1-day Kunming Tour

A peaceful winding pathway among the flourishing forests will lead you to the mysterious Huating Temple that is one of the grander Buddhist Temples in the region with a history of over 900 years. The repairs and reconstruction make the Huating Temple more attractive and shinning.

An ancient bell tower towers in to the sky with most part hiding among the bamboo groves, which is the most outstanding symbol of the Huating Temple and the sound of which at every evening makes the temple more peaceful. In addition, the Great Hall, Heavenly Hall and Guanyin Tower, Yuhua Terrace and some other ancient buildings of characteristic antique styles bring more charms and attractiveness for your expedition.

Around the Huating Temple, picturesque landscapes are common scenes. Towering old trees are flourishing, running streams are clear, steep cliffs are mysterious and even the clouds over the skies are amazingly wonderful. Inside the temple, ancient architectures are magnificent, statuses of Buddha are shinning and invaluable historic relics are marvelous. All of the scenes out and inside the temple make a peaceful and charming place for tourists and pilgrims.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 18:00

Ticket Price: 40 CNY

Location: in the western suburban of Kunming City

Transportation: Bus No. 6 from Kunming city center will bring you here.

 

Around the magnificent Grand View Pavilion (Daguanlou), one of the top ten pavilions in China, picturesque sceneries will make you have no idea about with which part I should take photos. The flourishing trees provides a good resort to kill the heat in summer, next to which the well-designed fantastic rockeries, the gorgeous pavilions, the mini bridge over the rushing clear stream and the antique style corridors are so awesome that tourists may feel reluctant to leave.

For the entire view of the beautiful Tien Lake, Grand View Pavilion is a good choice. Built in the year of 1828, the wooden Grand View Pavilion shows a strong antique flavor of Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). For the people who have passion for the Chinese couplets, the longest couplet in the history of China with 180 Chinese characters must be a feast of eyes. Besides, there are three stone pavilions in the lake in front of the tower, which were built following the sight Three Pool Reflecting the Moon in the West Lake.

On the night of The Mid-Autumn Festival, it is customary for people in the town to flock here to enjoy the beauty of the moon and flowers. On that night one can see the lake shimmering like silver, the pavilion's flying cornices silhouetted against the star-lit sky, the trees and arbours looming in the shadows while the flowers are shedding their aroma in the moonlight. The pavilion itself is decorated with colorful illuminations. The whole place is indeed a most enchanting sight.

Opening Hours: 8:30 -- 19:30

Ticket Price:
10 CNY for the park
2 CNY for the Grand View Pavilion

Location: No. 72, Daguan Road, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. 4, 22, 52, 95 and 100 and taxi (15 CNY) will bring you here.

Covering a vast area of 9,000,000 m2, the Yunnan Ethnic Village consists of 26 minorities of various amazing characteristics. Surrounded by the West Hills, Grand View Park and many other picturesque landscapes, Ethnic Village provides a good resort for your expedition.

Along each part of this big village, the well-arranged small villages are of different flavors, among which the cottages are designed lovely true to the real. Traveling along the villages, you will fall in love with the colorful and amazing culture, customs and religious principles in daily life. In addition, rushing streams and winding pathway linking the villages and the gorgeous corridors and pavilions decorating the peaceful villages are the hiding sceneries. By comparison, the trees along the steams and the flowers over the villages are adorably charming no matter when you travel here.

If your tour schedule falls on the folk festivals, it will be pretty funny and exciting. March Street Festival celebrated by Bai minority on 15th of lunar March, Water-sprinkling Festival celebrated by Dai minority on 13th of lunar April, Torch Festival celebrated by Yi minority on 24th of lunar June, Sword-ladder Climbing Festival celebrated by Lisu minority on 8th of the lunar February and many other local festivals in memory of various great people or events will bring you into a different experience of local customs.

Of course, the characteristic entertainments, such as the elephant performance, the cableways, the entertainments on water, the self-help pottery making and the flavorful local dishes and snacks from different minorities, which will make your tour among the harmonious villages more interesting and amazing.

