"Facing the vast unknown world outside the window, while imagining when you can start your adventurous thoughts, painting alone in the room may be the prelude to the boundless travel of your inner world." - Yoshitomo Nara
I like to inspire inspiration on the road of travel and create new paintings, and the process of painting is more like an endless continuation of travel, allowing thoughts and emotions to drift to farther places. Before the Spring Festival, my friends and I decided to leave the north and go to the south of Yunnan to find new inspiration.
Shooting and drawing, south of Yunnan
Speaking of the south of Yunnan, I thought it was bounded by Kunming and drove south.
Route: Kunming - Chengjiang Fuxian Lake, Modou Mountain - Jianshui Ant Workshop - Yuanyang Terraced Fields - Pu'er Tea Mountain. Friends who have enough travel time can continue to go to Xishuangbanna. The airport in Xishuangbanna is larger than Pu’er~ We returned at Pu’er Airport.
On the first day of arriving in Yunnan, the locals told us that it was a good choice to drive the southern line this season. The temperature is suitable and the seagulls are still there.
▴ Feel the "storm" of seagulls from Siberia next to Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and watch their groups of white figures draw traces under the blue sky. We are all "seasonal selective creatures" from cold places~
▴ Self-driving around Fuxian Lake, under the panoramic sunroof, you can feel the wind of vacation in all directions. Looking at the blue-green lake, enjoying the warmth and inner light in winter, I am so comfortable that I get carried away.
▴ The starry sky town stands on the cliff, watching the lake into the sea, and the lake and mountains accompanied by the breeze.
▴ In Jianshui "Ant Workshop" entered the world of art, the pink architectural style lit up my girlish heart, as an art student, entered the world of deconstruction of "point, line, surface", full of creative inspiration
▴ Yuanyang The terraced fields are filled with clouds and mist at sunrise, the terraced fields are looming, and there is a feeling of "walking on the clouds".
I met "God's Palette" in Yuanyang Terraced Fields, but the scenery taken on the road is beautiful enough. Because of the changeable weather, we didn't wait for the most beautiful time of sunrise and sunset. A little regret understands the simplest truth. Often the most beautiful moment we can get is the present moment.
▴ In the tea mountain in Pu'er, I feel the pleasure of walking out of the room and seeing the scenery. The cool air in the tea garden washes away the fatigue of the journey, and a sunrise on the tea mountain is also the end of a journey.
However, in addition to the scenery, recalling this trip, I have to feel the luck of being reborn from danger along the way. On the first day of the trip, I forgot my backpack with all my belongings on the Haigeng Dam full of tourists. On the second day of the trip, the car got stuck on the beach. Famous pig teammates, I have to rejoice that they are safe and sound in the end... How can I let my colleagues in the same industry spend every day in anxiety, let me tell you later...
About the authors and tools
All illustrations, graphics and texts are original.
Shooting equipment: camera Sony A7R3, drone Mavic 2 pro
Drawing equipment: computer digital board, ipad pro
Huanerhuan - Queenio, an illustrator and writer who likes to travel and create. Taking selfies and painting on the road, the book "Borrow for a Year, Go to New Zealand" has been published.
Kunming - White Greetings from Siberia
Our first stop: Dianchi Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan, is more famous for the red-billed seagulls that migrate from far away Siberia every winter.
Seeing thousands of seagulls flying all over the sky at Haigeng Dam, drawing white traces in the blue sky, this has become a unique scenery of "Spring City". These seagulls seem to be used to being fed by tourists. As long as you raise your hand, there will never be a shortage of diners who eat overlord meals
I searched the relevant literature, and the earliest record is 1985. On November 12 of that year, thousands of seagulls suddenly descended on the top of Dianchi Lake. After that, the number of red-billed seagulls flying in every November increased year by year. Kunming spends winter in this warm climate. Until the middle of March every year after the beginning of spring, tens of thousands of seagulls will start from Dianchi Lake and return to Lake Baikal through Yinchuan, Ningxia and other places.
From the world's deepest freshwater lake "Lake Baikal" in Siberia to China's spring city "Kunming" more than 3,000 kilometers, more than 30 days of flight, I think it is also a guest from afar.
