Walking through the mountains, into the rainforest--Emeishan, Shangri-La, Xishuangbanna, Kunming 17-day tour

The destination of the trip in 2020 is Yunnan. Since I have always been obsessed with the delicious food in Chengdu, and it is very convenient to travel from Chengdu to Yunnan, I originally planned to start my trip this year from Chengdu. However, the sudden outbreak of the new crown epidemic in early 2020 has brought great uncertainty to this year's travel, so it has not been possible to decide whether to travel. I have been bored at home for more than half a year, and I feel depressed during the epidemic, so I want to go out to get some air. So I booked a train ticket to Qingdao and a hotel in Qingdao, and first went to Qingdao, which is closer to Tianjin, to enjoy the sea breeze. Two days before the trip, I saw that the domestic epidemic situation has been relatively stable, and I can travel long distances. I finally decided to go to Qingdao first, and then to Mount Emei in Chengdu and Yunnan.

Emeishan and Yunnan expenses (2 people) total 19,723.25 yuan, of which:

Transportation is 6,567.42 yuan, accommodation is 3,776.60 yuan, tickets (including scenic sightseeing cars, cableways, etc.) 2,862.00 yuan, shopping, meals, city fares and miscellaneous items are 6,517.23 yuan.

Due to the delay of the plane, we arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport at almost 2 pm. After picking up the checked luggage, we could not catch up with the high-speed train from Shuangliu Airport to Mount Emei at 2 o'clock. We had to wait for the high-speed train at 6 o'clock at the high-speed railway station. It was already past 7 o'clock when we arrived at Mount Emei High-speed Railway Station. Fortunately, Mount Emei is not a big city, so the owner of the reserved hotel came to pick us up on time.

After getting settled in the hotel, we headed out to have dinner. Mount Emei is very close to Leshan, and many Leshan delicacies can also be eaten here. Because we were going to stay on the Golden Summit of Mount Emei for one night, we first purchased some food that we would need to go up the mountain tomorrow. Later, we found that there were a lot of people eating in a restaurant called Niumantang Qiaojiao Beef, so we decided to start our first meal in Mount Emei here. .

We ordered a medium-sized beef jerky, and it was served in a pot full of beef, offal and vegetables. The beef and beef offal are very tender, and the beef soup is also very delicious, and the rice tastes better when soaked in the soup.

Kicked Beef
After eating, go back to the hotel to rest and prepare for tomorrow's trip to Mount Emei.

When I was having dinner last night, I found a shop selling tofu nao in Mount Emei. There was a plaque of "intangible cultural heritage" on the plaque. Come to taste the tofu nao in Mount Emei this morning to see how it differs from the tofu nao in our north.

The tofu nao here is filled with crispy meat and many fried foods, which is a bit greasy and unaccustomed to eating.

Mount Emei Tofu Brain

After having breakfast and storing our luggage, we started our trip to Mount Emei.

Mount Emei is the dojo of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and one of the "Four Famous Buddhist Mountains" in China. It has a steep terrain and beautiful scenery, and is known as "the most beautiful Emei in the world". Religious culture, especially Buddhist culture, constitutes the main body of Mount Emei's history and culture. All buildings, statues, ritual instruments, etiquette, music, paintings, etc. show a strong flavor of religious culture.

We first took a car to Fuhu Temple at the foot of the mountain.

Fuhu Temple, also known as Fuhu Temple, Shenlong Hall, and Huxi Jingshe, is adjacent to Baoguo Temple. It was destroyed in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty. It was renamed "Huxi Jingshe". Later, due to the tiger infestation nearby, the monks built Zunsheng Building to suppress it and renamed it "Fuhu Temple". Emperor Kangxi once wrote "Fuhu Temple" for Fuhu Temple. Liyuan Garden".

Entering the gate of the temple, the eyes are full of green and lush. There are not many people here, and the quiet environment makes people feel out of the ordinary. Go up the stone steps, pass through the Xijin Forest, and you will see the monastery with the plaque of "Huxi Jingshe" hanging in front of you.

Fuhu Temple

In the Huayan Pagoda Pavilion in the backyard on the right side of the Daxiong Palace, there is a copper Huayan Pagoda cast in the Ming Dynasty. The tower is 5.8 meters high and has 14 floors. There are more than 4,700 small Buddha statues cast on the tower body, and the full text of the "Huayan Sutra" is engraved on the tower body. Huayan Copper Pagoda ranks the most among Chinese copper pagodas because of its long history, tall body and excellent casting.

Fuhu Temple--Huayan Pagoda

Fuhu Temple--Huayan Pagoda Pavilion

Come out of Fuhu Temple, walk slowly along the mountain path, and arrive at Baoguo Temple in a short while.

Baoguo Temple in Mount Emei is the first temple in Mount Emei, the seat of the Buddhist Association of Mount Emei, and the center of Buddhist activities in Mount Emei. In front of the mountain gate, there is a pair of stone lions carved in the Ming Dynasty. They are vivid in shape, mighty and majestic, like guards on the left and right, guarding this famous mountain temple. In the forty-second year of Kangxi (AD 1703), Emperor Kangxi took the meaning of "repaying the country's master's kindness" in the Buddhist scriptures "Four Graces and Four Rewards" and inscribed the plaque "Baoguo Temple".

This is the place where you must check in when you come to Mount Emei, so there are many people, it is not as quiet as Fuhu Temple.

Baoguo Temple

It was almost noon when we came out of Baoguo Temple. We walked all the way to Baoguo Temple Passenger Transport Center and prepared to take a bus to Jinding. On the way, we passed a stone carving corridor and the first mountain pavilion.

Mount Emei--Stone Carved Corridor

Mount Emei--the first mountain pavilion

The Emeishan sightseeing bus departing from Baoguo Temple Passenger Transport Center goes directly to Leidongping parking lot, which takes 2 hours by car. From the Leidongping parking lot, you can walk to the next station of the Jinding Cableway in Jieyin Temple, and take the cableway up the mountain. If you are physically fit, you can also walk up the mountain. The mountain road from Jieyin Temple to Jinding is relatively steep, and it takes about one and a half hours to walk. In order to save energy, we chose to take the cableway up the mountain. The section from Leidongping Parking Lot to Jieyin Temple is easier to walk up the mountain, and the scenery is not bad. You stop and go along the way to take pictures of the scenery. It takes about half an hour to arrive at the Jinding Cableway station. The car of the Jinding Cableway is very large, similar to a bus compartment, which can accommodate about 30 to 40 people, and it takes more than 10 minutes to arrive at the upper station of the Jinding Cableway. The Golden Roof Hotel we booked is located at the exit of the cableway upper station.

It is less than 10 minutes away from the hotel to the Golden Summit. After putting down our luggage, we set off for the Golden Summit.

The Golden Summit of Emei Mountain is the most concentrated place of temples and scenic spots in Emei Mountain. The Golden Summit of Mt. Emei, also known as Huazang Temple, was first built in the Tang Dynasty. The roof was covered with tin tiles. At the Golden Summit, you can watch the four wonders of Emei - the sunrise, the sea of clouds, the Buddha's light, and the holy lamp.

