* Around the third century BC, the central area of Yunnan around present day Kunming was known as Dian. The Chu general Zhuang Qiao entered the region from the upper Yangtze River and set himself up as "King of Dian".
* In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified China and extended his authority south. Commanderies and counties were established in Yunnan.
* In 109 BC, Emperor Wu sent General Guo Chang south to Yunnan, establishing Yizhou commandery and 24 subordinate counties. Another county was called "Yunnan", probably the first use of the name.
* In 738, the kingdom of Nanzhao was established in Yunnan by Piluoge , who was confirmed by the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty as king of Yunnan.
* In 937, Duan Siping overthrew the Nanzhao and established the Kingdom of Dali. The kingdom was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1253. Yunnan and Hunan were main bases for Mongol military operations in Indo-China.
* In 1894, George Ernest Morrison, an Australian correspondent for The Times, travelled from Beijing to British-occupied Burma via Yunnan. His book, An Australian in China, details his experiences.
* Yunnan was transformed enormously by the events of the war against Japan, which caused many east coast refugees and industrial establishments to relocate to the province.
