Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau in the context of Southwest China

Sichuan, previously romanized as Szechwan or Szechuan, is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Chengdu, and its population stands at 83 million. Sichuan neighbors Qinghai and Gansu to the north, Shaanxi and Chongqing to the east, Guizhou and Yunnan to the south, and Tibet to the west.

During antiquity, Sichuan was home to the kingdoms of Ba and Shu until their incorporation by the Qin. During the Three Kingdoms era (220–280), Liu Bei's state of Shu was based in Sichuan. The area was devastated in the 17th century by Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion and the area's subsequent Manchu conquest. However, the area recovered to become one of China's most productive by the 19th century. During World War II, Chongqing served as the temporary capital of the Republic of China, and was heavily bombed. It was one of the last mainland areas captured by the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War, and was divided into four parts from 1949 to 1952, with Chongqing restored two years later. It suffered gravely during the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) but remained China's most-populous province until Chongqing was again separated from it in 1997.

Lijiang (Chinese: 丽江), formerly romanized as Likiang, is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. It has an area of 21,219 square kilometres (8,193 sq mi) and had a population of 1,253,878 at the 2020 census whom 288,787 lived in the built-up area (metro) made of Gucheng District. By the end of 2024, the registered population of the city was 1,243,700.Lijiang is famous for its UNESCO Heritage Site, the Old Town of Lijiang, which contains a mixture of different historical architecture styles and a complex, ancient water-supply system. and borders Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Panzhihua City in Sichuan Province to the east. It has one municipality and four counties.

Lijiang City is located on the Yungui Plateau, abutting the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is one of the key forest areas in Yunnan Province, and one of the west–east power transmission bases of China's hydropower industry. Lijiang City is a multi-ethnic settlement: apart from the Han nationality, there are a total of 22 ethnic minorities.

Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also a major tourism centre in China. It is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" for its year-round mild climate. During World War II, Kunming was a Chinese military center and the location of the headquarters for the US Army Forces China-Burma-British Raj. Wujiaba Airport served as the home of the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers. Kunming was also a transport terminus for the Burma Road.

Kunming is at an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,234 feet) above sea level and a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer, and is situated in the middle of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. Kunming is the fourth–most populous city in Western China, after Chongqing, Chengdu, and Xi'an, and the third–most populous city in Southwestern China after Chongqing and Chengdu. As of the 2020 census, Kunming had a total population of 8,460,088 inhabitants, of whom 5,604,310 lived in its built-up (or metro) area made of all urban districts except Jinning.At the end of 2024, the resident population of the city was 8.687 million. It is at the northern edge of Dian Lake, surrounded by temples and lakes and karst topography.

The Hengduan Mountains (simplified Chinese: 横断山脉; traditional Chinese: 橫斷山脈; pinyin: Héngduàn Shānmài) are a group of mountain ranges in southwest China that connect the southeast portions of the Tibetan Plateau with the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. The Hengduan Mountains are primarily large north-south mountain ranges that effectively separate lowlands in northern Myanmar from the lowlands of the Sichuan Basin. These ranges are characterized by significant vertical relief originating from the Indian subcontinent's collision with the Eurasian Plate, and further carved out by the major rivers draining the eastern Tibetan Plateau. These rivers, the Yangtze, Mekong, and Salween, are recognized today as the Three Parallel Rivers UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hengduan Mountains cover much of western present-day Sichuan province as well as the northwestern portions of Yunnan, the easternmost section of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and touching upon parts of southern Qinghai. Additionally, some parts of eastern Kachin State in neighbouring Myanmar are considered part of the Hengduan group. The Hengduan Mountains are approximately 900 kilometres (560 mi) long, stretching from 33°N to 25°N. Depending on extent of the definition, the Hengduan Mountains are also approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) wide under the narrowest definition, ranging from 98°E to 102°E. The area covered by these ranges roughly corresponds with the Tibetan region known as Kham.

Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. It is centrally located within the province, on the eastern part of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and sits on the north bank of the Nanming River, a tributary of the Wu River. The city is situated at an elevation of approximately 1,100 meters (3,600 ft) and covers an area of 8,034 square kilometers (3,102 sq mi). According to the 2020 census, Guiyang had a total population of 5,987,018, with 4,506,134 lived in its six urban districts.

Guiyang has a humid subtropical climate and is surrounded by mountains and forests. The area has been inhabited since at least the Spring and Autumn period and officially became the provincial capital in 1413, during the Ming dynasty. The city is home to a significant Miao and Bouyei ethnic minority population.