Serene ambiance: Residents of Kunming, Yunnan, regularly visit the Green Lake urban park to practice tai-chi.

The Yunnan and Guangxi provinces located in the southern part of China are proof that the country has much more to offer than just the Great Wall.

Yunnan, whose oldest inhabitant can be traced back 1.7 million years, is considered to be part of the cradle of civilization. Bordering Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, the province covers an area of around 394,000 square kilometers, 94 percent of which is a myriad of mountains and plateaus.

Here, among the mountains, the topography of Yunnan is responsible for the creation of the majestic Stone Forest World Heritage site. Believed to be over 270 million years old, eroded limestone formations fall to the ground like stalagmites, creating the visual appearance of a forest made of stone.

Ethnic to the area, the Yi people, the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People'€™s Republic of China, have lived in the area for thousands of years. The local government trusts members of the Yi people to work as tour guides in the area. Donning traditional clothing, Yi tour guides are able to speak proficiently in multiple languages and dialects.

 '€œThere are about 10,000 visitors to Stone Forest per day,'€ explains a local guide who introduces himself as Golden.

'€œThe total area designated for tourism is 12 square kilometers but the broader area of the forest, the mountains inhabited by the Yi people, is much larger.'€

The area of the Stone Forest accessible to tourists consists of two parts '€” major and minor. The main attraction is located at Minor Stone Forest. Called the Ashima stone, the gigantic stone resembles a maiden girl of the Sani, a branch of the Yi ethnic group, wearing a kerchief on her head and carrying a traditional bamboo basket on her back. According to local legend, the stone is a beautiful girl named Ashima who was forced to marry the evil landlord who kidnapped her. Ashima'€™s lover, Ahei, went to save her from her kidnapper but on the journey home, Ashima drowned in a flood and transformed into the Ashima stone.

Meanwhile, at Major Stone Forest, nature has assembled the stones tightly, creating an incredible labyrinth beneath. As it is very easy to get lost in this part of the forest guides wear brightly colored hats so that lost tourist can easily spot them to call for help.

Located approximately 90 kilometers from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, a bus journey to the forest from the capital will take 2-hours. The entry fee to enjoy the Stone Forest is 175 yuan (US$27.16) per person. For an additional 25 yuan per person, visitors are able to make use of the bus ride facility.

Another noteworthy place to visit in Yunnan is Green Lake, a park featuring four small lakes linked together by traditional Chinese-style bridges, located in the center of Kunming.

During the 17th century, the local administration developed the park, intending it to become the water reservoir for the city. Now, Green Lake has become a place for Kunming residents to mingle, to go for a leisurely stroll, take their dogs for a walk and partake in a variety of other healthy activities such as tai chi.

As a bridge to the Southeast Asia, the cities of Yunnan province possess a very unique appearance.

The Xishuangbanna town presents visitors with a unique blend of Thai and Chinese culture. The architecture and road signs can trick visitors into feeling as if they have stumbled into both Bangkok and Beijing, all at the same time.

The mixture of cultures is also evident in the mouthwatering local cuisine that combines cooking styles and ingredients from the cookbooks of Thai and Chinese cultures.

Distinct dishes in the Yunnan region include a sticky rice served inside a pineapple, deep fried mosh and a very strong local white wine, with the slightest sip, is reputed to kick the consciousness out of any drinker.

To the east of Yunnan is Guangxi, an autonomous region that shares borders with mainland China and Vietnam. The main tourism highlight here is the Nixing Pottery Museum located in Qinzhou, a 2-hour bus ride from Guangxi'€™s capital, Nanning.

The museum shares an elaborate insight into the rich thousand-year-old history of pottery making and craftsmanship that has over time become an integral part of local tradition.

The Nixing pottery style is regarded to be one of the most unique styles of pottery making.

The basic ingredient for the pottery is a rare red clay sourced from Qinzhou. This special clay gives the pottery a unique bronze look without needing to add chemical coloring.

In addition, pottery products made from this clay feature metallic sound characteristics and the apparent ability to keep food and beverages fresh.

By way of the Nixing Pottery Museum, the city of Qinzhou pays tribute to its rich history of craftsmanship. In order to embrace modernity, the city is also host to the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP), an industrial and trade area jointly-managed by the two countries, designed to serve international trade from all over the world.

Part of an agreement reached between China and Malaysia in 2011, the QIP is an integrated modern industrial district designed for residential, business and industrial use.

The QIP is currently in its startup phase, focusing most of its operations on trading, logistics, processing and the manufacturing of goods for import and export.

While the industrial park currently covers an area of 7-square-kilometers, QIP Project Manager Hong Xinlu said that once the industrial park development has been completed, it is expected to cover an area of around 55-square-kilometers. Upon completion, the area is to become both a center for industry and a new residential area housing a population of 500,000 people, supported by considerable of public facilities and services.

From the natural wonders of the Stone Forest and the unique cultural blend of Southeast Asia and China to the ambitious industrial development, a visit to China'€™s southern regions will definitely leave an unforgettable memory for any type of visitors. However, if you travel to Yunnan and fail to visit the Stone Forest, locals will inform you that you have wasted your time.

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