Seeing this, I probably got carried away feeding the seagulls. When I left, I forgot the bucket bag with all my belongings on the bench of Haigeng Dam. This is the center of many people and birds. After leaving for half an hour, I suddenly remembered that I seemed to have a bag...
There are our ID cards, wallets, driver's licenses, etc. in the backpack... I raced all the way back to the Haigeng Dam with my friends, and saw a security guy blocking my bag with his motorcycle, and I was sitting next door Waiting for the owner on the bench, seeing me sweating profusely, the first sentence I said was, quickly check if there is anything missing in the bag. I am grateful to send a pennant, my eldest brother is definitely the cutest person! Without him, this photo would be the last memory of me and my backpack...
The Haigeng Dam opens to the south, about 20 minutes by car, and you will pass by the Wangguan Wetland Park next to Dianchi Lake. The park is small in size, but it is very suitable for watching the sunset and sunset. It is really beautiful! ! !
There are many wetlands along the Dianchi Lake in Kunming. Wangguan Wetland is along the Huanhu East Road. Since it is relatively far from the main city of Kunming, there are not many tourists in the wetlands. At sunset, it is like being in a fairy tale. After entering the Wetland Park, a section of the road is fresh and pastoral. After walking for seven or eight minutes, a wetland by the Dianchi Lake comes into view. Viewing the lake into the sea, Japanese, fairy tales, old mages... As long as you like photography, it is easy to produce films no matter what style~
Practical tips:
👉Photography: The park is young, and there are many places where you can take pictures and check in, such as beaches, reeds, lavender, and flower fields. It was early spring when I went, and the flowers had not yet fully bloomed.
👉Address: Located in the northern section of the east bank of Dianchi Lake in Kunming, enter "Wangguan Wetland Park" on the map to navigate there.
👉Traffic: It is recommended to take a taxi or drive by yourself, there is a parking lot in the park. It can also be reached by taking bus K31 from Haigeng Dam. It is worth noting that it is a little inconvenient to call a taxi around after sunset. Friends who take a taxi are advised not to stay too late.
👉Tickets: Wangguan Wetland is an open park, free of charge.
Chengjiang - Fresh time with blue sky and blue sea
Drive for 1 hour from Kunming and arrive at Chengjiang Fuxian Lake. The lake here is much clearer than Dianchi Lake. As early as the end of the Ming Dynasty, the traveler Xu Xiake wrote in his "Xu Xiake's Travel Notes" that "Dianshan Mountain is full of soil, so many congested streams form the sea, and the streams are turbid, but Fuxian Lake is the clearest".
The little brother I met along the way was very enthusiastic. He told us that it takes about 100 kilometers to go around the lake for a week. Because his girlfriend lived here for two years, he spent four days walking around the lake. Now his ex-girlfriend has married someone else. Also decided to go back to Guangdong.
The weather here in winter is quite changeable, it is still cloudy and rainy in the morning, and the sun shines brightly in the afternoon. Self-driving around the lake is really a good choice. The road is very close to the lake. There are many wetland scenic spots along the way. You can stop and see the beautiful scenery~
Speaking of this, I want to remind everyone that some beaches here can be directly driven to the lake, but don't go! ! ! Don't drive to the beach! ! ! Don't ask me why, a person who has been stuck digging the sand for half an hour is not qualified to speak, it's just that he didn't listen to his friends' advice and insisted on going his own way...
We stayed at Fuxian Lake Hotel for one night, and the next day we decided to go to Star Town and Modou Mountain.
Fuxian Lake·Star Town is located on the south bank of Fuxian Lake. It is actually a model house in the real estate center. General tourists are not allowed to enter, only those who come to see the house and shoot wedding dresses. The hotel we stayed in: Longhu Suqing Hotel, guests staying here can also come in and out, there will be a special shuttle bus, and it takes five minutes to arrive from the hotel
When I come here to take pictures, there are camera positions everywhere and there are gentle poems along the way. "The birds in the sky, the fish at the bottom of the lake, thank you for your company" is my favorite sentence.
The clifftop park in Starry Sky Town is so beautiful, it feels like being in New Zealand. Blue sky and green lake, the great beauty presents standing on the cliff, watching the lake into the sea, and watching the lake and mountains accompanied by the breeze. I heard from the hotel staff that a stargazing event for 7,000 people was held here, and the meteors visible to the naked eye are super beautiful
Starry Sky Town is suitable for coming around 90 am. The sun has just come out. It is very comfortable to bask in the sun on the grass. After sunbathing and charging, we drove to Modou Mountain, which is about an hour away from Starry Sky Town.
