Vacation in Kunming China with Asian Vacations, Inc.

KUNMING ATTRACTIONS

Black Dragon Pool

The front entrance of the Lower Temple and the Upper Temple Black Dragon Pool is situated at the foot of Longquan Hill in the northern outskirts of Kunming, 17km from the downtown area. Surrounded by towering old trees and bamboo groves, the pool has never dried up even in the years of drought. Legend goes that there used to be ten violently destructive dragons doing wrong in the world. About 750 AD, Lu Dongbin, a famous Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), suppressed nine dragons and left the tenth, a black dragon, remaining in the pool. Hence the name Black Dragon Pool. Black Dragon Pool, which came into being in 1394, is divided into two parts by a stone bridge. The color of the water in the south pool is green and in the north, yellow. Although the water of these two parts meet each other, fish in one pool never visits the other one. There are two Taoist temples in Black Dragon Pool, the lower one is Black Dragon Palace and the upper Longquan Temple. (They are also simply called the Upper and the Lower Temples.) The Black Dragon Palace was first built in 1394 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). Enshrined in the temple are the Dragon King, god and goddess of thunder, god of rain and god of wind. Built in a two-courtyard structure, it provides a quiet and comfortable place for relaxation. Longquan Temple is a restored Ming dynasty temple, which used to be the largest Daoist (Taoist) center in southwest China. The temple, perched on a hillside overlooking the pool, is built on three levels. The first contains many famous ancient trees in its courtyards, in which a Tang Dynasty plum tree, over 1,000 years old, is the most famous one. The second level building now serves as an art gallery and the top level is a restored temple building. Main buildings in Longquan Temple include Thunder-Lightning-Deity Hall, the Hall of the North Pole, Sanqing Hall, the Hall of the Jade Emperor and some other halls for worshipping Daoist immortals. Besides, the Black Dragon Pool owns the greatest plum garden in China, in which over 87 kinds of plums were planted.

Yuantong Temple

Yuantong Temple is the biggest Buddhist shrine in Kunming. It was originally built over 1,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). After two restorations and expansions in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), the temple took on its present appearance, with covered corridors, bridges and grand halls. This old Temple is famous for its unusual structure, which is high at the front and low at the back. From the front archway named "Yuantong Shengjing" (Wonderland), one has a view of the entire garden. Behind a haze of smoke created by all the incense that worshippers leave burning, a majestic octagonal temple pavilion, elegantly furnished and infused with a tone of antiquity, sits in the middle of a big pond with stone bridges in front and behind. Inside the pavilion there is a golden statue of Buddha, and to the north is the splendid main hall in the style of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD). Entwining the two central pillars inside the hall are two giant flying dragons carved in the Ming Dynasty. The blue and yellow dragons face each other as if they were ready to fight. On both sides of the hall are covered corridors running alongside the clear water pool. The stone staircases on both sides of the main hall are carved out of the cliff and are known as the "Caizhilu." From here one can climb to the top of the mountain. Beside the path are the most ancient inscriptions in Kunming. The characters are still clear today in spite of suffering from centuries of wind and rain. They are one of the most important historical relics of Kunming. Behind the main hall are two caves, the "Yougu" and "Chaoying". The caves wind far into the mysterious depths of the mountain, and, according to local legend, were once the home of dragons. In the Yuan Dynasty, a monk named Juezhao built a temple beside the cliff to placate the troublesome dragons. When the temple was destroyed, he built a terrace on which he could perform his magic arts to subdue the dragons and conjure them away.

