Flower and Bird Market

Situated in the downtown area of Kunming, the Flower and Bird Market is a place no nature-loving tourist should miss. A multitude of shops and stores stand along the long and narrow street, displaying a huge variety of flowers, birds, pets and fish.

The flowers on show here include camellias, orchids, yulan magnolia, lilies, jasmine, roses, Chinese flowering crabapples, osmanthus, chrysanthemum, plum, and winter jasmine. There are also various kinds of rare plants like yew podocarpus and arhat bamboo. Apart from these, different seeds and fertilizers can also be found more..

type:	Other attractions
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Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool)

Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool) is located at the base of the Wulao Peak of the Dragon Spring Hill, in the northern suburbs of Kunming. There is an ancient temple known as the "Number One Ancient Temple in central Yunnan", which is famous for its four unique features including the Temple of the Han nationality, Plum of the Tang Dynasty, Cypress of the Song Dynasty and Tea of the Ming Dynasty.

According to history, there was a black water temple in the northwestern part of the Dianchi County during the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that the Dragon King of Yunnan - the Black more..

type:	Temples
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Stone Forest

Located in Lunan County, 86 km southeast of Kunming, the Stone Forest is known as "the First Wonder of the World" for its natural landscape and a collection of stone pillars that resemble trees. As the local saying goes, "It is wasted trip if you visit Kunming without going to the Stone Forest ".

Wandering through the Stone Forest, one is surrounded by a sea of stone statues. Sculptures such as the "Figure of Ashima", the "Shi Ba Xiang Song" (from the Chinese love story "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai") and the "Lotus Peak", are intriguing, whilst works such as the "Single more..

type:	Around Kunming
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Grand View Park/Daguan Park

The Grand View Park, or Daguan Park, lies within walking distance from the Western Hill. Covering an area of 60 hectares, the Park boasts some brilliant landscapes, and also houses the Dianchi Lake.

type:	Parks & Gardens
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Cuihu Park

This park around the Cuihu or Green Lake is near Yuantong Temple. Among the locals, it's a favorite place for Sunday afternoon walks. There are also occasional performances of Chinese operas. In the early morning or before dawn you can meet old and young practising Taiji, swords play, dancing or singing. Why not take a rest of the buzzle of town in one of the outdoor teahouses and enjoy local culture? Each year in late October hundreds of seagulls from the north crowd the lake to spend winter here.

type:	Parks & Gardens
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Yunnan Provincial Museum

Artifacts excavated from tombs around Lake Dian are the main exhibits of the museum. Besides that the dresses of Yunnan's minority nationalities are on display.

type:	general
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address:	Wuyi Lu
openinghours:	Closed on Sunday

Nationalities Villages of Yunnan

Yunnan Ethnic Villages, a huge theme park, is currently under construction. It is situated six kilometers south of Kunming, between the Dianchi Lake to the south and the Western Mountains Scenic Area to the west. The famous historical and cultural city of Kunming lies to the north of the village.

Each of the 26 ethnic groups in Yunnan will build a village on the premises. A village square will be constructed, to symbolize the unity among the various ethnic groups, as well as a theater for live performances of ethnic songs and dances.

The Villages will also house a more..

type:	Around Kunming
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Yuantong Temple (yuantong si)

The temple is the biggest Buddhist building in Kunming. It is said that the the temple is more than 1,000 years old. However, what can be seen today is much newer. The temple has undergone repeated renovation. In some shops closeby you can purchase all kinds of buddhist devotionalia and incence and you find a vegetarian restaurant. Vincent Osinga: Against the backdrop of the hill of Kunming Zoo (not recommended for animal lovers) this temple is pretty cool. Old trees, small lakes. Nice environment.

type:	Temples
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openinghours:	8 am - 5 pm

Bamboo Temple (qiongzhu si)

The temple was originally build during the Tang dynasty and restored several times. 500 Luohans and lots of other clay figures will inspire your fantasy. Vincent Osinga: I found that one of the main attractions (but you can't take a picture) are the hundreds of wooden buddha statues! Look for all kinds of statues, some surfing on the waves, some with brows of two meters other driving tigers or turtles down the waves.

type:	Temples
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address:	12 km NW of Kunming

Dianchi Lake

The Dianchi Lake is the eighth largest lake in China and the largest in the Yunnan Province, covering an area of 370 square kilometers in area. Because of its majestic size and beauty, the lake is also known as the "Sparkling Pearl Imbedded in a Highland ". Gliding across the lake in a boat makes one feel like they are moving across a vast expanse of liquid silver, and it is an enchanting experience, to say the least. At night, when the moon casts a veil over the lake, only the gentle breeze breaks the silence of the scene.

type:	Around Kunming
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Yunnan Provincial Museum

Artifacts excavated from tombs around Lake Dian are the main exhibits of the museum. Besides that the dresses of Yunnan's minority nationalities are on display.

Alu Ancient Cave

Located 200 kilometers southeast of Kunming, the Alu Ancient Caves is an amazing natural labyrinth formed over a 100 million years ago. The area was originally covered by sea and became a landmass during the formation of the earth's crust. As a result, the rich calcium deposits from the sea turned into lime. Rainwater containing carbon dioxide eroded the lime and formed numerous holes and fractures. Over the time, these holes and fractures expanded, and through millions of years of weathering, they finally turned into caves and passages of varied shapes. More than 3,000 more..

Zheng He Park

Located in Kunyang of Jinning County, Zheng He Park is 60 kilometers south of Kunming. The park, built in 1980, covers an area of 250 hectares. It is a memorial garden built in honor of Zheng He, the great navigator of the Ming Dynasty.

Upon entering the park, there are relief sculptures on both sides of the gate called "The Seven Navigations to the West by Zheng He". Standing firmly in front of a ship, the imposing figure of Zheng leads a large fleet of ships to the West. Other sculptures depict the life of Zheng He and his outstanding achievements. Within the park, more..

Black Dragon Pool Plum Garden

The Black Dragon Pool Plum Garden, which is the largest plum garden (about 28.4 hectares) in China, has a collection of nearly 90 varieties of plum trees.