Kunming Things to Do

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On a foothill of Yuanshan Mountain, 10km/6miles northwest of Kunming stands the Bamboo Temple. As yet the exact date of its construction has not been determined, but it can be said with certainty to have been before the end of the 13th century.

The temple contains several valuable works of art: the Yuan period (1271-1368) statue of the Buddha’s of the Three Worlds made of variegated clay (in the Buddha Hall); a small stone tablet on which is engraved in Chinese and Mongolian an imperial edict of 1316 calling on the army and the civilian population to protect the temple; the 500 Luohan statues of clay (1883-90) by the sculptor Li Guangxiu (in the Buddha Hall and two neighbouring buildings), which represent the various social strata in a very vivid and individual way.

Admission: RMB6.

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Behind the Golden Temple, there is a three-storey high Bell Tower that was built in 1984 to house a large, 580-year-old copper bell which is 3.5 meters (16.4 feet) high and weighs an incredible 14 tons. It was cast in 1424 and is known as the "Great Bell of the Ming Yongle Era" and is the biggest ancient bell in Yunnan. Originally the bell was hung in Xuanhua Tower in the southern city gate of Kunming, but it was moved several times over the years. In 1953, it had to be moved into Guzhuang Park outside Zhuangyuan Tower, for Xuanhua Tower was to be demolished. And finally the bell was moved to the Golden Temple in 1983.

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The Golden Temple is located in the Mingfeng Mountains about 7km (4 miles) north-east of the city centre. The temple is the largest Taoist Tongwa (bronze-tiled) temple in China, even though it looks rather black from the centuries of dirt. It was first built in the 30th year of Emperor Wanli's rule (1602) in the Ming Dynasty. Yunnan was ordered to send bronze ore from Dongchuan to central China in order to make coins. But a war blocked the road. The governor of Yunnan, Chen Yongbing, and Qianguogong, the Duke of Guizhou Province, Mu Changzuo, ordered that the bronze be used to build a temple in imitation of the Taihe Palace and the Golden Temple on Tianzhu Peak in the Wudang Mountains, Hubei Province. The temple was later moved to the Jizu Mountains in western Yunnan. During the reign of the Qing Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), Wu Sangui, a military general, the temple was rebuilt, keeping the original Hubei design. The bronze used weighed over 200 tons and the temple walls were made with cast panels covered with exquisite and diverse designs.

Open: 7am-7pm. Admission: RMB20.

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Situated on Mingfeng Shan (Hill of Singing Phoenixes) in the north-eastern outskirts of Kunming, the Golden Temple Scenic Area is 7km (4 miles) away from the city centre and covers an area of 118 hectares. It was dubbed as Ying Wu chun shen (Spring is very much in the air on the Yingwushan) in the Ming dynasty and acclaimed as the Fairyland of Mingfeng in the Qing dynasty. The area is named after the Golden Temple which is actually made out of bronze in the 17th century. There is a Botanical Garden at the bottom of the hill where you can ascend up the hill via a cable car from.

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Huating Temple is one of the temples located on Xi Shan, about 15km (9 miles) south of the city centre. The original location of the temple was the villa of a Dali nobleman of the Song dynasty. The temple was first built in the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368) with the name "Great Yuanjue Temple". In 1462, the temple was named by Emperor Yingzong as "Great Yuanjue Temple of Huating Peak" while it was then renamed to its present name in 1552.

The main cultural relics kept in the temple include two jade Buddha statues, a gold-plated Buddha statue presented by Thai Buddhists, a copper statue of the Zhunti Buddha with 3 eyes and 18 arms and steles carved with Lin Zexu's and Guo Muoruo's poems.

Admission: RMB6.

From Taihua Temple there is an ancient track which brings you to Huating Temple. The track is 1.6km (1 mile) in length and first takes you downhill through woods with lots of steps before taking you back up again. I walked along it from Taihua Temple to Huating Temple whilst a whole load of other people were walking the other way which was a more harder trek as it was more uphill so there was a lot of huffing and puffing going on.

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Taihua Temple is one of the temples located on Xi Shan, about 15km (9 miles) south of the city centre. It was originally built in the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368) and is the oldest in the Western Hills Scenic Area. The temple isn't very large but, as well as some nice hall buildings, it features some beautiful gardens and trees, some of which were out in pink blossom when I visited. More photos can be found in one of my travelogues.

Admission: RMB6.

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The Western Mountains (Xi Shan), which rise to over 2300m/7500ft, lie along the west shore of Lake Dian, about 15km/9miles from Kunming, from where they can be reached by bus. Between the highest summit, Taihuashan, and the lake there is a difference in altitude of 470m/1542ft. Hidden away in the mountain valleys are several Buddhist and Taoist temples such as Huating Temple and Taihua Temple. The best way to reach the top of the mountain is by taking the cable car which first crosses over the lake before ascending the hill. From here you can then take a chair-lift to the Dragon Gate - a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors and pavilions built between 1781 and 1835 by a Taoist monk.