Kunming, which is situated in central Yunnan and north of the Dianchi Basin, is skirted on three sides by mountains, with one side opening onto the Dianchi Lake. The city is nicknamed "City of Spring" due to the fact that it is covered all the year round with the rich verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city's 15,000 square kilometres of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers.
Kunming is world-famous for its abundance of camellias, orchids, azaleas and Primula malacoides , which can be found in the Kunming Botanical Garden, where 4,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants grow profusely. Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in southwest China.
In ancient times it was an important gateway to the celebrated Silk Road which conducted to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India.
The city's highland scenery is alluring, its karst landform is bewitching. Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and customs, and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of cultural interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. Among the major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake, the Cuihu Lake, the Village of Ethnic Culture, the Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, the Western Mountain Forest Reserve, the Stone Forest, the Jiuxiang Scenic Belt, the Yuantong Mountain, the Grand View Pavilion, and the Qiongzhu Temple.
The Stone Forest
The Stone Forest is situated in the Lunan Yu Autonomous County 126 kilometers southeast of Kunming. A typical karst formation, the Stone Forest covers an area of more than three hundred square kilometres. Kunming is nicknamed City of Spring due to the fact that it is covered all year round with the rich verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city's 15,000 square kilometres of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers.
The Stone Forest dates to the Ming Dynasty and is consider by some to be the First Wonder of the World.
Scientific research has shown that what is now the Stone Forest was 270 million years ago an immense expanse of water with a vast stretch of limestone sediment formed over the years on the seafloor. As a result of the crustal movement, the seabed rose gradually and a large piece of land thus came into being.
Exposed to rains and winds, eroded by the elements, the limestone ranges were shaped by time. About 200 million vears ago numerous stone peaks, pillars, and stalagmites rose abruptly from the ground and towered into the sky, extending now as far as the eye can see, looking like a vast forest of stone.
Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone - Forest and Naigu Stone Forest, all of which feature stones in various formations. Animals, plants, and even human figures can be found here. Some are elegant, some are rugged, and each is lifelike with its own distinguishing characteristics.
Subterranean Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave - an underground stone forest distributed among several caves and occupying a total area of about three square kilometers (720 acres).
Strange Wind Cave - composed of Penfeng Cave, Hongxi Spring and an underground river. From August to November, gales lasting two to three minutes sweep out of the cave every 30 minutes.
Long Lake is a karsts lake that is three kilometers (two miles) long but only 300 meters (zero point two miles) wide. The lake features underwater stalagmites and stalactites and a small island in the center of the water.
Golden Temple
Golden Temple, located on Mingfeng Hill, 11km northeast of Kunming, is also known as Taihe Palace (the Hall of Supreme Harmony) and Tongwa Temple (the Bronze Tile Temple).
The temple was originally built in 1604 during the Ming dynasty. Chen Yongbin, the governor of Yunnan at the time, launched the construction to honor the Daoist hero-god Zishi, who was supposed to live at the northern extremity of the universe. They built a copper temple to represent his palace there, which gleam like gold under sunlight. Hence the name.
After three decades, the temple was transported intact to Mt. Jizu, and later in 1670, a new temple, designed by Wu Sangui, was cast to replace the former one. However the temple was destroyed during the Yunnan Muslim rebellion in the mid-19 century.
Built in 1890 with 250 tons of solid bronze, the present temple, 6.7 meters in height and 7.8 meters in width, is reputed as the largest bronze hall in China. Except staircases and balustrades, which are made of marble, the walls, columns, rafters, roof-tiles, altars, Buddha statues, wall decorations, even the banner near the gate tower, were all made of copper.
In the Golden Temple is still preserved a double-edged sword with the pattern of the Big Dipper on it, which weighs more than 20 kilograms and is thought to be a magic weapon of Zhen Wu, a Daoist deity, to guard the hill.
With natural scenery mingled with sites of historical interest, here became a large scenic resort in Kunming.
Dianchi Lake
The Dianchi Lake, 370 square kilometres in area, 44 metres in depth, and 1,885 metres in altitude, is the eighth largest lake in China and the largest in Yunnan Province. For its exceptional charms the lake is nicknamed " Sparkling Pearl Imbedded in a Highland " . Its shores are strewn with scenic spots and places of folklores.
Sailing on the lake, with the boat swaying gently on a vast expanse of liquid silver, proves to be a most enchanting experience. At night, the moon casts a gauzy veil over the lake, and the silence of the scene is broken only by the soughing of a refreshing breeze.
Daguan Park
Daguan Park, Known for its longest antithetical couplet in China, is found within a walking distance from the Western Hills. It shares the same Dianchi lake water with the Western Hills, which are on the opposite side, the total area, including water and land, is approximate 60 ha.
Bamboo Temple
On the Yuan Hill and about 12 km northwest of Kunming is Bamboo Temple. It was the first temple built after Zen Buddhist was introduced to Yunnan early in 1279 when a Buddhist Master gave a Buddhist sutra to Hubelei Han (the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty).
The present Bamboo temple was rebuilt in the Guangxu Era (1833 to 1890).The group sculpture of five hundred arhats colored and molded by Li Guangxiu, a great sculptor from Sichuan and his disciples.
Dragon Gate
Built on the steep rock hills, the carved stone " Dragon Gate " consists of the major part, which was cut from the 46th year of Qianlong Era (178l) to the third year of Xianfeng Time in the Qing Dynasty. No tourist can but be astonished at such elegant carving on such precipitous hills.
On March 3, every lunar year, hundreds of Kunming people crowd up to the hills for celebrating their traditional distinguished gathering called " Spring Touring " , dancing and singing on the green western hills.
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