Founded in 960 AD before Yunnan province was even part of China, Yuxi has sometimes been called "one of the fastest growing small cities in China." Yuxi is "small", which is a rare adjective used to describe any city in China, the population is mainly composed of ethinic minorities which give the place a unique cultural flavor. Although little known to foreign travellers, Yuxi is nice, scenic surprise with rolling hills, the lake and lush nature. One little fun fact is that the composer of China's National Anthem, Nie Er, came from Yuxi.

Smokers will be happy to know that Yuxi is the home of the Hongta cigarette company, named in honor of the Red Pagoda that is perched on a hill overlooking the city. During the Cultural Revolution the color of the pagoda was changed from white to red. The area is ideal for growing quality tobacco due to the 2,300 hours of sunlight a year, fertile soil, and sufficient rain during the summer months. In addition to tobacco, this region also grows of vast amounts of fruit and vegetables and most recently, wine.

Close to the city of Yuxi is Fuxian Lake, famous for being the second-deepest lake in China. The Yuxi Museum has a display of fossils discovered in the lake that is worth checking out.

Also worth mentioning is the lovely Fin du Monde Cafe on Small Temple Street Xiao Miao Jie, which is a good place to get advice about what is happening in the area. The owners speak English and it's generally a useful hub of information.

Fossil evidence discovered in the nearby Fuxian Lake provides proof that life existed in Yuxi long, long ago. Yuxi was founded in 960 AD before Yunnan province was part of China. 

The traditional folk festival of Han in Yuxi used to be a religious procession in New Year. It is held annually from January 1st to 25th by Chinese lunar calendar. The festival, also called Rice Noodle Festival or Lamp Festival, gets its name due to the traditional activities of eating rice noodle, performing traditional opera with lamps as props on that day. The superstitious customs no longer exist, but the tradition of hosting daughter and son-in-laws along with relatives and friends for dinner and rice noodle has been passed on through the generations. 

The region is fairly quiet when it comes to the history books - not having been involved in noteable politcs, wars or conflicts. Perhaps the most exciting incident that occured here was the with pagada being painted red during the Cultural Revolution.

Many ethnic minorities live in the region carrying on their own traditions while farming in this small, agricultural city.