At the highest point of the Golden Dome, there is a rare treasure called the "Golden Dome Bronze Hall", which was donated by Zen Master Miaofeng in the 30th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1602) at the request of Lu'an, the king of Xishu. The hall is 8 meters high, 4.8 meters wide and 4.3 meters deep, with double eaves carved on the top and embroidered brown lock windows around it. The whole body is welded with copper parts. The eaves of the roof are made of gold. Under the sunlight, the golden light shines for hundreds of miles, hence the name "Golden Summit".

We were lucky, and the sky cleared up when we arrived at Jinding. Before climbing to the Golden Summit, you can see the dazzling golden statues of Samantabhadra on all sides and ten directions under the sun. Climbing up the high stone steps, the terrain suddenly becomes clear, and the golden statues of Samantabhadra and the golden roof standing tall stand against the blue sky and white clouds.

Golden Summit of Mount Emei

Looking around from the golden dome, you can have a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, and you can also see the Ten Thousand Buddhas Dome in the distance.

Wanfoding is the highest peak of Mount Emei, with an altitude of 3099 meters. The cliffs soar into the sky and the flat areas protrude. It stands majestically on the top of the "Da Guangming Mountain". The highest world natural and cultural heritage site.

It's a pity that the road to Wanfoding is now blocked, and you can only look at it from the top of the Golden Summit.

Golden Summit of Mount Emei--Overlooking Wanfo Peak

At about 5 o'clock, the tour group and the tourists living at the bottom of the mountain descended one after another, the bustling crowd disappeared, and only us tourists who lived on the top of the mountain and prepared to take pictures of the sunset were left on the Golden Summit. We waited on the Golden Dome until the sun went down before returning to the hotel.

Golden Summit of Mount Emei

Golden Summit of Mount Emei--Sunset

Golden Summit of Mount Emei

Before dawn in the morning, we came to Jinding again. Many people have gathered here, and everyone is waiting for the sunrise.

When light began to appear in the sky, people began to commotion. Gradually, the sky became brighter and brighter, and the edges of the white clouds were dyed golden red by the sunlight. At first, the dark red sun was only a little bit exposed on the edge of the clouds, and slowly more than half of the sun was exposed. After a while, the red sun jumped out of the clouds. At this time, the surrounding mountains and the Golden Dome were coated with a layer of gold by the sunlight.

Golden Summit of Mount Emei--Sunrise

Golden Dome bathed in the rising sun

Golden Summit of Mount Emei--Overlooking Wanfo Peak

When the sun is fully up, we return to the hotel contentedly. After breakfast, we are ready to go down the mountain. On a viewing platform near the upper station of the cableway, we saw the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the snow-capped peaks became brighter and brighter under the sunlight. On the way to Leidongping, I also encountered monkeys from Mount Emei.

Golden Summit of Mount Emei--Looking at the Snow Mountains from afar

Mount Emei--meet a monkey

We drove from the Leidongping parking lot to the Wannian Temple parking lot, and from here we took the cableway to Wannian Temple.

Wannian Temple is one of the eight major temples in Mount Emei. The three treasures of Wannian Temple are worshiped in the temple: the tooth of the Buddha, the Beiye Sutra and the imperial seal. There are many inscriptions in the temple, the most famous being the "First Mountain Stele" written by Mi Fu, a calligrapher of the Song Dynasty. The beamless brick hall in the temple is the second hall of Wannian Temple, also known as Puxian Hall. Built in the Ming Dynasty, it is all built with bricks, without a single tree, column or tile, and it is magnificent.

Wannian Temple

Walk down the mountain along the stone steps from Wannian Temple, passing through Bailong Cave on the way. Bailong Cave, also known as Bailong Temple, was founded by Zen master Biechuan during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. There were two caves behind the temple, the upper and lower Bailong.

Bailong Cave is not big, and it only takes ten minutes to go in and go around. Continue to go down, and you will arrive at Qingyin Pavilion in a short while.

Qingyin Pavilion was named Niuxin Temple in the Tang Dynasty, and during Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Huitong of Jiangling changed it to Woyun Temple. During the Ming Dynasty, Zen Master Guangji changed the name of the temple to "Qingyin Pavilion" from the word "Qingyin" in the Jin Dynasty poet Zuo Si's "Zhaoyin Poems", "Why bother with silk and bamboo, and the mountains and rivers have Qingyin". There is only one hall in Qingyin Pavilion, which is dedicated to the three saints of Huayan, Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle, Manjusri Bodhisattva on the left, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva on the right. In front of the pavilion, there is a "Jianwang Pavilion". Although Qingyin Pavilion is small, it is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has beautiful scenery. Its overall layout embodies the artistic conception of "natural creation, harmony between man and nature", and is a model of Buddhist temple garden architecture in my country. "Shuangqiao Qingyin", one of the ten scenic spots of Mount Emei, is located here.

Qingyin Pavilion

This is also a must-see scenic spot when you come to Mount Emei. There are more people, which makes the place that should be quiet become noisy and noisy. We stopped here for a while, then went down the mountain by car and returned to Baoguo Temple Passenger Transport Center.

After picking up the luggage at the foot of the mountain, I took a bus to the Emeishan high-speed railway station. It was still early, so I immediately changed the ticket for the latest bus to Chengdu to go to Chengdu.

After settling in the hotel, it was time for dinner. I found a Yuanji Chuanchuanxiang hotpot restaurant near the hotel on the Internet, and started my food tour in Chengdu.

Chengdu Chuan Chuan Xiang Hot Pot

Today, I am going to take a rest in Chengdu for a whole day, and I will go shopping and find Chengdu's gourmet snacks.

Early in the morning, I followed the navigation to a shop specializing in Chengdu snacks, called Xiaomingtang Dandan Sweet Water Noodles. I ordered Chengdu Dandan noodles and a few other snacks, all of which tasted very good.

Chengdu snacks

The last time we visited Jinli in Chengdu was at night. After breakfast, we decided to visit Jinli during the day. I saw a peddler selling sugar oil and fruit on the side of the road. I bought some and tasted it. The taste was not bad.

There are still many people in Jinli during the day, but the buildings without lights reveal a simple beauty.

Jing Li

Passing the Three Kingdoms Tea Garden, just in time for the Sichuan Opera performance. We were also tired from shopping, so we just went in to take a rest. The program is rich in content, including acrobatics, magic, and water sleeve performances. The most exciting thing is of course the unique skill of Sichuan Opera - changing faces.

Face-changing in Sichuan Opera is an important part of the performance art of Sichuan Opera. It is a special skill used to shape characters in the art of Sichuan Opera. It is a romantic technique to reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters in the play. It is jointly created and passed down by Sichuan Opera artists of all ages. Art gem. Face-changing methods can be roughly divided into three types: "wiping face", "blowing face" and "pull face". Sichuan Opera brings "face-changing" to the stage and uses wonderful techniques to make it a unique art.

We drank tea and enjoyed the show.

Sichuan Opera Performance

After watching the performance, because we thought about the Jianyao tea set we saw in Kuanzhai Alley last time, we wanted to buy a set to take back this time, so we came to Kuanzhai Alley again. But after walking around Kuanzhai Alley for a long time, I couldn't find the shop, so I had to give up. I saw many snacks on Kuixinglou Street not far from Kuanzhai Alley on the Internet, so I decided to go there for dinner.

