As a specific region most abundant in bamboo species and their natural forests i n the world, China's Yunnan Province harbors over 250 bamboo species belongin g to 28 genera in its 331 000?hm\+2 of bamboo forests,thus forming a unique macro\| ba ckground of its ecotourist landscape resources.Not only is it acknowledged as on e of the original places and modern distribution centers of bamboo by scientists ,but it is a region with diverse ethnical and bamboo cultures nurtured out of th e peculiar ethnical customs and wide bamboo utilization of its 26 nationalities. Based on the analyses of the ornamental bamboo and its value in landscape resour ces,5 aesthetic characteristics are microscopically and morphologically approach ed as a material base of the formation of bamboo culture.By reexamining the macr o\|background of the specific natural and humanity landscape,4 categories are de scribed as fundamental macro\|landscape resources of Yunnan's bamboo culture eco tourism.After researching the ethnical ecological ethics and cultural symbolism, 3 typical ethnical traditions are summarized as traditional ecological awareness ,and 3 cultural features of bamboo are revealed as essence of ethnical bamboo cu lture preserved in Yunnan.Borrowing some theories from the new economic developm ent,innovation and successful ecotourist management experience at home and abroa d with wide academic vision,the authors have synthetically studied the substanti al,conceptual and symbolic landscapes in a broad field involving bamboo science, ethnology,ecology,ecoeconomics and tourist management.A preliminary theory of e thnical bamboo culture is thus constructed,and its peculiarities are briefly dis cussed while the correlation between ethnical bamboo culture and the natural res ources,other cultures as well as ecotourist development are systematically analy zed to lay a solid theoretical foundation and reliable scientific basis for ecoe conomy\|oriented forestry,cultural economics and ecotourist practice.Accordingly ,3 primary strat
