Kunming, located at the heart of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, is the capital of Yunnan Province. Encircled by mountains and adjoining the highland Dianchi Lake in the south, Kunming is a city of picturesque landscapes. It has no scorching summer, nor freezing winter. Flowers bloom in a riot of color and plants flourish all year round, thus giving Kunming another name¡X'Spring City'. Kunming's highland scenery is alluring, its karst land formation bewitching. Its people are known for their varied and exotic customs. Its land is dotted with historical artifacts and other places of cultural interest.

The Horticultural Garden (World Horti-Expo Garden) was built in Kunming, in the province of Yunnan, the capital of southwest China Yunnan. The garden was built to foster a social awareness of the harmonious existence between man and nature and to share with everyone a collection of the world's greatest natural treasures. The World Horti-Expo Garden is the venue for what will be the last global gardening event of twentieth century, the China '99 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition (Expo '99) held from 1st of May to 31st of Oct., 1999.

Jiuxiang Caves is a state class scenic spot, 90 kilometers from Kunming city or 22 kilometers north from the Stone Forest. Jiuxiang mainly features karst caves, fused with natural landscapes and human sights and national customs and conventions. Here are nearly 100 large and small karst caves, one of the largest cave groups in China. It is dubbed as a cave museum for its complete range and styles.

The Stone Forest lies about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming. It has long been one of the most famous scenic spots in China (at least since the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 AD) A geological phenomenon, the Stone Forest was a vast expanse of sea during the Paleozoic era--some 270 million years ago. Later, the movement of tectonic plates altered the earth's crust, causing the sea to recede and its limestone bottom to appear, thereby forming land. Due to the constant seeping of rain through the cracks in the limestone, some of the stone formation dissolved and the fissures broadened, producing a group of great sculptures of different shapes, all molded by nature.

Dragon Gate (Longmen) is a certain gorge on a river flanked by precipices and with a natural dam. If carps swimming upstream could jump over the dam, they would become dragons. The houses of powerful dignitaries were often compared to dragon gates; if a man could manage to be a guest in these houses, his future would be ensured. Longmen is the general name for 'Three Purity Tower and Longmen Cave'. Three Purity Tower is a cluster of buildings made up of 11 pavilions laid out in nine tiers, including Sanqing Realm, Lingguan Hall and Zhenwu Hall. The Longmen Cave includes Lake Viewing Platform, Ciyun Cave, Yunhua Cave and Datian Pavilion. It is the biggest and most exquisitely built stone cave of Taoism. Work started in the 46th year of the reign of Emperor Qian Long or in 1781 and it did not complete until 1853 or in the third year of the reign of Emperor Xian Feng of the Qing Dynasty, taking 72 years to a day. It is in the list of relics for top priority protection in Yunnan Province. A Chinese saying goes: 'Once you ascend Longmen, you would receive a sudden boost in your prestige'.