Yunnan Stone Forest
The Stone Forest lies about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming. It has long been one of the most famous scenic spots in China (at least since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD)) A geological phenomenon, the Stone Forest was a vast expanse of sea during the Paleozoic era - some 270 million years ago. Later, the movement of tectonic plates altered the earth's crust, causing the sea to recede and its limestone bottom to appear, thereby forming land. Due to the constant seeping of rain through the cracks in the limestone, some of the stone formation dissolved and the fissures broadened, producing a group of great sculptures of different shapes, all molded by nature. In the midst of the forest, there is a huge rock screen on which two words "Stone Forest" are engraved in official script (in a calligraphic style typical of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)). Among the scenic sights is the "Sword Peak Pond" with jadeite-colored water so clear that one can see the bottom of the pond. Other astonishing sights include "Figure of Ashima," "Shi Ba Xiang Song" (its name originating in the Chinese love story, "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai"), and "Lotus Peak." The splendor of the Stone Forest is enhanced by the local customs of the native Sani people (who are part of the Yi minority). Sani people are industrious and hospitable--and unconstrained. Sani women are expert at spinning, weaving, and embroidering. They like to wear rainbow-colored headgear and bright-colored dresses. The young people especially are very good singers and dancers. Every day at sunset, under the moonlight, boys and girls gather at the village platform. While the boys play the three-stringed plucked instruments, the girls clap their hands and dance the strong-rhythmic traditional "A'Xi (Ah-shi) Dance in the Moon" with great enthusiasm. If you happen to witness the event, you will be invited to join in the festivity. Note that every lunar year, on June 24th, the Sani people celebrate their national festival--the Torch Festival. On that day, the entire Stone Forest is permeated with a celebratory atmosphere. There are traditional performances of wrestling and bull-fighting. Finally, when the land is enveloped in the curtain of night, the young men (holding torches in their hands) run after the young women to propose marriage in the light of colored lanterns.

Qiongzhu Si
Qiongzhu Si (Bamboo Temple) is a much-restored Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) temple, revered as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism in Yunnan. The temple is located 8 miles northwest of Kunming. During its last major reconstruction in the late 19th Century, some 500 life-size arhats were molded and colored. The arhats are quite spectacular

Dianchi Lake and Daguan Park
The Dianchi Lake is the largest lake in Yunnan Province and the eighth largest lake in China. (It is 370 sq. km in area, 44m in depth, and 1,885m in altitude.) Its nickname is "Sparkling Pearl Imbedded in a Highland," and it was the model for the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in Beijing. It is a working lake, and traditional junks still sail the lake, the men laying the lines to hook the fish that is their livelihood. At the same time, the lake is a pleasant destination for those wishing to get away from the bustle of the city itself. At the lake's northern tip, Daguan Park (also known as Grand View Park) is within walking distance of the Western Mountains. Its tower is inscribed with poetry in praise of the lake's beauty. (The inscription is said to contain the longest antithetical couplet in China!)

Yunnan Ethnic Villages
Yunnan Ethnic Villages, 4 miles south of Kunming, is bordered on the south by the Dianchi Lake and on the west by the Western Mountains Forest Reserve. This is a theme park of sorts--an ethnographic display of the architecture and ways of life of Yunnan's minority population. Each of the 26 ethnic minorities has a village built on the premises. There is also a central square to symbolize unity among the various ethnic groups. In addition, there is a theater for the performance of ethnic songs and dances, a folklore museum, and a museum of ethnic waxworks.

Golden Temple
Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, just northeast of Kunming, is a national forest reserve and scenic resort. The Golden Temple itself sits atop the Mingfeng Mountain. The temple is 6.7m high and 7.8m wide; it is cast of 250 tons of solid bronze, making it the largest bronze hall in China. In and around the beautiful natural landscape of the park are man-made gardens and sites of historical interest. The 1999 International Horticultural Exposition took place here.

Western Mountains Forest Reserve
Overlooking the Dianchi Lake and nestled in the Western Mountains of Huating, Taihua, and Luohan are several temples, each with its own history and each with a fantastic view of the lake below. The entire mountain chain extends for more than 40km at an altitude of 7,500 ft above sea level. This colossal natural forest reserve is crisscrossed by gurgling brooks and streams, and birds warble and flutter among the fragrant flowers. Viewed from the southeast corner of Kunming, the entire forest reserve looks like a beautiful maiden reclining by the Dianchi Lake, her long hair shimmering across the crystal clear water; hence the nickname of "Sleeping Beauty" to describe the Western Mountains Forest Reserve.