In the south of China, covers a large province of Yunnan, an area of ​​394,000 km with a population of 44 million. The province borders especially in the northwest provinces of Tibet, with countries in South Vietnam and Laos. Geologically, the province is very different, although the cause is the only one. Meetings of boards of India and the Eurasian bloc was to highlight the Himalayas. To the east of the province are karst, limestone mountains with tropical climate.

West is metamorphosed folded mountain ranges that fall from the Tibetan plateau in the direction from north to south. The climate is very harsh and occasionally wet. In both formations are present narrow and elongated valley and there are rivers and reservoirs. There is also flowing Mekong River. Vyvrásnění caused the whole area is rich in deposits of gold, iron and tin.

The climate in the Cretaceous epoch dry and hot, which persisted until the early Tertiary. Gradually the climate changed to wet and hot. Now the present wet and dry periods. The heat remained. The level of temperature does not apply to areas where the chain of mountains descend from the Tibetan plateau. The province is famous for growing tea, coffee and tobacco.

In the province of Yunan is a high level of endemism and a huge diversity of all living things. There were found 15,000 kinds of higher plant species, of which 2,500 kinds of endemic. There are 334 kinds of orchids, one fifth of all species of Primulaceae and there is the most frequent occurrence of 800 kinds of edible mushrooms.

The emblem is the province of Yunnan Camellia reticulata.