Kuixinglou Street is a short street with restaurants on both sides, but most of them are hot pot restaurants. I bought egg cakes from a small stall on the side of the road, and they tasted alright. I saw a lot of people in a shop called Tongue Party Sichuan Snack Collection, so I also ordered a few snacks here. I thought that a shop specializing in snacks would taste good, but I didn't expect that the few snacks I ordered tasted mediocre.

Take the plane from Shuangliu Airport to Lijiang early in the morning, and arrive at Lijiang Airport after an hour and a half flight. Booked a hotel in Shuhe Ancient Town, the hotel has a pick-up service, and the driver is already waiting for us at the airport. It is about an hour's drive from the airport to Shuhe Ancient Town, and it is already noon when we arrive at the hotel.

Using half a day in the afternoon, let's go to Mufu, which is located in the ancient city of Lijiang, and visit the ancient city of Lijiang by the way.

Lijiang Ancient City, also known as Dayan Ancient City, is one of the two ancient cities in China that successfully applied for the world cultural heritage with the entire ancient city. The streets in the Old Town of Lijiang are built close to the mountains and rivers, paved with red breccia, and there are Sifang Street, Mufu, Wufeng Tower, and the Waterwheel in the Old Town of Lijiang.

The Mufu in the ancient city was originally the government office of the Mu clan, the hereditary chieftain of Lijiang. It is located at the eastern foot of the ancient city of Shizi. The Mu Mansion covers an area of 46 mu. There are 162 large and small rooms in the mansion. The central axis is 369 meters long. Sanqing Hall, Yuyin Building, Guangbi Building, Guardian Hall, Wanjuan Building, Conference Hall, and Zhongyi Square are arranged in an orderly manner from west to east. There are eleven plaques bestowed by emperors of past dynasties hanging inside, reflecting the history of the rise and fall of the Mu family. The TV series "Mufu Fengyun", which tells the story of Lijiang's Mu family chieftain, was filmed here.

The scale of the Mufu is very large, and its architectural pattern is similar to that of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Mufu

After coming out of Mufu, wandering along the streets of the ancient city, I came to Sifang Street unknowingly.

Sifang Street is the center of the ancient city of Lijiang. It is said that it was built by the chieftain of the Mu family in the Ming Dynasty according to the shape of his seal. This is the most important hub on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, merchants from all walks of life have gathered here, and the cultures of various ethnic groups have intersected here. It is the center of Lijiang's economic and cultural exchanges.

Turn into an alley next to Sifang Street, where flowers bloom everywhere on both sides of the street. Walk along the alley, and at the end of the alley is the must-see attraction in the ancient city - the big waterwheel.

Lijiang

Lijiang Old Town--Big Waterwheel

Lijiang

After visiting the ancient city, it was time for dinner. At a hot pot restaurant outside the ancient city called Ama La Pork Ribs, I ordered the must-eat La Pork Rib Hot Pot and side dishes such as water-based poplar flowers in Lijiang. A pot full of cured pork ribs was served, which tasted very good. After 2 people were full, there were still a lot of leftovers.

Lijiang pork ribs hot pot

There is plenty of time today, and I am going to take the bus to Yuzhu Qingtian Scenic Area. Depart from the hotel in the morning, take No. 111 at the gate of Shuhe Ancient Town, then transfer to No. 17 to Yuhu Village, get off and walk along the road to the scenic spot.

Yuzhu Qingtian Scenic Area is one of the components of Lijiang Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area, more than ten miles away from the ancient city. Together with Yushui Village, Yufeng Temple, Dongba Valley, Dongba Wanshen Garden and Dongba Kingdom, it is called "Three Jade and Three Easts".

Yuhu Lake is an artificial lake dug by the Mu family before the Ming Dynasty. The Mu family built a summer palace, Yulong Academy, and a deer farm by the lake. The earliest residents of Yuhu Village were those who raised deer for the Naxi king's palace.

On the cliff next to Yuhu Lake are engraved with four big characters "Jade Pillar Supporting the Sky", which is the inscription of Yang Tan, the first official prefect of Lijiang. This stone carving not only fully describes the magnificence of Lijiang Snow Mountain, but also becomes a cultural relic directly related to the important historical event of "reforming the land and returning to the people". The snow water in Yuhu Lake is clear, and the water plants are swaying. When the weather is fine, the blue sky and white clouds set off the tall Jade Dragon Snow Peak and reflect in the lake. Nature seems to be deposited at the bottom of the lake. "Reflection of Jade Lake" is the first of the twelve beautiful scenery of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which was praised by many Naxi poets in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Now Yuzhuqingtian Scenic Area mainly introduces Dongba culture and traditional folk customs of Naxi people. There are exhibition halls displaying Dongba characters and Naxi folk customs in the scenic area. Few people come here, the green trees in the scenic area are whirling, and the reflection in Yuhu Lake is like a picture scroll with heavy ink and color. It's a pity that today is cloudy, and we couldn't see the reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Yuzhu Qingtian Scenic Area

Yuzhu Qingtian Scenic Area
Come out of the scenic spot, go down the path next to the parking lot, and come to a large meadow. The meadow is full of wild flowers. At this time, there are only two of us on the entire meadow, and we can enjoy the beauty of nature. Walking through the big meadow is Yuhu Village. The roads in the village are all paved with stones, and the houses are also built with stones, which are completely natural with nature. The village is very big. Wandering in the village, I accidentally saw a house with the sign saying "Locke's Former Residence".

Locke was the first foreign scholar who comprehensively introduced Lijiang national culture to the western world. In 1922, Joseph Locke entered Yunnan, China from the Thai-Myanmar border as an explorer, writer, and photographer for the National Geographic Magazine and the Yanqing Institute of Botany of Harvard University. He has lived under the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for 27 years since then. .

Yuhu Village - via the Great Meadow

Yuhu Village

Yuhu Village - Locke's Former Residence

After returning from Yuhu Village, I wanted to visit Shuhe Ancient Town, but suddenly it rained heavily, so we had to go back to the hotel to rest.

When you come to Lijiang, you must check in at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We are going to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain today.

Yulong Snow Mountain is the main peak of the Yunling Mountains in the Hengduan Mountains, which is a young limestone fault block fold mountain. The 13 peaks of the whole mountain are arranged longitudinally from south to north. The main peak, fan steep, is 5,596 meters above sea level. It is covered with snow all the year round. There are temperate marine glaciers in the Eurasian continent closest to the equator. The tourist attractions (spots) that have been developed in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain mainly include: Glacier Park, Ganhaizi, Blue Moon Valley, Yunshanping, Maoniuping, etc. There are three cableways up the mountain, namely the large cableway to Glacier Park and the middle cableway to Maoniuping. Cableway and a small cableway to Yunshanping.

Due to cloudy weather and thick clouds, we decided to abandon Glacier Park and go to Maoniuping at an altitude of 3,700 meters, and then go to Blue Moon Valley. Vehicles entering the scenic spot can only drive to the tourist center in Ganhaizi, then take the sightseeing car of the scenic spot to the cableway station, and take the cableway up the mountain.

Maoniuping is called "Ge Zhan Gu" in Naxi language. The pavilion is an alpine meadow, which is like a row of stars.

