Yunnan Ethnic Villages, four miles south of Kunming, is bordered on the south by the Dianchi Lake and on the west by the Western Mountains Forest Reserve. This is a theme park of sorts--an ethnographic display of the architecture and ways of life of Yunnan's minority population.

Each of the 26 ethnic minorities has a village built on the premises. There is also a central square to symbolize unity among the various ethnic groups. In addition, there is a theater for the performance of ethnic songs and dances, a folklore museum, and a museum of ethnic waxworks.