There are two roads to Modou Mountain, one is a high-speed detour, and the other is a relatively close rural road. The hotel staff recommended that we take the rural road, and the scenery along the way is better. However, the Panshan Township Road will be more difficult to walk, the lanes are very narrow, and some roads can only accommodate one car, and the wrong vehicle needs to slow down or give way.
Arriving at the top of the mountain, I caught a sunset. Modou Mountain is a relatively small place, so there are few tourists. Nearby is the Modou Mountain Wind Power Plant. The big windmills can be seen in the middle of the mountain. What needs to be mentioned is that friends who come by car must remember to check the fuel gauge of the car in advance, because the nearest gas station is also tens of kilometers away from the mountain... We drove up the mountain only to find that the car was almost out of gas and was full. It's embarrassing to find someone to borrow car oil at the top of the mountain... Don't ask me if I borrowed it, who would bring a fuel line tool when going out?
Although the car is about to run out of gas, the pressure is quite high, but in the face of the sunset, it is better to put the anxiety behind for a while and enjoy the moment, hahaha
Drive up Modou Mountain, quietly waiting for a long-lost sunset. I have heard people say that the light of sunrise and sunset is the most real color that the human eye can capture.
After sunset, it got dark very quickly. We went down the mountain with no luck. Fortunately, the downhill road and the car were more fuel-efficient. The danger was reborn. After the oil light was on, we drove for about 20 kilometers, probably because we used up the last drop of fuel. Arrive at the gas station. Because I forgot to refuel and almost caused my teammates to be trapped in the mountains together, this kind of experience and lesson is enough...
Practical Tips:
👉Fuxian Lake self-driving route: A friend once spent 4 days walking around the lake here. It would be about 100 kilometers by car, but the scenery on the east side is better than that on the west side.
👉Fuxian Lake Star Town: Located on the south bank of Fuxian Lake, it is actually a model house in the real estate center. General tourists are not allowed to enter, only those who come to see the house and shoot wedding dresses. The hotel we stayed in: Longhu Suqing Hotel, guests staying here can also come in and out, there will be a special shuttle bus, it takes only five minutes from the hotel~
👉Modou Mountain: There are two roads from Xingkong Town to Modou Mountain, one is a high-speed detour, and the other is a relatively close rural road. The locals recommend us to take the rural road, and the scenery along the way is better. However, the Panshan Township Road will be more difficult to walk, the lanes are very narrow, and some roads can only accommodate one car, and the wrong vehicle needs to slow down or give way.
Jianshui - pink, blue, ginger
"Ant Workshop" is located in Xizhuang Town, Jianshui County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is a building complex made of hollow bricks. The design concept of ant nest is very interesting. Walking inside, there is a feeling of traveling through time and space, which is very attractive. The photos taken casually are full of bold and avant-garde artistic sense.
The design of the building comes from Luo Xu, a famous artist from Yunnan. After the "Native Nest" in Kunming and the "Kaleidoscope" of Maitreya's East Charm, he designed this "Ant Workshop" in Jianshui, just like being in an art world constructed by points, lines and planes. Reminiscent of the famous European architect Gaudí, his works are full of imagination.
All the buildings of "Ant Workshop" are developed according to the context of pottery culture, with a free and bold style. Here is a collection of pottery-themed homestays, restaurants, galleries, and pottery experience spaces. In addition to Mr. Luo Xu's pottery works, there is also a special exhibition hall to display the artist's oil paintings and sculptures.
The aerial view is also very beautiful~
I also like the yellow-themed building. At the end of the tunnel is the Prison Cafe. As you can see in the photo, the entire coffee bar is in a cage. The atmosphere is interesting and artistic.
There are not many people here in the off-season. The locals recommended Jianshui’s famous grass sprout crossing the bridge rice noodles. At this time, the grass sprouts are called ivory dishes. Sometimes they float in the soup of crossing the bridge rice noodles, and sometimes they are fried with sliced meat. The taste is crispy and the taste is fresh.
