Diqing #Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Shangri La
Diqing #Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where Shangri-La lies, will mark its 60th founding anniversary in September. On the occasion, #Yunnan Daily reporters visited major temples and church where people live in harmony to pursue goodness, truth and beauty.
Shangri la - Deqen April 5-17 2014
Fire at Shangri-La County Turns Ancient City Into Ash
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Saturday's fire at ancient city Dukezong, Shangri-La County
of the Tibetan Area in China's Yunnan Province,
burned down more than 250 houses.
Two thirds of the ancient city turned into ashes.
Local authorities mobilized nearly 2,000 people and
took over 10 hours to get the fire under control.
Commentators pointed out that, local government was keen on
developing on the ancient site for financial gains in recent years,
yet neglected to implement procedures for hazards such as fire.
Dukezong has 1,300 years of splendid history.
It is the largest and best preserved ancient Tibetan city.
It is however, a pile of ruins now.
The fire happened in the early hours of Jan. 11.
Ms Wu, owner of a hotel in the city, told NTD,
Ruyi Hotel and Restaurant, located at the lower section
of the city caught fire first.
Fire trucks arrived 30 minutes after the call.
As a result, a gas pipe explosion caused the fire to
spread more rapidly.
Ms Wu: Houses on many streets were burned.
All houses were built with wood.
With a little wind, the whole area was on fire.
There was no way to put the fire out..
There was no water in the water hydrant.
Else it would not have been on fire for so long.
People are OK though, but there is serious property damage.
According to the media, about one square kilometer of the
1.5 square kilometers of Dukezong city, was hit by fire.
Local authorities mobilized nearly 2,000 people,
over 10 excavators and 39 fire engines.
It took more than 10 hours to put the fire out.
Government officials in the Diqing Area said, preliminary
statistics indicate the fire affected 335 family's,
destroying 242 houses in the Cangfang, Jinglong and
Beiben communities.
The fire also caused economic losses of at least 100 million yuan
( approximately US$ 16,547,300), including relics,
thangkas (Buddhist deity paintings on silk) & other works of art.
Renowned Tibetan writer Woeser said, This old Tibetan town
was already destroyed due to high commercialization.
It is not really an ancient city any more.
Woeser: There is not any house with over 1,000 years history.
There are some temples around the burned area.
They were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
Shangri-La's largest monastery Songzanling Temple, was
smashed during the Cultural Revolution and was rebuilt later.
So there is no real ancient city with over 1,000
years of history.
Woeser said, This old city was called Jietang in Tibetan,
later renamed as Zhongdian.
In 2001 local government changed it to Shangri-La,
in order to meet the needs of tourism.
Woeser: It later changed its name to Shangri-La.
This place is actually a highly commercialized area now.
I visited the area seven to eight times.
There are all kinds of buildings that are hotels, stores & bars.
In fact, all the so-called ancient cities are now like that.
Dukezong is the so-called important town along the
Tea And Horse Road.
In 2001 it was approved by the authorities as a
historical and cultural city of Yunnan.
Commentator Xing Tianxing pointed out, the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) built a commercialized
so-called ancient city, with the banner of folk culture.
Xing Tianxing: Safety hazards, amongst others,
were not the focus of CCP.
Reportedly, it caused 100 million yuan of economic loss.
If there really were historical relics in there,
then the cost is innumerable.
Xing Tianxing: While mourning over the fire,
we should realize that Chinese culture will disappear
along with the commercialization process.
If we continue to blindly develop tourist areas instead of
protecting such places,
the true cultural heritage of over 1,000 years will be gone.
Woeser cited in her recent blog, frequent fires have occurred
in Tibet in the past year. For example:
Zere Temple fire on Dec. 29, 2012 at Longzhen Xinlong County,
also other areas in Tibet, burning over 120 rooms, including
the retreat center and classrooms.
The Buddhist Institute was totally destroyed except for the hall.
