan in China's southwest immediately got my interest because the name Yunnan rang a bell. I recalled a history textbook during my school years that mentioned a theory that the ancestors of many Indonesians originated from Yunnan.
The invitation was even more appealing to me due to the fact that I am a Chinese-Indonesian who had never visited China. Even if the alternative theory - which suggests most Indonesians descended from the 'Java man of Sangiran' - was correct, China was still more than likely the land of my ancestors (who, according to my family's lore, were actually from Fujian, around a mere 2,000 kilometers from Yunnan).
Not surprisingly, I was delighted when the Yunnan provincial government arranged a trip for dozens of journalists from South and Southeast Asia to Yuanmou, where the Yuanmou Man Museum is located.
The museum itself was a modest facility and the tour was short; it took us less than an hour to complete. But visitors get to see the stories and the two incisors of Yuanmou Man or Homo erectus, believed by some scientists to date back 1.7 million years.
Yuanmou is located in Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture, one of two autonomous regions of ethnic minority Yi people. The other Yi people's autonomous prefecture is located in Sichuan province.
Besides being the site of Yuanmou Man fossils and tools, Chuxiong is also the home to dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic period. During my trip, I witnessed an impressive collection of dinosaur fossils that were displayed in Lufeng Dinosaur Valley. The dinosaur park contained picturesque scenes of hills with blue sky but, as is often the case with many Chinese facilities, the English translations of the Chinese exhibits tended to be superficial and incomplete.
In the present day, Chuxiong is also home to the Yi people, who are one of the 25 minority groups in Yunnan, the most diverse province in China. Yunnan has 55 minority groups recognized by the government.
Colorful knick-knacks: A woman makes a call while attending a stall selling various handicrafts related to the Yi minority group in Yunnan's Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture.
Yi people, the largest minority group in Yunnan, are known for their generosity. Gong Fei, an official from the Yunnan government, said that Yi people also love drinking alcohol, but even if they only have one cup, they do not hesitate to share their alcohol with their guests.
The Chinese government built a Yi village in Chuxiong for the ethnic minority to open businesses as well as to live. I visited the artificial village, which had souvenir shops, restaurants and a large stage where Yi performers dance. Their dances seemed to depict the vivaciousness and the warmth of Yi people. They wore colorful costumes and their handicrafts also contained many bold colors. And that evening, except for the ones at the halal table, the journalists were served copious amounts of Yi alcohol, which is a strong spirit. The village was especially busy with locals during the afternoon and the evening, and the all-year-long warm climate in Chuxiong was very pleasant for a night stroll.
Chuxiong also has a natural attraction known as Yuanmou's Earth Forest, a beautiful landscape of brown earth cliffs. Renowned film director Zhang Yimou took some of the shots at the Earth Forest for his 2005 movie Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles.
The climate in the Earth Forest can reach 40 degrees Celsius, resulting in a much warmer climate than is experienced in Jakarta. A high SPF sunscreen is a necessity, even for men who would otherwise prefer to limit their grooming regimen to the use of shaving cream.
The hot climate is very different from that in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Kunming residents are very proud of their pleasant temperature all year long and they promote the town as 'the spring city'. The tourism tagline of Kunming is: 'It is spring all year long in Kunming.'
Pleasant temperature aside, there is not much to enjoy in Kunming except for the serene Dianchi Lake, a large natural lake. Kunming also lacks any natural charm as the government has rapidly developed the town by buying land from residents to make way for 'modern' high-rise buildings that remind me of the less inspiring 'ruko' shop-houses and uniform architecture found in Jakarta's suburbia.
However, for a heart that is weary, an afternoon stroll on a fine day along the bank of the Dianchi Lake is enough. And of course, a selfie would make it just perfect.
Earth monuments: Visitors stroll along a pathway in the Yuanmou Earth Forest in Yunnan's Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture during a scorching hot day.
' Photos by JP/Evi Mariani