Opening Hours: 8:30 -- 17:30

Ticket Price:
70 CNY from 8:00 -- 18:00
50 CNY after 19:00 at evening
Half fare for the individual student
Free for the kids below 1.1 m, the disable, the people older than 65 years

Location: No. 1310, Dianchi Road, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. A1, 24 and 44 and taxi (15 CNY from the city center) will bring you here.
 

With waters embracing and green trees relaying, the miniature of Dai village covers an area of 18,000 m2. The typical architecture style, stilt-style buildings (Diaojiaolou), is the most outstanding part, the A-letter-like roof of which is a reflection of the local rainy climate. The winding cobble pathways will show you around the splendid white pagoda, the gorgeous wind-rain bridge, the ancient well and the clock tower, all of which are of rice and colorful customs of Dai minority.

Meanwhile, the Dai people have their own rich cultural heritages. The myths, ancient songs, the heroic epic and the narrative poems are indeed their cherished cultural heritages they can be proud of. One of the well-known characteristics is the pavane (peacock dance), that has been enjoying a long reputation at home and abroad. The Dai people treat the peacock as a symbol of the luck, happiness and kind-heart, so they can perform the pavane vividly.

When we talk about the Dai, people always think of the water-sprinkling festival, which is held in the middle of lunar April. It is said that the one who is sprinkled more water will be more lucky and happier. On that day, people will worship the Buddha as well. In addition, the firm religious belief in Buddhism of all the people and the special wedding are the attractive elements as well.

All the fascinating sceneries and customs above can be got here in the miniature village of Dai.

Opening Hours: 8:30 -- 17:30

Ticket Price:
70 CNY from 8:00 -- 18:00
50 CNY after 19:00 at evening
Half fare for the individual student
Free for the kids below 1.1 m, the disable, the people older than 65 years

Location: No. 1310, Dianchi Road, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. A1, 24 and 44 and taxi (15 CNY from the city center) will bring you here.
 

Living in the beautifully decorated houses, the Bai people has been leading a colorful life with so many great traditions. In addition, the traditional folk handiworks, tie-dyeing, is another amazing art of the Bai Minority, which is a combination of the antique style and the modern flavor. People come here, expect for the pure ancient cultures, are all for the sophisticated handiworks.

Houses with blue-tile roves and grey-coated walls row in lines orderly like a comb. A closer look will show you how exquisite the designs are, how precious the building materials are and how pretty the decorations are. Inside the houses, well-designed screen walls, delicate windows and doors with carvings of various kinds on can be commonly seen in the miniature village.

The Bai village is famous for its Butterfly Museum, which is the biggest of its kind in China. The museum is a typical Bai construction, which is comprised of rooms and residences on three sides and a wall on the southern side. The southern wall is typically decorated quite beautifully with an ornate flower bed. Part of the reason for this architecture is that Dali (where a majority of Bais live) is a windy town, where the wind, while not very strong, blows all year round.

If your tour schedule falls on the folk festivals, it will be pretty funny and exciting for you will get the chance of taking part in the celebrations of the March Street Festival celebrated on 15th of lunar March and Torch Festival celebrated on 24th of lunar June and other interesting events.

Opening Hours: 8:30 -- 17:30

Ticket Price:
70 CNY from 8:00 -- 18:00
50 CNY after 19:00 at evening
Half fare for the individual student
Free for the kids below 1.1 m, the disable, the people older than 65 years

Location: No. 1310, Dianchi Road, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. A1, 24 and 44 and taxi (15 CNY from the city center) will bring you here.

Unlike the Bai people who lives in the beautifully decorated houses, the Yi people lives in the simple sheds whose walls are made of the earth and straws. Every family has a characteristic kitchen that is like the fireplace in the western family, which can be used to cook, to light and to warm in winter, so it is the place where the Yi people get together often and where the cultures of Yi passed down from generation to generation.

The "Sun Calendar Square" (Taiyangli Guangchang) must be the most spectacular sight of the village, where there is a sundial with twelve animals denoting the time of the day (as well as the year of your birth). Interestingly, the solar calendar of the Yi people divides a year into five seasons and each season is divided into two months. Therefore, in the Yi solar calendar there are only 10 months and 360 days a year.