Tibetan Area that
The fire at Gatuo Temple on May 4, 2013 also in the
Tibetan area of Baiyu County,
burned dozens of shag (textiles) & other Buddhist relics.
The fire at Litang Temple on Nov. 16, 2013,
was also in the Tibetan area. It destroyed the central hall.
Some monks were injured whilst they rescued relics.
On Jan. 9, 2014 Sichuan, Ganzi, Tibetans area
La Rong, Wu Ming Buddhist Institute was also on fire.
Also,over 200 houses were burned, some monks yet again injured.
Just two days later, on Jan. 11 2014,
Yunnan Dukezong Ancient City, was on fire yet again.
《神韵》2014世界巡演新亮点
Xizhou (market, house and temple) (Yunnan - China)
(EN) Located in north part of Dali City, Xizhou Town is a main residential district for Bai Nationality, as a birthplace of Dali culture; it is also a famous historic cultural town of Bai Nationality.
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Map for Yunnan trip :
nepal - tibet
2003 - 2009
singu chuli - tharpu chuli - tilicho - lhakpa ri - mera peak
Zhongdian (Shangri-La, Dêqên): Altstadt / Old Town / 中甸县 (香格里拉市, 迪庆藏族自治州): 古城
OK Business News CHINA 中国
Hier finden Sie Nachrichten und Informationen aus allen CHINA-relevanten Bereichen, wie z.B. Wirtschaft, Politik, Kultur, Land und Leute! Bitte abonnieren!
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Songzanlin Monastery
Songzanlin is the largest Tibetan Buddhism monastery in Yunnan Province. Covering an area of 30 hectares, it looks like a mini Kumbum (Ta Er) Monastery. It is located on a mountain slope 5km from the county town of Shangri-La.
Since the 5th Dalai Lama chose the site through divination in 1679, the monastery has grown into the most important community of its kind in Yunnan. Naturally, throughout its history spanning 325 years there have been ups and downs -- the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), for instance, saw the lamasery almost completely destroyed - but the strong faith of the people in Shangri-La has always prevailed, and today Songzanlin once again houses more than 700 monks and lamas.
Built in the style of Potala Palace in Lhasa, the magnificent monastery complex resides on top of a hill and consists of the two Zhacang and Jikang lamaseries - which take on the form of five-story Tibetan watchtowers - five gates, numerous sub-lamaseries and hundreds of rooms for the monks. Walking up the 146 steps that lead to the main prayer hall is a tiring exercise at 3,300m above sea level, but it allows you to trace mentally the pilgrimage route that generations of devout Buddhists living on the plateau take on their knees and foreheads every year.
On the way, you will come across study rooms where young monks who typically enter the monk hood at the age of 5 are trained in the scriptures and foundations of monastic life. Time will be spent on the Buddhist canons, yet crafts, astrology and medicine are also on the curriculum. In addition, the boys retreat for hours each day to reflect and meditate on the meaning and implications of Buddhist philosophy.
The main scripture hall in the center of the compound is the highlight of the visit, especially during prayer time in the morning or during auspicious festivals when devotees come to take part in the festivities. The hall itself can accommodate some 1,600 lamas sitting in meditation or chanting Buddhist scriptures and features 108 imposing pillars. As Sonzanlin is affiliated with the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the order of both the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, references to the sect's history and philosophy are found throughout the lamasery.
Amongst the monastery many treasures are rare Buddhist scriptures written on palm leaves, which have been used by previous Dalai and Panchen Lamas, as well as the eight famous gold-covered sculptures of Sakyamuni, the Indian prince who in the 5th century BC founded Buddhism and is popularly known as the 'Sage of the Shakya Clan'. Colorful murals painted by renowned lamas show guardian deities, scenes from the Lord Buddha's life and the 'wheel of life' that (held by the demon of impermanence) depicts the six realms of existence: heaven, demigods, humankind, hell, hungry ghosts and animals. The hub in the wheel's center symbolizes ignorance, hatred and greed, the three poisons of life.
