Things to see and do Yunnan 云南

We understand why the name of the name is seen by the strange pond in the clear waters, but it is tinged with black because of the aquatic herbs that grow at the bottom. At the end of the pond, a beautiful arched bridge and a Chinese pavilion on water make up a beautiful array of mountains.

Kunming's most curious attraction is the stone forest, a fantastic rock chaos with strange shapes. Seen by far, these stone formations resemble a huge forest. It is a magical place, a true natural museum that is part of the world's largest karst formation. They stretch from the famous sugar breads of Guilin through Guizhou province to Kunming, which, here with its ruiniform relief, becomes the stone forest. It was originally part of the sea bottom, formed by calcareous layers shaped by a 270 million-year-old submarine erosion, which was deformations of the earth's crust to become this large set of stone columns.

The strange formations of this labyrinth of rocks of sometimes 30 m span over 27,000 ha. Only 80 hectares are open to tourists with trails arranged over 5 km. It's an age-old landscape, a maze of petrified shapes where it's easy to get lost if you get out of these paths in rock. In these landscapes of another planet with tiny peaks, small cellars, small ponds between columns and stone walls, rocks sometimes in unstable equilibrium, we have the strange feeling of walking in a maze of stones. Some Chinese pavilions built on raised points allow to kiss some of these rocks with bizarre shapes. China's imagination finds this to be a vagrant, and poetic and evocative names abound: the Epouse waiting for her husband, the Stone Bell, the Two Birds giving each other one to eat, the Stairs that climb into Heaven, the Phoex smooth his wing…

After the temple of Confucius, this is Jianshui's second main attraction. The residence was built by Zhu Weiqing and his brothers, the 31 st year of the Emperor Guangxu's dynasty under the Qing dynasty (late nineteenth century). The ensemble covers nearly 2 ha and consists of flags of different sizes, gardens and kiosks… Each flag embodies the typical Jianshui architecture. Even though the Zhu family gardens suffered some degradation during the Cultural Revolution, they retain all their authenticity. The last flag at the bottom of the garden has a very nice exhibition of photographs that tell the extraordinary story of the Zhu family.

Originally from the Hunan province, the Zhu family has been enriched by industry and trade by opening shops in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hong Kong. The Zhu were great notable notables in southern Yunnan. Both brothers, Zhu Chengzhang and Zhu Chengzao, purchased with their children several hectares in the city of Jianshui, where they began to build their residence. It took them thirty years to complete it completely. The Zhu brothers subsequently decided to invest in mines. In a few years, they became the most famous capitalists in the mining industry in southern China and their wealth continued to grow.

From 1903, the glorious fate of the Zhu family began to fail. In 1903, their mines were confiscated, and a decade later the two brothers were forced to flee, their shops being looted by bandits. In 1916, their property was seized because of their support to General Yuan Shikai. The city of Jianshui fell into the hands of the army, and the property of the Zhu was confiscated. In 1927, both brothers were imprisoned. The tragic fate of this family generated many polemics. Since 1999, the Zhu family gardens are open to visit: a walk that will plunge you into China's history and make you discover one of the country's best preserved traditional residences.

The Lamasery Monastery is the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. It is located about 5 km from Head centre, in the middle of the barley fields and mountains. If the price of the ticket is quite exorbitant, the place is beautiful and is worth a detour. During our passage, the main building was undergoing renovation. Already rebuilt for the first time in 1982, the structure was not robust enough and threatened to collapse. Around 500 monks occupy the scene today. During your visit, you will be prompted to cross several. They are very open, and it is easy to engage in conversation with them. Covered with sumptuous thangkas, the prayer room is impressive. The kitchen is visited, but it is accessible for men only… After visiting the building, we advise you to walk around the monastery. The sites are peaceful and the life of the village at the foot of the monastery seems to follow its ancestral course.

The rushing waters force a passage through these gorge of 17 km long and a difference of 196 m forming a series of falls. The gorges are divided into upper, medium and low gorges. The lowlands are the most frightening of the three. The width at some places above the precipice is only about metres away. Legend tells us that a hunted tiger escapes on the opposite shore by a big leap (hence name).

In bad weather, the Tiger gorges are deemed dangerous (and time is quite capricious in these mountains). Sometimes we have to wait several days for the return of the nice weather to go on expedition. Take a few days of margin in your travel schedule if you want to take trekking in the region.

