There’s been a lot of talk about Yunnan province here on the blog lately, and for good reason – I recently finished up a year of living, working, and traveling there. I’ve been a lot of great places across China in my half a decade here, but none has captured my imagination and inspired me quite as much as Yunnan. Maybe it’s something in the rice noodles, maybe it’s the postcard-worthy landscapes, maybe it’s the fascinating ethnic minority culture, or maybe it’s just the countless epic nights out in Kunming. Whatever it is, Yunnan truly is a special place and one that I would encourage everyone to visit. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In that case, this post will give you 20,000 reasons to check it out. I’ll leave it up to you to come up with that many words, but in the interest of keeping things short and sweet I’ll give you the pictures and 20 reasons to visit Yunnan:

1. You’ll really feel like you are “South of the Clouds.”

2. The food is the bomb.

3. “Just another afternoon in the park” is anything but.

4. Experience the uniqueness of China’s ethnic minority groups, many of whom live here.

5. Landscapes like these are the norm.

6. Visit caves with lazer light shows.

7. Local village taxis are pretty awesome.

8. Hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

9. Bike rides are just better here.

10. Watch a Naxi orchestra jam out.

11. Camping music festivals are here to stay.

12. Join in the most epic water fight ever.

13. Sunsets on Erhai Lake in Dali.

14. Shangri-la is an actual place here.

15. Grocery shopping with mom is exciting.

16. You’ll gain a new appreciation for rice.

17. This is what a short Saturday walk looks like.

18. Watch the Chinese version of the Kentucky Derby.

19. Kunming’s tight-knit live music scene.

20. Where else can you buy a bag of weed and fresh fruit while looking at these views?

There are a million more reasons to start planning your trip to Yunnan, but hopefully that’s enough to get the ball rolling. If there isn’t enough time on your China itinerary to squeeze in a visit here, then change it. Trust me – you’ll be glad you did.