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Shangri-La Original Density Hotel
Shangri-La Original Density Hotel is a 4 star resort hotel which is located in the flourishing area of Shangri-la county, Diqing city. Only 8 kilometers to airport. The hotel located only a five-minute drive from the old town and bus terminal. Hotel provide free airport shuttle service. All 125 rooms provide free items as Internet access, newspaper, mineral water. conference room can accommodate 40 people, multi-functional conference hall, Love conferencing systems, LCD projectors and other advanced equipment, can meet the needs of different meetings. Chinese restaurant supply delicious food. In recreation center, guest can enjoy chess and Ping pang. Tibetan cultural heritage with a strong six-story buildings stand at the foot of the mountain. Shangri-La Hotel, permeated with the natural environment, history and culture of the essence. Welcome to us.
Li Jiang Old town Fire a painful lesson for perservance cultural heritage Architecture chinese style
Most of a 1,300-year-old Tibetan town popular with tourists was destroyed by a fire over the weekend, renewing concerns over commercial development at Chinese heritage sites.
The blaze, which raged for 10 hours on Saturday, destroyed at least 240 houses or two thirds of the ancient settlement of Dukezong in Yunnan province, southwest China, according to Xinhua state news agency.
The town was known for its well-preserved Tibetan dwellings and the fire spread easily from one wooden house to the other after starting in a small hotel.
Some 2,600 residents were evacuated from the scene, but no casualties were reported, Xinhua added.
The possibility of arson has been ruled out, and the cause of fire is still under investigation, local authorities said.
More than 1,000 firefighters and volunteers battled the flames, officials said, but the narrow streets made it difficult for fire trucks to maneuver.
Fire fighters also found that hydrants were empty due to a shutdown in water supply during sub-zero winter conditions, according to Chen Tianchang, head of the fire service for the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the region where the town is located.
The town forms part of a county now called Shangri-La, which with its dramatic scenery claims to have inspired the fictional paradise described in the 1933 novel by British author James Hilton.
The fire also renewed concerns over commercial development in China's ancient towns, which have witnessed growing numbers of tourists in recent years. There have been a string of fires at heritage sites in recent months, Xinhua reported.
In October, a blaze tore down an ancient building complex in Hongjiang, central China and a covered bridge in the Western city of Chongqing was destroyed by fire in November. Another fire also raged in the old town of Lijiang, Yunnan in March.
Li Gang, director of the region's cultural relics protection department, told Xinhua that the traditional gaps between the wood buildings in Dukezong to prevent fires had been filled in by restaurants, shops and guesthouses as tourism booms.
We have to reconsider the traditional principle of architecture while enhancing fire extinguishing facilities, Li said.
Li Jiang Old town Fire a painful lesson for perservance cultural heritage Architecture chinese style ,for more information about video film files visit site at as well as business website at
Travel to Yunnan province, China
Travel to Yunnan province China, Yunnan China travel guide, Yunnan people's, Yunnan China travel vlog, travel to Sichuan and Yunnan
Travel Videos (SubscribeNow) ????
Yunnan (云南; Yúnnán) is a province in southern China, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam as well as the Chinese provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Tibet.
