YUNNANKWEICHOW PLATEAU,

Wade-Giles romanization Yn-nankuei-chou Kao-yan, Pinyin Yunnanguizhou Gaoyuan, also called Kweichow, or Yunkwei, Plateau, highland region comprising the northern part of Yunnan province and the western part of Kweichow province, China. Yunnan is more distinctly a plateau with areas of rolling uplands, precipitous folded and fault-block mountain ranges, and deep, river-cut gorges. About 6,000 feet (2,000 m) in elevation, the Yunnan part has mountain peaks of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m) in the west. In the Kweichow part, with an average elevation of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m), karst processes have created sinks, ravines, natural bridges, and underground streams in the limestone landscape. Much bare rock is exposed in steep slopes, and there are few large areas of level land. Within the plateau there are many small lake basins separated by mountains, and the edge of the plateau is highly dissected. Basins in the K'un-ming area (Yunnan) are the most developed farming regions on the plateau. The Stone Pinnacles of Lu-nan in Yunnan is a tourist attraction.