The cableway traveled through the mountains, and the fog became heavier and heavier. The moment I stepped out of the cableway, I was surrounded by thick fog and the visibility was very low. As we walked, we took pictures of the flowers and plants on the meadow with water droplets, hoping that the dense fog would disperse after a while.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain--Maoxing

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain--Maoxing--Snow Flower Temple

After waiting for more than an hour, the dense fog still showed no signs of dissipating, so we had to take the cableway down the mountain. We got off at Blue Moon Valley and started to visit Blue Moon Valley.

The ice and snow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain melt into river water and pass through the valley at the eastern foot of Snow Mountain. Because the color of the water is blue and the valley is crescent-shaped, it looks like a blue moon inlaid at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from a distance. The Blue Moon Valley in Hilton's "Lost Horizon" is similar to this, hence the name "Blue Moon Valley". The river in the Blue Moon Valley was blocked by mountains during its flow, forming four large water surfaces, known as Yuye Lake, Jingtan Lake, Blue Moon Lake and Tingtao Lake. The vegetation around the lake is luxuriant, and the snow peaks are in the background.

The color of the lake in Blue Moon Valley is different, showing different blue colors. There are plank roads connecting the lake, people can get close to the water surface. Maybe it's because of the bad weather today that we couldn't see the true face of the snow-capped mountains. People gathered here, making it full of people's voices.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain--Blue Moon Valley

After visiting the Blue Moon Valley, today's trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is over. After returning from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, we wandered around Shuhe Ancient Town.

Shuhe Ancient Town is one of the earliest settlements of Naxi ancestors in Lijiang Bazi. It is an important well-preserved market town on the ancient tea-horse road. Formed a model of market town construction.

Shuhe Ancient Town

On the edge of the ancient town, I met a small shop selling native chicken rice noodles. A bowl of native chicken rice noodles is 12 yuan. The rice noodles are smooth and the chicken soup has a mellow taste.

Lijiang Food--Native Chicken Rice Noodles

There is only road from Lijiang to Shangri-La. In order to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge on the way, we booked a carpool from Lijiang to Shangri-La online. The car can stay on Tiger Leaping Gorge for 1.5 hours.

The Jinsha River, originating from the Dong Snow Mountain in Geladan, Qinghai, rushes here for thousands of miles, and suddenly encounters the obstruction of the two snow mountains of Yulong and Haba. In the huge gap between the mountains, a narrow and long deep valley was opened, which is the famous Grand Canyon - Tiger Leaping Gorge. Tiger Leaping Gorge is the largest canyon of the Yangtze River. It is famous for its danger and majesty. It is one of the deepest canyons in China. It is named after the legend of the tiger leaping across the river. It includes 3 sections of Upper Tiger Leap, Middle Tiger Leap and Lower Tiger Leap, as well as a high-road hiking route.

Shanghutiao is the narrowest section in the canyon. In the 30-meter-wide river surface, a huge rock with a height of 4 to 5 meters stands in the middle of the river, lying in the middle of the stream, like a falling waterfall. Two, the shocking waves shook the sky. Legend has it that a tiger once jumped from the side of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to Haba Snow Mountain by taking advantage of the huge rock in the middle of the river, so the stone was named Tiger Leaping Stone.

The car is parked next to the road and goes down the stairs. On the riverside, you can see a leaping stone tiger statue, which is about 3 meters high even with the base. This is the iconic stone sculpture of Tiger Leaping Gorge. Walking in from here, you enter the Grand Canyon, with towering mountains on both sides of the canyon. There are many reefs in the river, and the teeth are intertwined. The river rushes forward under the two snow-capped mountains of Yulong and Haba, like a tiger descending the mountain, galloping like a tiger, splashing water, roaring in the valley, and the momentum is extraordinary. The galloping river roars furiously, snow waves whirl, or whirlpool, and the mist is empty, forming a rare landscape wonder in the world.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

After visiting Tiger Leaping, we continued to drive forward. The car stops for a while in Xiaozhongdian, where there is a sea of flowers. It was September, and the chamaejamas were in full bloom. The fiery red chamaejamas, green hills and green grass formed a beautiful picture.

Shangri-La--Xiao Zhongdian--Chamasmaea chamaejasme

At about 2 o'clock, we arrived at the east gate parking lot of Dukezong ancient city in Shangri-La.

Dukezong Ancient City is an ancient city with a history of more than 1300 years. It is the best-preserved and largest Tibetan settlement in China. The ancient city of Dukezong used to be the hub of the ancient tea-horse road, a window for ethnic cultural exchanges between Snowy Tibetan Township and Yunnan, and a link of economic and trade in Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan. In a fire in 2014, most of the houses in the ancient city were burned down, and the current ancient city was rebuilt later.

The hotel we booked was at the north gate of the ancient city. Because we had luggage, we wanted to take a taxi by ourselves, but it was difficult to get a taxi at the East Gate parking lot, so we contacted the innkeeper to pick us up.

It was getting dark in Shangri-La, so we settled down in the inn, and we took a taxi to Songzanlin Temple not far from the ancient city.

Gadan Songzanlin Temple, also known as Guihua Temple, is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province and one of the famous large temples in Tibetan areas. It is also the center of the Yellow Sect in Sichuan and Yunnan, and plays a pivotal role in the entire Tibetan area. , Known as the "Little Potala Palace". Built on the mountain, the temple looks like an ancient castle, which gathers the essence of Tibetan religious culture and the culmination of Tibetan plastic arts. The building is resplendent and magnificent, with colorful gilded copper tiles, horned horns and cornices kissed by animals. The Zhacang Hall is spacious and magnificent. There are many Buddha statues enshrined in the hall, and the murals on both sides are exquisitely carved. It is also known as the "Tibetan Art Museum".

We first visited the museum opposite the visitor center, which displayed many beautiful Thangkas and a three-dimensional four-sided mandala, which was very beautifully built.

beautiful thangka

After visiting the museum, take a sightseeing bus from the visitor center to Songzanlin Temple. When searching for the strategy, I learned that the Ramyangcuo Lake in front of the temple can capture the reflection of the entire Songzanlin Temple in the lake. After getting off the bus, we first turned around the artificial trail of Ramyangcuo Lake. The water of the lake is clear and the water plants are lush. From time to time, there are ducklings playing in the water for food. At the moment when the sun broke through the clouds, we took a picture of the reflection of Songzanlin Temple in the water, and the gilded copper tiles on the main hall shone golden in the sun.

Ramyangco Lake

Tickets for Songzanlin Temple include explanations, and the tour guide will gather individual tourists and bring them into the temple together, explaining while walking. After we turned around Lamu Yangcuo Lake, we just caught up with the tour guide to bring a group of tourists into the temple, so we entered Songzanlin Temple with the tour guide.

In the same style as Tibetan Buddhist architecture, the two main halls of Zhacang and Jikang of Songzanlin Temple stand high in the center, surrounded by eight Kangshen and monk houses, with staggered heights, progressive layers, and clear three-dimensional outlines, which fully set off It highlights the tall and majestic main building. The main building, Zhacang, means a monastery in Tibetan, and it is a place where monks learn classics and practice teachings.