See in Yunnan, Kunming, China
=========================
Stone Forest
Guandu Old Town(官渡古镇）
Rice terrace near Yuanyang
Do in Yunnan, Kunming, China
========================
Hike the Mekong (Lancang) River
Soak in the hot spring waters at An'ning - 34 km from Kunming
Hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge
Swim in one of deepest and cleanest lakes of China - Fuxian lake by Yuxi
水 Wonder of Water - 村民拍摄的纪录片 Documentary Made by Villagers from Yunnan and Qinghai
水
Wonder of Water /Color/19min/DV/Chinese&English/2009
作者: 汪扎，藏族，云南省迪庆州香格里拉县小中甸镇吉沙村村民
Auther: Wangta, Tibetan, from Jisha Villag, Xiao Zhongdian Town, Shangri-La Country, Diqing Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
影片简介 Film Synopsis
他是来自香格里拉小中甸乡吉沙村的村民，除了在家务农，还开过大卡车跑运输。曾参加过由山水自然保护中心组织的乡村之眼-自然与文化影像记录培训班，用摄像机记录下了吉沙村所经历的几个重大环境灾害事件，有作品【吉沙纪事】。平时也经常用摄像机记录下村民们生活和节日的场景，并回放给村民们看。在本项目中完成的作品【水】，通过记录藏族人对水的各种仪式，看法，认识，用诗一般的手法表达了生活在云南的藏族人对水的观念。
Wangta is from Jisha Village of Xiao Zhongdian Town, Shangri-la country. Besides farming, he used to drive a huge truck to deliver cargos. He participated in the Eyes of the Village Nature and Culture Documentation Project Training Workship organized by Shan Shui Conversation Center, and then picked up a video camera to record several environmental disaster that took place in Jisha Village, which he later edited into a film titled Jisha Chronicles. He also likes to shoot daily life and festival ceremonies of Jisha Village, and share with community members his video clips. Through documenting various rites, views and understanding of water by Tibetan live in Yunnan, his work Wonder of Water tells about the views of Tibetans about water in a poetic manner.
＜コメント＞
全世界で議論している気候変動に対して、高原地帯で生きるチベット人たちはどのように考えるだろうか。自分たちの言葉（チベット語）でビデオによる記録をし、自分たちの答えを探すドキュメンタリー。
老人は言う「水は母と同じだ」
自然と人の営みの風景を見ていれば、言わずとも誰だって分かることだが、現代人が忘れてしまっている重要なことだ。
The old town of Lijiang (Yunnan - China)
(EN) Lijiang is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. It has an area of 21,219 square kilometres (8,193 sq mi) and a population of 1,244,7690 as of 2010 census whom 155,540 in built up area.
The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people, therefore people there are called 胖金哥 and 胖金妹 (male and female respectively).
Lijiang old town (including Dayan, Baisha and Shuhe) was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 4, 1997. Since then, the local government has taken more responsibility for the development and protection of the old city. Lijiang's tourism also boomed, and travellers from around the world flooded in; although many locals fear that due to much of the development, the old town of Lijiang will lose its appeal.
Recently, the government has started to develop additional old city sections adjacent to the site of the original old city. This is to accommodate the large number of tourists who walk the cobblestone streets (cars are not allowed in the old city), typically as part of package tours. Evenings in the old city can be particularly rowdy, not least due to the many outdoor bars, where boisterous groups of tourists try to outsing other groups.
Lijiang is also home to the Jade Water Village, a Dongba cultural centre and Lugu Lake, a lake which is a tourist attraction. (wikipedia)
VALPARD
Map for Yunnan trip :
Shangrila4 - Catholic church combines Tibetan & French cultures near Shangril
Church of Cizhong Village - during Palm Sunday 2014.
Raw excerpt during shooting of Art of the Photographer, with National Geographic master Mike Yamashita. A WorldBizWatch Production.
In the book Lost Horizon written by James Hilton, a French missionary comes to a beautiful land in the orient named Shangri-La. While there is a village hidden deeply in Diqing Prefecture, the so-called Shangri-La, where a French missionary came here 100 years ago, built up a church, planted grapes and teach local villagers to make wine. And Cizhong（茨中） is the name of this village.
With mainly gothic style, the church in Cizhong also combines Tibetan and Yunnan ethnic architectural styles. According to the father, this church was built in 1909. Among more than 1000 villagers, around 600 are Catholic, including Tibetans, Naxi people, Lisu people and Bai people. Other villagers believe in Tibetan Buddhism. Hence, it is quite common to see a church next to a Mani stones and one house with a cross on the roof adjoining a house with Tibetan prayer flags fluttering under the eave in this village.