Trekking in the gorge: Trekking is not necessarily difficult, but is still asking for essential precautions in mountains: do not leave alone, provide water and food, hot clothing, good walking shoes and flashlight. Count 2 good days of walking (about 8 hours walk per day) but you can of course stay longer…

Two hikes are offered, we recommend you take the oldest path known as the "24 turning trail trail". The most adventurous, from Qiaotou to join Daju, will successively cross the villages of Nuoyu, then Yacha, Yongsheng, Bendiwan and finally Dabai. You will be able to admire on your road great rapids. For those who are not fans of hiking, you will be able to take a tour of the sea by bus (approximately 250 RMB). Des take you to discover the landscape!
The gorges are accessible from Qiaotou or Daju. You have to take the bus.

For Qiaotou, buses leave Lijiang in the morning and early afternoon (about 15 RMB).

For Daju, take a bus directly at Lijiang long distance station (approximately 4 hours drive - 30 RMB).

You can also reach Head (several buses per day).

The church built in 1927 reflects the colonial past of the city. They were former French missionaries who erected the building.

On the other side of the lake compared to Dali, this market is the most authentic of the lake, because the least frequented by tourists. The inhabitants of the surrounding mountains «garent» their horses at the entrance to the market, the hens and pigs run between the legs of the traders, and the general agitation becomes a festival of colors when the different ethnic minorities mix in mid-morning. Most of the guest houses organize departures to Wase, including boat crossing, for 50 RMB.

In a sumptuous setting, the hot springs of land as by magic. A little diving? You would be wrong to deprive you of it. Some sources are too hot so you can put a foot on it. A place where you can relax! Accommodation opportunities on site.

The park offers a beautiful walk in the middle of pines and ginkgos, far from urban turmoil. It houses the temple of Laifeng, a small Buddhist building to discover.

A village located 8 km north of Lijiang, where many frescoes were painted by artists Naxi and Tibetan during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). A Naxi orchestra occurs in the first Glazed tile temple building (琉璃殿, liuli convex). In front of the entrance, the main fresco represents the unity of the different religions: the group of characters from the top is Tibetan Buddhism, that of the middle embodied Taoism and the bottom, Han Buddhism. The whole is centered around a representation of Sakyamuni.

The part of the village located in the immediate vicinity of the temple is overrun by the merchants of souvenirs. There is also a cultural centre (entrance: 10 RMB) to the very limited interest if it is the pleasure of a cup of tea in the yard. On the other hand, the rest of the village remained very authentic by its architecture and atmosphere.

It opened its doors in 1999. The park has in fact just made it possible to pay access to ancient villages and temples, whose poor inhabitants certainly did not expect to become tourist attractions!

Just under 10 km south of Luxi, the thermal Springs of Fapa attract many visitors every year. The opportunity to allow a relaxing afternoon around a relaxing bath!

In the south of Kunming, the Dian Lake covers a surface area of 340 km ². By its size, it is the 6 ^th freshwater lake in China. As it is located in a plain surrounded by mountains, the Chinese say it's the "bright pearl of the plateau." Surrounded by hills covered with pines, bushes, bamboo and peach, the lake is a pleasant walk. When it is fine, water is crystal clear, when it makes the wind, waves to the white foam rise. In the vicinity of the lake there are different monuments such as:

the Contemplation of Contemplation (Daguan Lou),

the temple of the Majestic Pavilion (Huating Si),

The Temple of Supreme Splendour (Taihua If).

The ascent of the West Mountains offers superb views over the Dian lake and Kunming city. Unfortunately, the region bordering the south-west of the lake is highly industrialized and the clarity of the water is beginning to feel it.

In this slightly tristounet garden, some pavilions and a taoist monastery dominate the pond. There is also a tea house. A 5-minute walk is the Kunming Botanical Garden, where you can admire more than 40 species of camellias in the province of Yunnan.

Erhai Lake stretches over 250 km ² and is one of the largest lakes in the country. You can take a cruise on the lake, take 3 to 4 hours of walking. The walk is an opportunity to learn more about the lives of fishermen on the shores of the lake or on the islands of Jinsuo and Bustling. The lucky ones may have the opportunity to see some fishing for cormorants, an ancestral tradition that is gradually losing. Beware, the place is sometimes caught by hordes of tourists…

It is larger than that of Wase, but is also the best known tourist, which takes a little of its charm. The curious ones will be happy to see that everything is found on this market.

Animals (live or dead), antiques, local crafts and a few stalls that propose you to nibble local specialities! The advertised prices are very high, divide them by two or three and negotiate firmly!

This complex is less impressive than the main one, but it has an unquestionable advantage, the vast majority of tourists do not pass. So it's an opportunity to walk in a stone forest without every corner of amateur photographers and noisy tourist groups.

In the Pleine forest, bungalows have been set up in height and connected between them by hanging galleries. They serve as an ideal observation point to try to see a few rare elephant herds or other animals such as macaques, white collar bats or wild horse. It is possible to spend the night on the site. A garden with Butterflies and Birds has also emerged in this protected nature reserve since 1996.