Gadan Songzanlin Monastery

Gadan Songzanlin Monastery
Tibetan food and yak meat hot pot are the specialties of Shangri-La. After returning from Songzanlin Temple, I went to the ancient city to find a hot pot restaurant with high ratings on the Internet to eat yak meat hot pot. The clerk recommended to us a platter of yak meat and black pork, a platter of wild vegetables, and barley cakes. We wanted to order other things, but the clerk was afraid that we would not be able to eat them, so he tried his best to dissuade us. The yak meat and black pork are very tender, and there are various seasonal wild vegetables in the wild vegetable platter. In the end, we were full without finishing these things.

Shangri-La Yak Meat Hot Pot

Booked a scenic through train from Dukezong Ancient City directly to Pudacuo National Park, and got on the bus at the parking lot in front of Moonlight Square in the morning. On the road, I met a vendor selling yak milk products and highland barley cakes. I bought yak milk and highland barley cakes, which were delicious.

The hill to the east of Moonlight Square is the famous Shangri-La Guishan Park. The bright sunshine, the pure blue sky and white clouds, and the golden prayer wheel constitute the most beautiful picture. There is a large pool at the entrance of the park. It is clear and translucent. It is the spring water of the ancient well. The water can be drunk directly. Many people in the city get their domestic water from here.

Ancient well at the entrance of Guishan Park

On both sides of the square are the Red Army Long March Museum and the Diqing History Museum. There is still some time before we get on the bus. Let’s go to the Red Army’s Long March Museum and the Diqing History Museum first. The Red Army Long March Museum is actually a Tibetan temple with a main hall, where many local old ladies come to pay homage. There are some historical relics displayed in the Diqing History Museum.

Red Army Long March Museum

Diqing History Museum

The through train was originally scheduled to depart at 10 o'clock sharp, but due to the staff's mistakes, it was delayed for some time, and it was almost 12 o'clock to arrive at the scenic spot.

Pudacuo National Park is located in the center of the "Three Parallel Rivers" World Natural Heritage in Northwest Yunnan, with an altitude between 3,500 meters and 4,159 meters. The Shudu Lake Scenic Area is composed of two parts, with Bita Lake, Shudu Lake and Militang sub-alpine pasture as the main components. It has geological landforms, lakes and wetlands, forests and meadows, valleys and streams, rare animals and plants, etc., and the original ecological environment is well preserved. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Shangri-La.

In order to protect a rare fish - "schizothoracic fish", now Militang and Bita Lake have been closed, and only Shudu Lake Scenic Area is open to the public.

At the customer service center, take the sightseeing car of the scenic spot to the Shudugang River hiking experience area first, and from here you need to walk 3 kilometers to the Shudu Lake scenic spot. Only a few of the passengers on the bus got off here, and everyone else took the bus directly to Shudu Lake. Since we have plenty of time, we get off here and hike to Shudu Lake.

In the Shudugang River Hiking Experience Area, there is a small road winding in the alpine valley. Since there are not many people here, the damage to the surrounding environment is not great, and the environment here is relatively original. The primeval forest covers the sky and the sun, and the canopy is thick and green, sheltering from wind and rain. Walking through the lush woods, you don't feel that you are on a plateau at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters.

Pudacuo National Park - Dugang River Hiking Experience Area

At the end of the hiking experience area is the parking lot of Shudu Lake Scenic Area.

Shudu Lake is surrounded by lush green hills, tall and strong spruces and firs in the mountains, pointing directly to the sky. The grassland is vast, the water and grass are luxuriant, and there are a large number of wild birds such as wild ducks and yellow ducks inhabiting the lake.

Entering the scenic spot along the plank road, a large lake surface comes into view, and there are lush aquatic plants growing in the shallow water. Perhaps the sky is gloomy, the scenery here is not as beautiful as imagined.

Pudacuo National Park--Shudu Lake

Return from Pudacuo National Park at four o'clock, and get off at the east gate of Dukezong Ancient City one hour later, just to go to Guishan Park first.

Climbing up the steep steps, you will soon arrive at the Han Temple. Behind the Han Temple is the world's largest prayer wheel. Looking up, the entire prayer wheel is about 5 stories high, majestic and majestic. The barrel is made of pure copper and gold-plated. On the upper end of the barrel wall are engraved with Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas. The lower end is engraved with the eight treasures of Buddhism. A total of 1.24 million pieces and various Buddha treasures, with a total weight of about 16 tons. In order to turn such a huge sutra cylinder, more than ten people need to work together. Turning the prayer wheel clockwise, each turn is equivalent to silently reciting the Buddha's name 1.24 million times. After three turns, you can eliminate disasters and pray for good luck.

Standing on Guishan Park and looking down, you can have a panoramic view of Shangri-La City. You can have a panoramic view of the smoke in the city and the sparkling water of Qinglongtan.

Guishan Park

Guishan Park--Prayer Wheel

In Guishan Park, we worked together to turn the prayer wheel for three full weeks, hoping that everything goes well. Coming out of Guishan Park, I thought about having a Tibetan meal, so I searched in the ancient city and found a small shop called Zangwei Xinqiao Snacks. I ordered highland barley noodles, fried Tibetan pork slices, hand-caught tsampa and buttered tea, etc. The hand-caught tsampa tastes sweet, the butter tea is rich in milk, and the highland barley noodles and stir-fried Tibetan pork slices are also delicious.

Dukezong Ancient City

Tsampa and Butter Tea

Highland barley noodles and fried Tibetan pork slices

After eating and drinking, continue to wander in the ancient city, and stray into Shambhala Old Street, an antique street.

Shambhala Old Street

I have already booked a 3-day stay in Shangri-La, but I feel a little unwell, so I decided to go back to the hotel to check out and return to Lijiang tomorrow.

D10

Depart Shangri-La by car early in the morning and arrive in Lijiang at noon. In the afternoon, I decided to go to Heilongtan Park not far from the inn.

There are many buses from the ancient city to Heilongtan Park. There is a crystal-clear spring pool in Heilongtan Park, and the scattered ancient buildings include Dragon Temple, Deyue Tower, Suocui Bridge, Yuhuang Pavilion and the Jietuolin Gate Tower of Zhishan Fuguo Temple in the Ming Dynasty that was later relocated here. , Wufeng Building and other buildings.

When the weather is fine, you can take pictures of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in the Black Dragon Pool. The clouds have been very thick for the past few days we have been here, and we have not been able to see the snow-capped mountains at all.

Black Dragon Pool Park

From Heilongtan Park, walk about one kilometer along the Yuhe River to Lijiang Old Town. I see that No. 88 snack bar is recommended in many guides, and I want to try it too. Followed the navigation to come here, ordered 4 kinds of snacks, but was told that 3 of them were not available, so I got up decisively to look for food elsewhere.

An alternative place to eat is the Zhongyi Market, which is frequented by many locals. There is a gourmet night market here every night after 6:00 pm.

D11

The plane to Xishuangbanna is at night, and there is a whole day in the daytime, so I decided to go to Yushui Village to visit Dongba culture again.

Take the No. 6 bus from the ancient city, and the terminal is Yushuizhai Scenic Area.

Yushuizhai Scenic Area is located at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain. It is the holy place for the inheritance of Lijiang Dongba culture, the inheritance base of Baisha Xiyue and the inheritance base of Leba Dance. The cottage is natural and simple, with mountains and rivers interdependent and beautiful scenery. It is a geomantic treasure land with national cultural characteristics.

