These photos were taken in Yunnan Province primarily along the Nujiang River which sits near the borders with Burma and Tibet. Given its remote location it has yet to become a prime tourist area. As China's develops its western provinces this will undoubtedly change. The main reason for this is that both its topography and cultural diversity are unrivaled in beauty and cultural heritage. The Nujiang River has been saved a few times from becoming a succession of dams unlike all the other major rivers in China. Wen Jiao Bao, one of China's top leaders has postponed planned dams along this river. Its still runs wild from its Tibetan source and continues straight south until it passes into Burma and becomes the Salaween. The Nujiang carves steep ravines through the mountains which are so bio-diverse the United Nations designated it a "World Heritage" region. Besides this pristine wilderness there are numerous ethnic minorities that inhabit the banks such as the Nu, Drung, Miao, Dai, Tibetan and Lisu people. During China's 2010 Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) I went to the area to see how these minorities celebrate the festival.
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