The city covers 45,385 square kilometers (an area roughly three times the size of Beijing and seven times bigger than Shanghai) which is home to 14 minorities and five ethnic groups, who make up over 60 percent of the population and offer a rich array of intangible cultural heritage such as Dongba calligraphy, Bai tie-dyeing, Yi embroidery and Dai palm-leaf scripture carving. It's also the habitat of 5,600 indigenous species of plants and 1,600 native mammals.

Situated on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, the show pays homage to the city's tea heritage which began in the Tang-Song period (618-1279) and peaked during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

For centuries, horse-drawn caravans transported and sold tea from Pu'er down to Vietnam, and specific roads developed into key cultural and trade paths for the minorities of Southwest China.