Entering the scenic spot, the first thing you see is the Dongba Ancient Books Cultural Monument, a World Memory Heritage Site. Along the mountain road, the end point is the God of Nature, which is the source of Lijiang. In the scenic area, there are also exhibition areas introducing Dongba culture, such as Dongba Temple and Folk Custom House, so that you can have a deep understanding of Dongba culture and Naxi folk customs.

yushui village

Yushui Village--Dongba Characters

yushui village

From Yushuizhai, walk down the road for about half an hour to Yufeng Temple.

Yufeng Temple is located at the southern foot of Yulong Snow Mountain, 13 kilometers away from the ancient city of Lijiang. It was built in the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1700). Yufeng Temple is Tashi Qupeilin in Tibetan, which means "Auspicious Hongfa Garden". It is listed as one of the five largest Buddhist temples in Lijiang along with Fuguo Temple, Puji Temple, Wenfeng Temple and Zhiyun Temple.

Yufeng Temple

The "Thousands of Camellia" tree in Yufeng Temple is world-renowned. It was planted by the eighth Great Situ Living Buddha Chokyi Jungnai, the leader of the Karma Kagyu Sect. It has a history of nearly 500 years. Tens of thousands of camellia trees bloom every year from the beginning of spring to the end of summer. After more than 100 days, more than 20 batches of more than 20,000 beautiful camellias compete to bloom. It is known as "the king of camellias in the world" and "the number one in the world". Tree".

It's a pity that we missed the flowering period and failed to see the scene of thousands of camellias in full bloom.

Yufeng Temple--"Ten Thousand Camellia" Tree

Yufeng Temple--"Thousands of Camellia" tree (picture introduction)

Coming out of Yufeng Temple, I just caught up with a No. 6 bus back to the ancient city. Return to the hotel to pick up luggage and proceed to Lijiang Airport to start the journey to Xishuangbanna.

D12

Xishuangbanna is a place where the Dai people gather. Due to the delay of the plane, I arrived at Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Hotel in Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna, very late yesterday, and I was not able to see the surrounding environment. Looking out from the balcony of the room this morning, I saw flowers blooming in the hotel's garden and on both sides of the street, and banana trees and tall coconut trees were covered with fruits. The buildings of the houses are mostly white, and the style is very different from that of the mainland, with a Southeast Asian style.

Gaozhuang Xishuangjing is in Dai language, which means "nine towers and twelve villages" in Chinese. Through the overall planning of "one river, two gates, nine towers and twelve villages", it aims to reproduce the ancient scenery and create a prosperous "Jinghong, a city within the city", faces the international market and welcomes tens of millions of tourists.

Tell Zhuang Xishuangjing

Yesterday I made an appointment with Master Yuan who picked me up from the airport, and today I will rent his car to go to Wild Elephant Valley. At 9 o'clock, Master Yuan came to pick us up on time.

If you want to see wild Asian elephants in China, you must go to Xishuangbanna; to see wild elephants in Xishuangbanna, you must go to Wild Elephant Valley. Xishuangbanna, known as the "country of riding elephants" in ancient times, is the only habitat for Asian elephants in China. The Wild Elephant Valley, located at the junction of the east and west areas of Mengyang Nature Reserve, is the central channel for the exchange and convergence of wild Asian elephants living in the two areas. Valleys and rivers criss-cross, dense forests, a tropical rainforest scenery. There are about 50 groups of wild elephants here, about 300-350. Wild Elephant Valley allows tourists to safely observe Asia without interfering with the life of Asian elephants through high-altitude observation plank roads, rainforest sightseeing cableways, Asian elephant museums, Asian elephant breeding bases, and Asian elephant performance schools. Wild elephants and their living environment have become the only place in China where you can communicate with Asian wild elephants at close range, and are known as "the bridge between humans and Asian wild elephants".

Entering the scenic spot just in time for the Asian elephant performance, Master Yuan took us to see the performance first. Elephants are very intelligent animals. After training, their performances are lively and interesting.

Wild Elephant Valley--Elephant Show

After watching the performance, Master Yuan took us to visit the Butterfly Garden, Orchid Garden and other scenic spots, and finally came to the high-altitude observation plank road, and told us to wait for us at the exit of the plank road.

The plank road has a total length of more than 1,000 meters and an average height of 15 meters from the ground. If you are lucky, you can see wild elephants moving on the ground. We didn't see wild elephants, but the plank road was erected in the dense forest. Walking on the plank road, we can watch the rainforest plants growing at a close distance and learn about tropical rainforest plants from another angle.

Wild Elephant Valley

Coming out of Wild Elephant Valley, Master Yuan proposed to go to Jinuo Shanzhai, but I wanted to go to Manting Park, so I finally decided to go back to Jinghong City to have lunch, and then go to Manting Park.

Manting Park is the oldest park in Xishuangbanna. It was originally the imperial garden of the Dai king. The Dai people used to call it "Chunhuan", which means "the garden of the soul". It has a history of more than 1,300 years. The scenic spot embodies the three major themes of "Dai royal culture, Buddhist culture, and Dai folk culture". There are not only hills and rivers in the park, but also a cultural landscape with strong ethnic characteristics. It is a natural village-style park.

Entering the gate of the park, the first thing that catches the eye is a full-body bronze statue commemorating Premier Zhou Enlai. The Prime Minister is dressed in a Dai costume, holding a water bowl in his left hand and an olive branch in his right. On the left side of the bronze statue are two bodhi trees planted by the princess of the Kingdom of Thailand, which symbolize the friendship between China and Thailand.

Manting Park

In the park, there are not only natural landscapes made by nature, but also artificially cultivated exotic flowers and garden buildings. The forest is surrounded by vines and vines, the paths are covered with thick shade, and the green grass by the Fangsheng Lake is lush. The most distinctive feature is the various buildings in the garden, with a strong Dai style. Once you step into the park, you will feel a sense of returning to nature, and you will deeply feel the ingenious combination of nature and man-made, which is pleasing to the eyes and mind.

Manting Park

After passing the Dai King's Palace, crossing the Wind and Rain Bridge on the Fangsheng Lake, and bypassing the White Pagoda, you will arrive at the Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple, which is famous in Southeast Asia.

Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple is called "Wabajie" in Dai language, and it is the pilgrimage center of Buddhist believers in Xishuangbanna. It was the holy place where the supreme ruler of the Xishuangbanna area, Zhao Pianling (literally translated as the lord of the land or the king of the land), and his chieftain worshiped Buddha before liberation. It is also the highest-ranking Buddhist temple in Xishuangbanna.

The outer walls of the buildings in the temple are decorated with patterns such as Buddha statues, auspicious animals and lotus flowers, all of which are gilded and look resplendent.

Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple

I heard that the lights of Gaozhuang Xingguang Night Market are very beautiful, so I want to go to see it at night. Master Yuan said that the Xingguang Night Market will not be busy until after 8:00 pm. After leaving Manting Park, go back to the hotel for a short rest, and go out to the Xingguang Night Market at 8:00 pm.

The Starlight Night Market is on the bank of the Lancang River behind the Dajinta Temple in Gaozhuang. Standing on the steps of the Dajinta Temple and looking down, the stalls are next to each other, and a large area is brightly lit, which is very beautiful.

Gaozhuang Starlight Night Market

We walked around the night market. The night market here is similar to the market in many tourist attractions. There are stalls selling various tourist souvenirs, and some stalls selling fruits and local barbecue.