🌟🌟🌟🌟Recommended play items:
👉Pink, yellow, and white themed buildings. I also like the yellow themed building. At the end of the tunnel is the prison cafe.
👉Luo Xu Works Art Exhibition Hall
👉Ceramic works sales center can buy souvenirs
👉 Pottery handmade experience to make your own works
👉There are restaurants and homestays
🔍Address: Wangchengpo, Lin'an Town, Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province (search Jianshui Ant Workshop on the map)
🔍Tickets: 10 yuan/person in off-season. There are B&B hotels in the scenic area, and tickets for staying guests are free.
Yuanyang -Colorful Under the Clouds
Yuanyang Terraced Fields is located in the south of Ailao Mountain in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. It is a masterpiece left by the Hani people for generations. "A mountain is divided into four seasons, and ten miles are different in different days". The local people adapt measures to local conditions according to the changing geographical climate. A few acres, the small one is only the size of a dustpan, and there are often tens of thousands of acres on one slope. So there are irregular terrace lines, large and small like God's palette.
From November to April of the next year, it is the irrigation period of Yuanyang Terraces, and it is also the peak travel season for Yuanyang Terraces. The water-filled terraces are like countless pieces of mirrors, broken on the ground, reflecting the skylight, and truly recording every sunrise and moonset, and every piece of cloud and cloud.
It’s a little regretful to say that on the day of the Yuanyang terraced fields, the sunset and sunrise met with cloudy days, and the cumulus clouds persisted for a long time, which caused the trip to not see the colors under the afterglow of the terraced fields, and the photos were taken along the way during the day , The blue water surface reflecting the sky and the red rice fields echo each other.
The homestay we stayed in is called "Huawowo Inn", which is run by a couple from Kunming with three cats. The location is very close to the "Duoyishu" viewing platform where the sunrise is, and what you see is actually the same terraced field. The B&B to the boundless terrace is very suitable for taking pictures. In the early morning of clouds and mist, there is a feeling of looking down on the clouds.
Waiting for the sunrise here early in the morning and teasing the cats is a great experience.
When leaving, guided by the owner, we stopped by the local market. According to the traditional habits of the local ethnic minorities, the twelve zodiac signs are used to record the days. It is very interesting to look at the animals drawn on the blackboard of the shop owner.
The big market in Shengcun is only available every Thursday. It is located in a street in the village. It mainly sells daily necessities such as cloth and food.
The baked glutinous rice cakes are very fragrant, and the Q-bomb sticks to the teeth, 2 yuan for a large sheet~
It should be noted that it is not easy to park in the market by car, and it is not easy to drive out. It is recommended to park on the roadside at the entrance of the village and walk in.
Pu'er - A Morning in the Green Tea Mountain
Ending the itinerary of Yuanyang, preparing to drive to Pu'er is the longest section of this trip, and it takes 6.5 hours to drive 450 kilometers. After breakfast we set off. On the last night of staying in Pu'er, it was a hotel located on the tea mountain, Pu'er Yixiang Mountain Camp and Banshan Hotel. One of the major selling points of the hotel is that it has a thousand-acre tea mountain, the top of the clouds, and you can see the sunrise and sea of clouds outside the balcony in all the rooms lying on the bed. The room is the shooting position. As a sunrise photographer, it is definitely a must. A great blessing.
The hotel has two types of rooms, wooden houses and tents. The per capita price is not very expensive in the off-season. Although it is about 20-30 minutes away from the city center by car, if you like to relax in nature, this place is very suitable.
We live in a tent room, which is a little cheaper than a wooden house~ The view is the same as watching the sunrise, and a fairy stick is placed on the super-large balcony~
Because of the rush of time, I couldn't stay longer in Pu'er. At the last moment of the trip, I chose to spend it relaxedly in the hotel and take pictures. Friends who like to drink tea can go to the tea room that comes with the hotel to experience it.
The time spent in Pu'er is too short, which is probably the biggest regret of this trip. The old village of Wengding Village that I originally planned to go to, a serious fire broke out shortly after returning. The last primitive village in China has no chance to see its original appearance again. Some things always want to wait, and then miss it forever.
It’s been three months since the trip ended in a blink of an eye. I wrote this travel note to record my memories. I hope it can help you who want to go to Yunnan’s minority route
Looking forward to seeing you again.