It is said that the French missionary came to Cizhong and found the soil and climate conditions here were quite suitable for planting grapes. Therefore, he brought French grape seeds and the formula of making wine together with religion . Nowadays, every Cizhong family plants grapes and makes wine. What's more, a grand vineyard sits beside the church of Cizhong. Grape planted in Cizhong is Rose Honey which belongs to French Bordeaux and has been cultivated for more than 500 years. As time goes by, the Bordeaux grapes planted in France has variated. While Cizhong, a small and remote village in the orient keeps the original quality of the grapes instead.
Many thanks to our friends at Songtsam Lodges. Best guides and best hospitality in and around Shangrila!
Yunnan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:28 1 History
00:02:37 1.1 Prehistory
00:03:07 1.2 Pre-Nanzhao period
00:06:10 1.3 Nanzhao period
00:11:11 1.4 Dali Kingdom
00:12:15 1.5 Ming and Qing dynasties
00:14:43 1.6 Post-Imperial
00:16:26 1.7 Naturalists
00:17:40 2 Geography
00:18:48 2.1 Geology
00:20:06 2.2 Paleontology
00:20:24 2.3 Climate
00:21:52 2.4 Topography
00:23:30 2.5 Borders
00:24:21 2.6 Lakes
00:25:14 2.7 Rivers
00:26:52 2.8 Biodiversity
00:29:28 2.9 Designation
00:30:19 2.10 Natural resources
00:32:09 2.10.1 Drought
00:32:41 3 Scenic areas
00:32:51 3.1 National parks
00:33:12 3.2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
00:33:48 4 Governance
00:33:56 4.1 Administrative divisions
00:34:37 4.1.1 Urban areas
00:34:45 4.2 Politics
00:38:28 5 Demographics
00:38:37 5.1 Ethnicity
00:40:34 5.2 Languages
00:42:05 5.3 Literacy
00:42:41 5.4 Religion
00:44:22 6 Agriculture
00:47:14 7 Economy
00:52:59 7.1 Economic and Technological Development Zones
00:58:04 8 Education
01:00:37 9 Health
01:00:57 9.1 HIV-AIDS
01:01:09 10 Transport
01:01:18 10.1 Railways
01:03:55 10.2 Burma Road
01:05:29 10.3 Highways
01:07:34 10.3.1 Expressways
01:08:57 10.4 Waterways
01:09:57 10.5 Airports
01:10:55 10.6 Bridges
01:11:44 10.7 Metro
01:12:02 11 Culture
01:13:08 11.1 Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan
01:13:17 11.2 Cuisine
01:13:25 11.3 Tea
01:13:53 11.4 Music
01:14:01 11.5 Chinese medicine
01:14:22 11.6 Tourism
01:17:53 11.7 Places of interest
01:18:29 11.8 Sport
01:18:55 12 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
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Speaking Rate: 0.8348414740628904
Voice name: en-AU-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Yunnan (云南) is a province of China. Located in Southwest China, the province spans approximately 394,000 square kilometres (152,000 sq mi) and has a population of 47.368 million (as of 2015). The capital of the province is Kunming, formerly also known as Yunnan. The province borders the Chinese provinces Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as the countries Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.
Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast. Most of the population lives in the eastern part of the province. In the west, the altitude can vary from the mountain peaks to river valleys by as much as 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Yunnan is rich in natural resources and has the largest diversity of plant life in China. Of the approximately 30,000 species of higher plants in China, Yunnan has perhaps 17,000 or more. Yunnan's reserves of aluminium, lead, zinc and tin are the largest in China, and there are also major reserves of copper and nickel.
The Han Empire first recorded diplomatic relations with the province at the end of the 2nd century BC. It became the seat of a Sino-Tibetan-speaking kingdom of Nanzhao in the 8th century AD. Nanzhao was multi-ethnic, but the elite most-likely spoke a northern dialect of Yi. The Mongols conquered the region in the 13th century, followed by the Ming dynasty.
