Yunnan Nationalities Village, Kunming

- July 18, 2018

To really understand the whole Yunnan province before you start your Yunnan tour, you should visit the Yunnan Nationalities Village. There are a total of 26 indigenous group that is recognized by China government in Yunnan province. All of them can be found scattered around Yunnan province. In my opinion, it is vital to understand their culture and their people before you start your expedition. You will find it more interesting along the way of your trip.

Before you enter the village, there is a small walking street in front of it selling souvenirs and eateries for the tourists. It is a very touristy walking street so do expect the price is expensive here.

The price is CNY90 and it is free for kids below 1.2 meters. To get to here, take bus line 24, 44, 73, 94, 135, 165, 172, 184, 233, A1, A4, or A9, and get off at (Yunnan Minzucun) Yunnan Nationalities Village station. Endowed with lofty hills, beautiful pools, exquisite traditional houses and rare plants, Yunnan Nationalities Village showcases the architectural styles, religious beliefs, and folk customs of 26 ethnic groups in exquisite detail. Backing on the Western Hill Forest Park and adjacent to Dianchi Lake, a pearl on Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the village is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) far from downtown Kunming. It covers an area of 84 hectares (208 acres), including 31 hectares (76 acres) of water area.

The village is really big, I really do recommend you to hire one of the vehicle here.

Quadricycle with 2 or 4 seats - CNY 100/vehicle (three hours)
Balance bike - CNY 80/hour
Electro car with 2 seats - CNY 80/hour
Sightseeing mini-train - CNY 30 per person
Sightseeing boat - CNY 20 per person
13-seat battery car - CNY 500/car (two hours)
7-seat battery car - CNY 300/car (two hours)

Every tribe has a house which is exactly what they built at their village. They will place a few couples of the original tribe people to work there but they are not living in the house. The house is just a sample.

This is the Yi Tribe which is the largest among all 26 minorities group. This tribe can mostly be found in Kunming and there are some which is at other parts of Yunnan. The guy is called Ah Hei Ge and their lady is called Ashima. Ah Hei Ge means dark brother which means for them a guy who has a darker skin shows he is a very hardworking man. Each tribe will cook something which is their local food for the tourists to try for a fee.

Next is Mosuo Tribe which can be found at Lugu Lake which I will talk about it in my later blog post. So stay tuned. Media accounts of Mosuo culture tend to highlight exotic sexuality—zouhun or known as walking marriage, which many Chinese interpret as "free love", matriarchy—a land where women rule; and primitivity—a society that has not evolved. Actually, they no longer practicing it anymore.

All of the people there which is really originate from their own tribe and you are free to ask them anything you would like to know about their tribe. They are very friendly to chat and share about their tribe with you and there is no fee charged so why not ask to know and understand more about them. However, they only speak in Mandarin.

This is the Naxi tribe which can be mostly found at Lijiang. You can ask to take photos with them and it is free of charge.

The uniqueness of Naxi is their words which is same like drawing. It is pretty amusing to see the drawing which is represent a Chinese word. You will a lot of these wordings when you travel in Lijiang.

Even Mongol tribe is one of the 26 minorities group even though they are mainly can be found from their own country, Mongolia. We all know what Genghis Khan has done during his world conquest. If you don't, it is better for you to start to google his name now. It is pretty embarrassing for not knowing this legend.

Do not miss their cultural performance too but not all tribe is going to perform in this cultural performance. However, at least you know what kind of dance they do and the games they played. It is really fun and you should join them too! Do check out the schedule below:

A'chang Court - 9.30am - 9.50am, 11.30am - 11.50am, 4.10pm - 4.30pm
Daogan Square - 10.10am - 10.30am, 11.20am - 11.40am, 5.00pm - 5.20pm
Wa Village - 10.30am - 10.50am, 12.20pm - 12.40pm, 4:00pm - 4.20pm
Bai Village - 10.30am - 10.50am, 12.40pm - 1.00pm, 5.00pm - 5.20pm
Yi Village - 10.40am - 11.00am, 1.20pm - 1.40pm, 4.10pm - 4.30pm
Hani Village - 10.50am - 11.10am, 4.30pm - 4.50pm
Dai Village - 11.00am - 11.20am, 3.50pm - 4.10pm
Lahu Village - 11.00am - 11.20am, 4.30pm - 4.50pm
Musuo Village - 11.30am - 11.50am, 4.30pm - 4.50pm
Dianchi Stage - 1.20pm - 2.10pm *this is chargeable at CNY150 (normal), CNY260 (VIP)*

Here is the list of 26 minorities in Yunnan which is in decending order by their total population and their mostly populated location in Yunnan province.

Yi Tribe - Chuxiong
Bai Tribe - Dali
Hani Tribe - Honghe
Dai Tribe - XiShuangBanna
Zhuang Tribe - Wenshan
Miao Tribe - Pingbian
Hui Tribe - scattered around Yunnan, as their main population is at northwest of China
Lisu Tribe - Nujiang
Lahu Tribe - Lancang
Wa Tribe - Cangyuan, Ximeng
Naxi Tribe - Lijiang
Yao Tribe - Yaoquxiang.
Jingpo Tribe - Dehong
Tibetan Tribe - Deqen
Bulang Tribe - Badaxiang
Mosuo Tribe - Lugu Lake
Bouyei Tribe - Luoping
Pumi Tribe - Lanping Bai
Achang Tribe - Longchuang
Nu Tribe - Gongshan, Fugong, Lanping
Jino Tribe - Jinghong
De'ang Tribe - Luxi and Zhenkang
Mongolian Tribe (Khatso Tribe) - Tonghai
Sui Tribe - Qujing
Manchu Tribe - scattered around Yunnan as their main population is at northeast of China
Derung Tribe - Gongshan

This is a pretty girl from Jino tribe which is populated at Jinghong which is where my in laws are living now. However, my in laws are not from Jino tribe, they are from the Yi Tribe.

This is the Manchu tribe which is mainly found in the northeast of China, especially at Heilongjiang province. So at Yunnan, it is only a small number of Manchu tribe scattered around the city. Manchu tribe is like Han tribe (the biggest tribe in China), they already has been modernized.

Not all selling food there are some tribes that are selling their handicraft and art work.

There is also an elephant show at Elephant Show Square. The time is 11.00am - 11.30am, 1.30pm - 2.00pm, 4.30pm - 5.00pm. There is a 30-minute for you to ride and take photos with the elephant before the show starts.

Most of the tourism site will recommend you to take 3-5 hours for the tour. Personally I would think you may need at least full day for really understand the whole 26 tribes and enjoying all their show. You can stay near the Yunnan Nationalities Village where you can take a cab to a nearby mall at night.

It was really a great place to experience the nightlife of Kunming. The hotel and the homestay near the Yunnan Nationalities Village is not cheap at all. It costs about RM200/night.

Overall, this is the place you shouldn't missed. This place is rich of cultural knowledge which you will increase your knowledge by knowing them. I can guarantee you that the knowledge is absolutely priceless.

Ticket Price: CNY90 and free for kids below 1.2 meters
Business Hours: 9.00am - 6.00pm (daily)
Recommended?: 4/5