D13

The Wangtianshu Scenic Spot and the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are relatively far from Jinghong City, and they have signed up for one-day tour groups today and tomorrow. Today, I am going to Wangtianshu Scenic Area. According to the short message reminder from the tour guide, I went to the gate of Gaozhuang Tourist Service Center to wait for the bus of the travel agency early in the morning.

Wangtianshu Scenic Spot is located in Bubeng National Nature Reserve in the northeast of Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It covers an area of 864.4 hectares and is a key tourist area in Xishuangbanna. There is a representative tree species of the tropical rainforest--the Wangtian tree of the dipterocarp family. Because it is tall and straight, with a height of seventy to eighty meters, piercing the blue sky like a sharp sword, it has the reputation of "giant in the forest" and "beautiful prince in the forest". In 1974, Cai Xitao went to Bubeng Village, Mengla County to conduct field research and take samples for identification. He discovered Wangtian tree, which confirmed the existence of tropical rainforest in my country and made my country one of the countries with the most complete forest types in the world. In 1986, Prince Philip personally went to Xishuangbanna for research and finally confirmed the existence of the typical dipterocarp tree species Wangtianshu. After returning to China, he actively promoted and wrote a book, confirming to the world that there is indeed a tropical rainforest near 21 degrees north latitude. It also makes my country one of the three regions with tropical rain forests in the world.

It was almost noon when we arrived at Wangtianshu Scenic Area, so we had to eat and rest first. After lunch, first take a boat from Bubeng Wharf to visit the beautiful Nanla River.

The Nanla River Tropical Rainforest Sightseeing Belt, known as the Eastern Amazon, is the first stop to explore the Wangtianshu tropical rainforest. From Bubeng Rainforest Wharf to Wangtianshu Rainforest Wharf, the 4.3-kilometer-long Nanla River Basin winds and turns The dense tropical rainforest on both sides of the river and the exotic rainforest vegetation growing in the water together constitute a wonderful picture of beautiful scenery.

Wangtianshu Scenic Area--Nanla River

The boat docked at the rainforest wharf, and after landing was the highlight of the day - Wangtianshu Sky Corridor.

In the 1990s, American botanist Moore cooperated with the local government to observe the Wangtianshu tropical rainforest at close range and from multiple angles. He unexpectedly built a volley 36 meters long and 500 meters long. "Wangtianshu Air Corridor". The corridor is built by connecting tall Wangtian trees with thick iron cables, suspended by steel cables, nylon ropes and nets as guardrails, and aluminum alloy ladders as pedals. Each section is connected with a wooden platform built on the tree trunk. Now it has become the world's focus for many people who have traveled thousands of miles to observe and experience China's tropical rainforest.

Walking on the air corridor, everyone carefully experienced the thrilling and dangerous feeling of walking through the canopy.

Wangtianshu Scenic Area--Air Corridor

Down from the air corridor, the next step is to walk in the tropical rainforest. There are two famous walking trails in the scenic area - Cai Xitao Trail and Philip Trail, which are named in memory of botanist Cai Xitao and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, chairman of the World Wildlife Fund.

Walking in the forest, the birds chirping on the trees, the vines, epiphytes, ferns in the middle of the forest, especially the cruel strangling phenomenon are dizzying.

Wangtianshu Scenic Area--Big Root

Tropical Rainforest Iconic Tree Species--Wangtian Tree

Wangtianshu Scenic Spot--Strangulation Phenomenon

At about 4 o'clock, we started our return journey. I originally planned to go to Tengchong hot springs after my trip to Xishuangbanna. On the way back to downtown Jinghong, I received a text message that the flight from Xishuangbanna to Tengchong that had been successfully booked was canceled for some reason, and I suddenly felt depressed. The original plan was disrupted, so I had no choice but to cancel the original itinerary of Tengchong and re-plan. Hurry up and call to cancel the booked Tengchong hotel and chartered car, refund and rebook the ticket. After a busy day, I was not in the mood to go shopping again, so I packed a roast chicken at Manfeilong Roast Chicken on the way and went back to the hotel to rest.

D14

I got on the bus at the entrance of the Gaozhuang Tourist Service Center early in the morning. Today I am going to the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also known as Menglun Botanical Garden, is located in Huludao, Menglun Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. A comprehensive research institution and scenic spot integrating preservation and popular science education. The whole park is divided into east and west two areas. The eastern area is a place for scientific research and experiments. Except for the tropical rainforest scenic spot, other places are not open to the public. The west area is a tourist area, and it is also a professional area for displaying various plants.

We first visited the West District, and first came to the Aquatic Botanical Garden. The Wang Lian with huge leaves growing in the pool was particularly eye-catching, and many people took pictures here. Then, after going through Palm Garden, Exotic Flower Garden, Celebrity and Famous Tree Garden, National Tree and National Garden and other specialized botanical gardens, we finally come to Fujimoto Garden. The tour guide introduced various plants while walking, and we watched as we walked. It's a pity that we came in the wrong season, missed the flowering period of most plants, and didn't remember the names of several plants along the way.

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Some people in the tour group rested in the Fujimoto Garden, and we followed the tour guide and took the battery car to continue to the Green Stone Forest Scenic Area in the East District.

The tropical rainforest in the eastern area of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden was protected and reconstructed in 1974, and now it basically has the landscape characteristics of a tropical rainforest.

In the Green Stone Forest Scenic Area, there are layers upon layers of primeval forests where the sun cannot be seen, and vines are everywhere in the forest. The competition for survival in the forest is extremely cruel. After hundreds of millions of years of evolution, plants have derived strange phenomena such as tree roots such as waterfalls, big roots, and strangled banyans.

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

From the green stone forest, the tour guide led us to the tropical rainforest area. Entering the scenic spot, the hot and humid air blows. Plant parasitism, strangulation, and large roots can also be seen everywhere in the tropical rainforest area. Survival of the fittest, all living beings are no exception.

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

It is said that the fruits in Xishuangbanna are delicious, but the fruits bought in Jinghong City feel that the taste is average, not particularly delicious. The tour guide suggested that we taste the fruits at the fruit stand at the entrance of the botanical garden, saying that the fruits here grow and mature naturally without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. After visiting the botanical garden, we bought small pineapples, mangoes and bananas at the fruit stand at the entrance. The taste was really sweet, which was very different from the fruits bought in Jinghong City.

On the way back to the hotel, I accidentally found a restaurant called Yuhan Dai's hand-picked rice. I wanted to try the Dai's hand-picked rice, so I decided to have dinner here. I ordered a set meal for 2 people, and the bamboo dustpan covered with banana leaves was filled with various delicacies. The pineapple rice is sweet and sour, and the mixed vegetable soup is refreshing with a hint of sweetness.

Xishuangbanna hand pilaf

After dinner, we passed the Shwedagon Pagoda Temple on the way back to the hotel. It's not dark yet, and the Shwedagon Pagoda Temple has not been lit by lights, but it is still very beautiful with golden light shining under the sunlight. Looking down from the top, there are only dots of stalls preparing to go out. There were not many people at this time, so we stayed here for a while before returning to the hotel.

