Exploration and discovery at Yunnan's Erhai Lake

"Geology gives but geology also takes" — a very true statement, but particularly so for northwestern Yunnan. The area boasts some of the the finest, most dramatic scenery in China, but it has been produced at a cost that includes serious consequences. Yunnan is influenced by the same natural forces that created the Himalayan peaks and ranges of Tibet. Throughout geological history, via a process known as plate tectonics, what is today's Indian subcontinent has been moving very gradually northward. Each shift — often accompanied by earthquakes or tremors — pushes up, folds or fractures the land. In northwest Yunnan three great rivers, the Nu, Lancang and Jinsha, have gouged out deep gorges along such geological ruptures.

Dali, my personal "Heaven on Earth", occupies a stunning location between 4000-meter-high Cangshan Mountain and the shimmering waters of Erhai Lake. That lake has fascinated me since my first sighting in 1995, travelling by bus from Xiaguan or New Dali to Dali's walled ancient city.