Shibaoshan Song Festival

China's biggest holiday. In the run-up, Kunming's Dounan Flower Market 斗南花市 sells armfuls of blooms for the home, families gather on New Year's Eve for a reunion dinner, and in the first days of the year temples such as Yuantong Temple 圆通寺 fill with people burning incense for luck. Warm Xishuangbanna and the old towns of Dali and Lijiang are favorite holiday escapes for families from across China.

How to join: Visit a temple on the first or second morning of the year, walk a flower market, or ask to share a family's reunion dinner. Book trains and rooms well ahead: this is the busiest travel period of the year and prices climb sharply.

Etiquette: Wish people 'xin nian kuai le' (Happy New Year) and avoid talk of death or illness. Many small restaurants and shops close for the first three days.

Yunnan has hundreds of rhododendron species, and in spring whole hillsides turn pink, red and white. The bloom climbs with altitude: Zixi Mountain 紫溪山 near Chuxiong flowers from April, the upper slopes of Cangshan above Dali follow, and the meadows and forests around Shangri-La, including Pudacuo National Park 普达措, peak from late May into June.

How to join: Walk rather than just stopping at a viewpoint: the Cangshan cable car takes you up to the high slopes, and the Pudacuo boardwalks pass through rhododendron forest. Bring rain gear, as the rainy season starts in June.

Etiquette: Don't pick flowers or break branches.

A market fair with more than a thousand years of history, held on the slopes below Cangshan just west of Dali Old Town. For a week, stalls sell herbs, tea, tools and crafts, alongside horse races, Bai and Yi song and dance and plenty of street food.

How to join: Walk up from the old town's west side to the Third Month Street area and the racecourse; the opening ceremony is on the first morning and the market runs all day. In 2027 it ends just before the May Day holiday; mornings are the calmest time.

Etiquette: Watch your bags in the crowds, and ask before photographing traders or performers in costume.