The long history, many minority nationalities and the unique natural resources of Kunming help make the city rich and colorful, filled with historical and cultural relics as well as exquisite natural beauty.

The Stone Forest, one of the city's most famous sights, came into being about 270 million years ago. It is filled with wonderful fairy tales as well as the colorful folk customs of the Sani minority group. On the way to the Stone Forest lies the Jiuxiang Scenic Area, a pleasant spot to split up your journey.

Lake Dian is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the nation. Alongside is the famous Yunan Nationalities Village. This spot is filled with colorful ethnic customs, residences, and singing and dancing, as well as beautiful mountains, clear water and elegant gardens. The Western Hills Forest Park is also located near the lake bank, and in the park itself stands an exquisite Dragon Gate suspended between the blue sky and the dangerous steep cliffs.

The Daguan Tower Park, is renowned for the long couplet with inscription of 180 Chinese characters by Sun Ranwong, a poet in the Qing Dynasty. There are also many cultural attractions in Kunming leftover from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among these, the most popular and well known are the Bamboo Temple, the Yuantong Temple, and the Golden Palace.

Bamboo Temple (Qiongzhu Si)

Bamboo Temple (Qiongzhu Si), a Tang Dynasty temple known for its Arhat statues, is arguably the most famous of Kunming's temples. 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.

The temple is located on the Yu'an Mountain, about 15 km from the center of Kunming. 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.

Two hours should be sufficient time to visit the temple.

Dadieshui Waterfall (Dadieshui Pubu)

Dadieshui Waterfall (Dadieshui Pubu), is one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in China. The water rushes down over a 30 meter wide section of cliff at 150 cubic meters per second down 88 meters to the rocks. When the water hits the rocks below, the water splashes into the sinking mist.

An hour or two at the waterfall should be enough to enjoy the surrounding scenery.

How to get there: It is about 30 km southwest of Lunan County, where the Stone Forest is located. After visiting the Stone Forest, many travelers might then visit the waterfall in the afternoon. In Lunan, there are many minibuses to the Dadieshui Waterfall for RMB5. (Lunan County is about 95km from Kunming. See the Stone Forest for more information.)

Dian Lake (Dianchi)

Dian Lake (Dianchi), the sixth largest freshwater lake in China, also known as Kunming Lake or Kunming Pond (Kunmingchi), was formed by the subsidence of a fault zone.

The lake and the area around the lake is regarded as the center of Kunming's attractions. Around the lake are a fair number of interesting sights©onamely several smaller parks, resorts and the "Yunnan Nationalities Village".

There are many leisure boats available for touring the lake. It is located 10 km from the city and covers a total area of 198 square kilometers. The Lake covers a vast area in Southwest Kunming, the beauty of the lake can be appreciated from Daguan Tower, the Western Hill Park, or the "Yunnan Nationalities' Village".

Expo Garden

Although Expo '99 ended in October 1999, the Expo '99 Garden (Shiboyuan) now serves as a permanent gardening center in Kunming. The garden is now divided into the China Hall, the International Hall, the "Man and Nature" Hall, the Science and Technology Hall and the Greenhouse. The China Hall is composed of 34 sections according to China's provinces and regions, while the International Hall is comprised of 30 sections. As an international botanical garden incorporating educational and recreational activities in one location, the Expo '99 has emerged as a significant Kunming landmark. We recommend you spend at least a half a day in this lovely world class garden.

Golden Temple Park (Jindian Gongyuan)

The most interesting attractions in the Golden Temple Park (Jindian Gongyuan) are the Taihe Palace (Taihegong) and the Golden Temple (Jindian).

Taihe Temple is the most important and active Taoist temple in Yunnan. Atop the front gate, is a large horizontal board inscribed with the Chinese saying "Ying Wu Chun Shen", meaning "Spring abounds on Yingwu Mountain" (the site of the park).

The Ming Dynasty Golden Temple is the most unique and well known structure in the park. It, like Taihe Temple, is a Taoist temple. However, the special thing about Jindian is the architecture. The walls, sixteen pillars, rafters, roof tiles, altar, statues, altar-hanging, the horizontal inscribed board, the table and even the banner on the right in front of the temple are all made from bronze. The whole temple weighs more than 280 tons, making it not only one of the four largest bronze temples in China, but also the heaviest and best preserved.

Grand View Park (Daguan Gongyuan)

Grand View Park (Daguan Gongyuan) sits on the northern shores of the Dian Lake. Completed in 1690 during the Qing Dynasty, the park consists of hills, ponds, pavilions and rockeries in a style similar to that of the gardens of the Yangtze River Delta.

The Grand View Tower (Daguanlou) itself offers great views of Dian Lake. It is also inscribed with an 180 character poem describing the beauty and history of the area. This poem is the longest of its kind in Chinese literature. The construction of the Tower is that of a typical well-preserved wooden pagoda.

Green Lake Park (Cuihu Gongyuan)

Green Lake Park (Cuihu Gongyuan) is one of the most picturesque parks in downtown Kunming. In November and December every winter, huge flocks of red-beaked gulls migrate here from Siberia.

Around the park, there are also many excellent bars and restaurants. Since the park is the only one that stays open until 10PM, it is an ideal place for enjoying some Kunming nightlife. Of course, at any other time, the park is always worth a stroll.

Jiuxiang

Jiuxiang is a major Kunming tourist attraction famous for its limestone caves. In fact, this wonderful spot even has an underground waterfall and a breathtaking gorge.

"The Field of the Gods" is one of the cave's main attractions. Water flows down from a hole in the cave here and is split into two at the spot where it falls.

Local people liken the two spurts of water to a husband and wife and have crafted a story to describe the sight. Outside the cave is a 700 meter long gorge, covered on both sides by thick vegetation and trees. We recommend spending at least three hours to enjoy this sight to the full.