Yunnan Provincial Museum

This Kunming museum celebrates the extraordinary ethnic diversity of Yunnan, a mountainous province bordering Southeast Asia. Its collections are strongest in the bronzes of the ancient Dian kingdom, whose lively cast figures depict warfare, farming and ritual around drum-shaped cowrie containers. Galleries also survey the costumes, crafts and beliefs of the province's many minority peoples. The copper-toned building near Dianchi Lake reflects the region's long tradition of metalworking.