Yunnan, "The South of Clouds", is a mysterious inland province, located in the southwest China. It is the intersectional area from east Himalayan Region to Indochina Peninsula. The mystery of Yunnan is due to its geographical complexity, biological and cultural diversity, as well as the dynamic interaction between man and nature. Twenty five indigenous ethnic groups have been engaged in a range of livelihood strategies, hunting and gathering, shifting cultivation, grazing, terracing, paddy agriculture, homegarden and fishing for centuries in the mountain environment. Vernacular geo-architecture is one of the expressions of such interaction between indigenous people and their mountainous environment, which reflects their historical cultural adaptation to environment, ecosystems as well as the socioeconomic circumstances in Yunnan. It is a historical evolution between man and nature, which consists in a wide range of architectural heritages, that have been constructed using renewable and ecologically non-detrimental resources such as earth, wood, bamboo and other building raw materials. The “Design of the Yunnan Eco-Cultural Compound” is a multidisciplinary participatory process to rebuild the biological and cultural diversity, taking into account the geophysical complexity and dynamic process between the material and social interactions in Yunnan province. We, as botanist, ecologist, anthropologist, sociologist, horticulturist and architect, gather together not only to construct our “utopia” but also — and it should be more important— to lay the foundations for a future strong partnership. Modernization, in a state of transition to market economy and in the globalization context, is often suspected of having negative impacts on indigenous cultures and the diverse landscapes. We, however, think modernization is an opportunity not only for rehabilitation of indigenous cultures but also —a nd it is the most important — for innovations and recreation of cultures.Culture is an innovative and dynamic process. The exercise is also to enhance the ability of local decision-makers, architecture planners and research professionals to strengthen our evolving cultural traditions while we find out an innovative approach to work together. The idea of the Design of the Yunnan Eco- Cultural Compound is to establish a permanent training center, a research and management institution to train a multi- disciplinary personnel implicated in the cultural plurality and biodiversity conservation, an ecocultural forum for policy dialogue and international cooperation, an information center for biodiversity monitoring and the sustainable use of biological resources in Yunnan, southwest of China.