The history of Yunnan Astronomical Observatory can be traced back to the Japanese invasion of China during War Word II. In 1938, the Astronomical Institute of the Academia Sinica moved to Phoenix Hill (the present site of Yunnan Observatory) to the east of Kunming in Yunnan province. Following victory over Japan, the Astronomical Institute moved back to Nanjing, but an observing station was left at Phoenix Hill to continue working, because of the good astronomical observing conditions at the site. In 1972 the Yunnan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was formally established with the approval of the National Planning Committee of China. In 2001 the National Astronomical Observatories was formed, with Yunnan Observatory, Beijing Observatory, Urumqi Observatory, Changchun Observatory and Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology. Yunnan Astronomical Observatory now consists of three observing stations: the Phoenix Hill site, Lijiang station and Fuxian-Lake solar observing station. The observatory currently has about 180 members, including research scientists, post-doctoral fellows, engineers, and technical and administrative staff.