Colette Fu 傅三三

Literally translating as South of the Clouds, Yunnan is China’s most southwestern Province, sharing borders with Tibet, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam. With snow-capped mountains to the Northwest, and tropical rainforests to the South, Yunnan is rich in natural resources and has the largest diversity of plant life in China. This diversity extends it its population as well.25 of the 55 minority tribes of China reside in Yunnan and comprise only 8% of the nation’s population, with the Han representing the majority. My mother is a member of the Black Yi tribe of Da Liang Shan (Greater Cooler Mountains) which shares borders with Sichuan Province.

I first went to Yunnan Province to teach English at Yunnan Nationalities University in the capital Kunming. It was during this 3 year stay that I learned about my ancestry and started taking pictures.