Attractions:      Stone Forest      Golden Temple      Dianchi Lake

Stone Forest

The Stone Forest is located in Lunan Yi Nationality Autonomous County, which is about 120 kilometers away from Kunming city. The stone Frost covers an area of 400 square kilometers and includes a large number of both large and small stone forests, as well as many other scenic spots. An old local saying says "It is a waste of time without visiting the Stone Frost while traveling in Kunming." Truly, the Stone Forest is one of the most famous attractions in both Yunnan Province and China .   

There are altogether 7 scenic spots in this scenic area. Animals, plants, and even human figures can be found in Greater Stone Frost, Lesser Stone Frost and Naigu Stone Frost. Subterranean Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave is an underground stone forest distributed among several caves. Strange Wind Cave is composed of Penfeng Cave, Hongxi Spring and an underground river. Long Lake is a karsts lake with a small island in the center of the water.

Many beautiful legends are originated in this magical place, passed along by the native people known as Sani, a branch of the Yi ethnic group. One particular story about the faithful love of Ashima, a beautiful, clever and warm-hearted Sani girl, is the most popular and has been told for thousands of years.

Golden Temple

All the statues in the temple are made of copper and they look like gold, hence the name of the temple "Golden Temple." Golden temple is located on top of Mingfeng (Singing Phoenix) Hill. It is the home of the Taoist Taihe Palace (Hall of Supreme Harmony) and the largest copper temple in China . It is also known as the Tongwa Temple ( Bronze Tie Temple ).

The history of the Golden Temple can be traced back to Ming Dynasty. In the year 1602, the governor of Yunnan Province was a devout Taoist who built this temple to honor the Taoist hero-god Zishi. The temple has suffered many times of damage and reconstruction during its long history.

The halls and rooms that have survived the ages were actually built in Qing Dynasty. Emperor Guangxu made an order to reconstruct the temple in the year of 1890. Using 250 tons of solid bronze, the entire temple was again rebuilt. Except for the staircases and balustrades, which are made of marble, the walls, columns, rafters, roof tiles, altars, Buddha statues, wall decorations and the banner near the gate tower are all made of copper. The burnished copper gleamed like gold and that is why people named it the Golden Temple . The temple now has become the most famous Taoist shrine in Yunnan Province.

Dianchi Lake

Dianchi Lake is located at the foot of the Western Hills to the southwest of Kunming. Covering an area of 300 square kilometers, Dianchi Lake is the largest lake in Kunming and the sixth largest fresh water lake in China. It has an altitude of 1,885 meters. So people call it the " Pearl of the Plateau".

The west side of Dianchi Lake is the mountain forest, while on the east side are lands dotted with the fisheries and agribusinesses. It will be a really enjoyable thing to take a boat to voyage between the blue sky and the green water, breathing the fresh air and view the birds fly just at your side.

The most beautiful view of Dianchi Lake appears at dawn and sunset. The beautiful sunset, the breezing wind, and the silent surroundings make Dianchi Lake look like a beautiful sleeping woman.

Dianchi is a good place for those who want toget away from the noisy city and to feel the beauty and tranquility of the nature.