Shwedagon Pagoda

D15

Take the flight from Xishuangbanna at noon and arrive at Kunming Airport in just over an hour. Take the airport bus to Kunming Railway Station, and then walk to the hotel. It's time for dinner.

The famous delicacies in Kunming are Guoqiao rice noodles, steam pot chicken and wild mushroom hot pot. For the first meal in Kunming, we chose wild mushroom hot pot. Take a taxi to the Colorful Southern Yunnan Traditional Wild Mushroom Hot Pot Restaurant located in Wanda Plaza. There are too many varieties of mushrooms here, many of which I have never heard of before. At the suggestion of the waiter, we ordered boletus, coral fungus, aeruginosa and a kind of fungus called water white onion, and ordered the soup base of local chicken. After the soup is boiled, the waiter will help put the mushrooms into the pot. After cooking for 15 minutes, the waiter will take a sample of the mushroom soup in the pot. This is to prevent the diners from eating the poisonous mushrooms by mistake, and then they can taste the delicious mushrooms.

The delicious chicken soup and the crispy and tender taste of mushrooms are hard for those of us who have lived in northern cities for a long time to eat.

Kunming Wild Mushroom Hot Pot

D16

Today's main itinerary is Xishan Forest Park in Kunming. I came out of the hotel in the morning and followed the navigation for a long time before I found the bus stop to Xishan Park.

Kunming Xishan Forest Park is located in the 15-kilometer peaks in the western suburbs of Kunming. Overlooking the peaks of Xishan Mountain, it looks like a "sleeping beauty" lying on the shore of Dianchi Lake. The dense forest vegetation is lush all year round, and ancient temples and pavilions such as Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, and Sanqing Pavilion are hidden in the depths of lush forests and bamboos.

Take the bus to the Xishan Park Visitor Center, and then take the scenic sightseeing bus to the Longmen Scenic Area of Xishan Park. At the entrance of the scenic spot, take the cableway to Lingxu Pavilion on the top of the mountain, where you can overlook the vast Dianchi Lake.

Dianchi Lake, also known as Kunming Lake or Kunming Lake, has beautiful scenery, vast expanses of blue water, dotted with sails, and the scenery of the lake and mountains is intoxicating. Dianchi Lake is the upper source of the Pudu River, a tributary of the Jinsha River. It is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan Province and is known as the Pearl of the Plateau.

Standing on the Lingxu Pavilion, looking up into the distance, the water and the sky are the same color, and you can have a panoramic view of Dianchi Lake for five hundred miles, which is refreshing.

Xishan Park--Overlooking Dianchi Lake

Going down the stone steps and passing the archway of Longmen Scenic Spot, you will find the essence of Xishan Park - Longmen Grottoes.

Longmen Grottoes is located at the end of Kunming Xishan Forest Park, from Sanqing Pavilion in the north to Datian Pavilion in the south. Longmen is a group of buildings built on the cliffs of Luohan Mountain, the main peak of Xishan Mountain, with nine floors and eleven pavilions. Longmen stone carving project, including stone passages, ancient rooms, ancient fences, ancient caves, ancient Buddhas, etc. "Longmen Scenic Spot" is characterized by "strange, unique, dangerous, and secluded". It ranks first among the many scenic spots in the West Mountain of Kunming. It is the largest and most exquisite Taoist grotto in Yunnan and the essence of the West Mountain Scenic Spot.

Xishan Park--Longmen Grottoes

After visiting the Longmen Grottoes, we took a sightseeing bus and got off at Taihua Temple.

Taihua Temple is located in the belly of Taihua Mountain in Xishan Forest Park in Kunming, surrounded by mountains and rivers, hidden among green trees and green bamboos, towering majestically and quite spectacularly. The pavilions, pavilions, corridors and pools in the temple converge into a song, which is quiet and quiet. With the Daxiong Palace as the center, there are verandahs on both sides, which are connected in series with the hatchback pavilions and lofts. The architectural art is unique. The simple and elegant architectural style, the vast 500-mile Dianchi Lake, and the winding and steep Taihua Peak complement each other, forming a charming, confusing, peaceful and harmonious scenery.

Due to disrepair for a long time, most areas in the temple are not open to the public.

Taihua Temple

Taihua Temple
Go down the Taihua Ancient Road on the left hand side of the entrance of Taihua Temple, and you can reach Huating Temple in about half an hour.

Huating Temple, formerly known as Dayuanjue Temple, was founded in the 14th century. In the sixth year of Mingshun (1462), the temple monk Xiangsheng presided over the reconstruction. It was rebuilt and expanded in the 26th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1688), and then named Huating Temple. The scale of the halls in the temple is magnificent and it is a famous Buddhist holy place in Kunming.

Taihua Ancient Road

Huating Temple

Huating Temple
After visiting Huating Temple, it was already 5 o'clock in the afternoon. We took the sightseeing bus back to the foot of the mountain, and then we took the bus to Guandu Ancient Town.

I’m going back to Tianjin tomorrow. The Guandu cakes and flower cakes I bought in Guandu Ancient Town last time are delicious. I want to bring some back to Tianjin this time. After arriving in the ancient town, we went straight to Li’s Baba. Unfortunately, the flower cakes have been sold out, so let’s buy some big cakes and bring them back.

At the entrance of the ancient town, there is a chain store of Jiaqiaoxiangyuan Guoqiao Rice Noodles, where you can taste Kunming Guoqiao Rice Noodles. In addition to the ordinary Guoqiao rice noodles, there are also different sets of packages for scholars, Jinshi, and champions. We ordered the most popular Jinshi Guoqiao rice noodle set, in addition to soup and rice noodles, there are many ingredients such as bacon and fish slices. Put the ingredients into the boiling soup while it is still hot, and then add the rice noodles. The rice noodles covered with fresh and fragrant soup are chewy, smooth and delicious.

Kunming Cross Bridge Rice Noodles

D17

Kunming is a famous capital of flowers, and here is the largest fresh-cut flower trading market in Asia. The flight back to Tianjin is at 6:00 p.m., and I have plenty of time. I want to visit the flower market in Kunming. Shangyi Flower Market is the largest professional flower wholesale market with the most complete categories in Kunming. In the morning, take a bus from Kunming Station to Shangyi Flower Market.

When I got there, I found that the scale of the market is not large, and I have already circled back and forth twice in the market for more than an hour.

Kunming Shangyi Flower Market

Where is the largest fresh-cut flower market in Asia? I quickly checked online, and it turned out that the largest fresh-cut flower market in Asia is in Kunming Dounan Flower Market, so I transferred to the subway to Dounan Flower Market.

Kunming Dounan Flower Market is known as the "weather vane" of China's flower market and the "barometer" of flower prices. More than 80% of fresh cut flowers in Yunnan Province and flowers from surrounding provinces and countries enter the market. Fresh cut flowers are sold from here to In more than 50 countries and regions such as China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, it is said that 7 of the 10 fresh-cut flowers in the country are produced in Yunnan.

The flower market is very large. The first floor mainly sells dried and fresh cut flowers, and every stall is full of fresh flowers. Perhaps because of the season, there are not many varieties of flowers, most of which are common in the north, but the price is much cheaper than in the north. The second floor mainly sells succulents, and there are many varieties, many of which are hard to see in the north.

Kunming Dounan Flower Market

After visiting the flower market, this trip to Yunnan is over.

October 2020