The epicenter was monitored at 11 km deep, the center said.
No casualties have been reported so far, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Yunnan is prone to earthquakes.
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Ludian in the northeast of Yunnan on August 3 killed more than 600 people.
On October 7, a 6.6-magnitude quake jolted Jinggu county, also in Yunnan Province, which killed one person and injured over 300 others.