From the Yuan dynasty onward, the area was part of a central-government sponsored population movement towards the southwestern frontier, with two major waves of migrants arriving from Han-majority areas in northern and southeast China. As with other parts of China's southwest, Japanese occupation in the north during World War II forced another migration of Han people into the region. These two waves of migration contributed to Yunnan being one of the most ethnically diverse provinces of China, with ethnic minorities accounting for about 34 percent of its total population. Major ethnic groups include Yi, Bai, Hani, Zhuang, Dai and Miao.
Shangrila2 - Catholic church combines Tibetan & French cultures in Cizhong Village
Church of Cizhong Village - Peace be with you greetings during Palm Sunday 2014.
Raw excerpt during shooting of Art of the Photographer, with National Geographic master Mike Yamashita. A WorldBizWatch Production.
In the book Lost Horizon written by James Hilton, a French missionary comes to a beautiful land in the orient named Shangri-La. While there is a village hidden deeply in Diqing Prefecture, the so-called Shangri-La, where a French missionary came here 100 years ago, built up a church, planted grapes and teach local villagers to make wine. And Cizhong（茨中） is the name of this village.
With mainly gothic style, the church in Cizhong also combines Tibetan and Yunnan ethnic architectural styles. According to the father, this church was built in 1909. Among more than 1000 villagers, around 600 are Catholic, including Tibetans, Naxi people, Lisu people and Bai people. Other villagers believe in Tibetan Buddhism. Hence, it is quite common to see a church next to a Mani stones and one house with a cross on the roof adjoining a house with Tibetan prayer flags fluttering under the eave in this village.
It is said that the French missionary came to Cizhong and found the soil and climate conditions here were quite suitable for planting grapes. Therefore, he brought French grape seeds and the formula of making wine together with religion . Nowadays, every Cizhong family plants grapes and makes wine. What's more, a grand vineyard sits beside the church of Cizhong. Grape planted in Cizhong is Rose Honey which belongs to French Bordeaux and has been cultivated for more than 500 years. As time goes by, the Bordeaux grapes planted in France has variated. While Cizhong, a small and remote village in the orient keeps the original quality of the grapes instead.
Many thanks to our friends at Songtsam Lodges. Best guides and best hospitality in and around Shangrila!
Yunnan | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Yunnan
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Yunnan (云南) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country. It spans approximately 394,000 square kilometres (152,000 sq mi) and has a population of 45.7 million (as of 2009). The capital of the province is Kunming, formerly also known as Yunnan. The province borders the Chinese provinces Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the countries Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.
Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast. Most of the population lives in the eastern part of the province. In the west, the altitude can vary from the mountain peaks to river valleys as much as 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Yunnan is rich in natural resources and has the largest diversity of plant life in China. Of the approximately 30,000 species of higher plants in China, Yunnan has perhaps 17,000 or more. Yunnan's reserves of aluminium, lead, zinc and tin are the largest in China, and there are also major reserves of copper and nickel.
The Han Empire first recorded diplomatic relations with the province at the end of the 2nd century BC. It became the seat of a Sino-Tibetan-speaking kingdom of Nanzhao in the 8th century AD. Nanzhao was multi-ethnic, but the elite most-likely spoke a northern dialect of Yi. The Mongols conquered the region in the 13th century, with local control exercised by warlords until the 1930s. From the Yuan dynasty onward, the area was part of a central-government sponsored population movement towards the southwestern frontier, with two major waves of migrants arriving from Han-majority areas in northern and southeast China. As with other parts of China's southwest, Japanese occupation in the north during World War II forced another migration of majority Han people into the region. These two waves of migration contributed to Yunnan being one of the most ethnically diverse provinces of China, with ethnic minorities accounting for about 34 percent of its total population. Major ethnic groups include Yi, Bai, Hani, Zhuang, Dai and Miao.