Top 10 Things to Do in Kunming

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Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province in southwestern China, is known as a spring city because the four seasons there are all like spring. Due to the fine weather, Kunming city is not only regarded as a great summer resort, but also an excellent winter resort. With fresh air, warm sunshine and blue sky, Kunming attractions millions of tourists to come every year. To visit the fantastic Stone Forest, explore the local flower and bird market, taste the special Pu’er tea, experience the colorful ethnic cultures in the Ethnic Village…there are many things to in Kunming. Let’s check the detailed information about the top 10 attractions in Kunming.

1. Stone Forest

Stone Forest, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, is the most famous attraction in Kunming. Located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County to the southwest of Kunming city, Stone Forest is 90 kilometers away from the downtown area.

Stone Forest, also named as the best in the world wonders, is a karst landform with the longest development evolution history, the most wide distribution area, the complete categories and the unique shapes. In Stone Forest Scenic Area, the stones stand with various unique shapes. Some are like horses; some are like peacocks; some are like elephants; others are like rhinos. All the stones are the works of art made by the nature. You can observe these stones carefully and describe their shape with your free imagination.

Stone Forest

2. Dianchi Lake

Dianchi Lake, also known as Kunming Lake, is the biggest freshwater lake in Kunming and the sixth biggest freshwater lake in China. When you tour Dianchi Lake, you can walk along the scenic road on the east shore of Dianchi. The scenery along this road is very beautiful. In winter, the locals usually go to Dianchi Lake to feed black-headed gulls. Since the water in the Dianchi Lake is very clean, the lake meets the sky and they blend into one in the distance.

There are two ways to tour Dianchi Lake. One is by boat; the other is by cable car. The boat ticket is RMB 80 per person. It takes about 1 hour to visit Dianchi Lake by boat. The cable car ticket is RMB80 per person for a round trip. If you want to appreciate the whole view of Dianchi Lake, you may choose to take a cable car to get to the top of the Western Hills. The full view of Dianchi Lake is extremely unique and beautiful.

Tien Lake

3. Western Hills

The rolling Western Hills stand opposite to Jinma Mountain. Due to the appearance of the Western Hills is like a sleeping Buddha, Western Hills is also named as Wofo Mountain. Looked at the hills from a far distance, Western Hills is also like a young girl lying along the shore of Dianchi Lake. Western Hills is adjacent to Dianchi Lake and the scenery is magnificent. It is a great place for mountain trekking. While hiking along the plank road, you can see many temples and pavilions buit on the surface of cliffs, and enjoy the panorama view of Dianchi Lake at the top of the Western Hills.

Western Hill and Dragon Gate

4. Flower and Bird Market

The local Flower and Bird Market is a good place to spend a half day tour. Located in the business district of the center Kunming, the Flower and Bird Market can represent the urban life most in Kunming. There is a wide variety of flowers, birds, fish, insects, antiques, jewelries and handicrafts sold in the market. Over your head is Kunming's old room. You can hear authentic Kunming dialect and crispy birdsong echoing in the market. There are also some delicious local foods and snacks provided on the street, such as Rice Noodle, Erkuai and Baba. When you are tired of walking around, you can just find a snack store on the street to enjoy these delicious foods.

Plants Sold in Flower and Bird Market

5. Yuantong Temple

Situated on the Yuantong Street in Kunming, Yuantong Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Kunming. It has a history of more than 1200 years. Meanwhile, it is also the biggest temple in Kunming. It was originally built in the Tang Dynasty and its original name was Butuoluo temple. In the Ming Dynasty, Yuantong Temple was expanded. On the top of the hill, a new palace was built. In the Qing Dynasty, Yuantong Temple was rebuilt for many times. Yuantong Temple is made up of Buddhist halls of the Mahayana Buddhism (also known as North Buddhism), Theravada Buddhism (also known as Hinayana Buddhism) and Tibetan Buddhism (also known as Lamaism). Therefore, you can visit Buddhist halls of these three sects at the same time. Now, Yuantong Temple is an important Buddhist culture resort and tourist attraction in Kunming. It also has a high reputation in Southeast Asia.

Yuantong Temple

6. Ethnic Village

The Yunnan Ethnic Village is located near Dianchi Lake. As a national AAAA level scenic spot, Ethnic Village serves as an important role to show travelers the customs and culture of the 25 minorities in Yunnan. The traditional villages of the 25 minorities are distributed in the Ethnic Village here and there. These well-ranged villages are all of different characteristics and styles. Besides the beautiful scenery in the Ethnic Village, you can also enjoy colorful folklore performances there. In addition, you can taste special snacks and buy Yunnan traditional folk crafts and civil arts in the Ethnic Village. There are also some minorities’ festivals celebrated in the Ethnic Village, such as the Third Month Fair of the Bai Nationality, the Water-Sprinkling Festival of the Dai Nationality, the Torch Festival of the Yi Nationality and the Sanduo Festival of the Naxi Nationality.

Ethnic Village

7. Pu’er Tea

Pu’er Tea is one of the special products in Yunnan. As a kind of after-fermentation tea, Pu’er tea is good for health. It is famous for its health care functions, such as reducing blood lipids, weight loss, anti-microbes and anti-cancer. When you visit Kunming, it is a special and great experience to taste Pu’er tea and appreciate Pu’er Tea Ceremony at Pu’er teahouses.

Pu’er Tea

8. Kunming Museum

Located in the eastern section of Tuodong Road, Kunming, Yunnan Province, Kunming Museum covers an area of 20,000 square meters and is a comprehensive museum (a national third-class museum). Kunming Museum has been open since 29 September, 1997. The location of Kunming Museum is the former site of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple. Therefore, Kunming Museum is also called as Sutra Pillar of the Ksitigarbha Temple. There are many different kinds of exhibitions in Kunming Museum, such as Bronze Culture Collection Exhibition, Sutra Pillar of the Ksitigarbha Temple Exhibition, Dinosaur Fossils Exhibition, Kunming Flying Tigers Memorial Hall, Fan Boutique Exhibition, Porcelain Boutique Exhibition, etc. Kunming Museum also has 3 mobile exhibition halls where there are various exhibitions held from time to time.

Kunming Museum

9. Dongchuan Red Land

Located in northeast Yunnan Province of China, Red Land in Dongchuan is 250 kilometers away from Kunming downtown. Its average elevation is about 2600 meters above sea level. Red Land in Dongchuan is formed due to the iron and aluminum components in the soil are oxidized in the warm and humid environment. Dongchuan Red Land in is one of the most magnificent red land in the world.

The best time to visit Dongchuan Red Land is from April to May when the wheat matures, from September to October when rape flowers are in full bloom and from February to March when snow that has not melted completely.

Red Land in Dongchuan

10. Chestwood Park

Chestwood Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Kunming. Since 1985, there have been many black-headed gulls flying to Chestwood Park of Kunming from Siberia in winter. These black-headed gulls are one of the highlights which attract many tourists to visit Chestwood Park. The whole Chestwood Park Scenic Area is divided into five parts by Ruan Causeway and Tang Causeway. Chestwood Park opens to the public for free. Chestwood Park is located in the downtown area. It is very convenient for tourists to get there by bus or by taxi.

Chestwood Park