If your tour schedule falls on the folk festivals, it will be pretty funny and exciting for you will get the chance of taking part in the celebrations of the Torch Festival celebrated on 24th of lunar June and other such interesting events as horse race, wrestling and god-worship ceremony.

Opening Hours: 8:30 -- 17:30

Ticket Price:
70 CNY from 8:00 -- 18:00
50 CNY after 19:00 at evening
Half fare for the individual student
Free for the kids below 1.1 m, the disable, the people older than 65 years

Location: No. 1310, Dianchi Road, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. A1, 24 and 44 and taxi (15 CNY from the city center) will bring you here.

Praised as the first resort, the Black Dragon Pool (Heilongtan) possesses four amazingly spectacular scenes. The two gorgeous ancient plum trees planted by a celebrated monk in Tang Dynasty (618-907) are still attractive and the newly planted plum grove with 6,000 plum trees adds a lot charms to them. The 28-meter-tall cypress that has been standing here for 900 years since Song Dynasty (960-1234) wins great admirations. The flourishing teas with blooming red flowers and the magnificent ancient tomb built in Ming Dynasty (1364-1644) are the other two spectacles that make here shinning.

Tow important buildings complexes in the Black Dragon Pool are the Dragon Spring Temple (Longquan Temple) and Black Dragon Palace. Longquan Temple, the largest structure in the park, was first built along the pool early in the Han Dynasty. Most of the buildings visitors see today were completed during the Qing Dynasty. The Black Dragon Palace is at the bank of the pool, which is where memorial ceremonies were once held. This palace was built in the Ming Dynasty, around 700 years ago. It consists of three halls and two courtyards.

In front of the two temples, visitors will find ancient huge ancient trees, namely a plum tree, a cypress tree and a camellia tree. The three ancient trees add even more charm to that attraction. The plum tree was planted over 1,200 years ago in the Tang Dynasty. The branches of the tree spread out in all the directions its roots twisting crisscrossed. The cypress tree, planted in the Song Dynasty, is a bit younger. The tree trunk takes four-five man to circle with their arms stretched out. The third tree is a camellia tree grew in the Ming Dynasty.

Opening Hours: 7:00 -- 18:00

Ticket Price: 20 CNY

Location: in north suburban area, Panlong Zone, Kunming

Transportation: Bus No. 9, 84, 114,115, 129 and 168 will bring you here.

A winding road spiral up to the peak of the Yuan Mountain will lead you to the mysterious Bamboo Temple. Along the road, you will be lost at the beautiful landscapes. From the peak, you can have a bird’s view of the beautiful Tien Lake and the entire view of Kunming City. Among the flourishing forests, the ancient temples are laying peacefully under the shadows of the bamboo with the streams circling and the clouds lingering around.

Bamboo Temple (Qiongzhu Si), a Tang Dynasty temple known for its Arhat statues, is located in Yu'an Mountains in the Northwest of Kunming, about 7 Kilometers away from the center of the city. It is arguably the most famous of Kunming's temples. Bamboo Temple was first built in the Song Dynasty, and was burnt down in 1419 in the Ming Dynasty.

Arhats are famous monks and "saints" of Chinese Buddhism, usually displayed in large groups of 500 or more. The Arhats of the Bamboo Temple were made over a period of seven years by a famous craftsman from Sichuan called Li Guangxiu. His masterpieces are extremely realistic and lifelike, even if some of the statues are a bit surreal.

On each side of the temple gate stand four ancient Cypress trees, planted during the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. Entering the temple, the first thing visitors notice is the carefully designed courtyard, spread over four layers, one on top of another. The Main Hall contains a trinity of enormous gilded Buddha statues seated on lotus thrones.

The magnificent painted sculptures group of 500 Arhats in the mysterious ancient temple surrounded by the flourishing bamboo groves must be the reason why this temple is so attractive.

Opening Hours: 7:00 -- 18:00

Ticket Price: 10 CNY

Location: Wuhua Zone, Kunming City

Transportation: Bus No. 7 and tour bus from the Kunming Theater will bring you here.