Why is West Hill so special?
Western Hills boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery. They have also been given another name – ‘Sleeping Beauty Hills’ for the hills because its skyline looks like a beautiful young lady laying beside Dianchi Lake with her face upward and her hair trailling into water.
In the Western Hills, Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, and Sanqing Pavillion are shaded by flourishing woods and tall bamboo bushes. The exquisite Gragon Gate Grotto is built along the precipice cliff. The grand and magnificent beauty of lakes and mountains, and the rich cultural deposits make the Western Hills charming and mysterious.
Introduction
Western Hills Overview
Western Hills is called 西山(Xishan) in Chinese, and it’s a scenic forest park located in the west suburb of Kunming, 15km to the city center, with the beautiful Dian Lake sitting on the east of it. Western Hill has always been reputed as the “top scenery in central Yunnan”. The whole scenic spot is made of several mountains, including Biji Mountain, Huating Mountain, Taihua Mountain, Luohan Mountain, etc. and they are reach out for over 40km, and the highest altitude is 2500m. Western Hill is a large forest park, and also a national scenic spot which perfectly combines the natural scenery with the cultural relics. Historic sites are surrounded by quiet and peaceful green forests, including the most famous Dragon Gate, and Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, San Qing Pavilion, etc. It’s a perfect place for walking and relaxing.
Main Attractions in Western Hills
In Western Hills, there are wonderful scenic spots such as Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, Sanqing Pavilion, and Dragon Gate. The undulating hills, verdant trees and melodious bird singing together with the magnificent ancient building make you feel peaceful in the modern city.
At the altitude of 2025 meters, Huating Temple was first built in 14 century. It had been destroyed and rebuilt several times most recently in 1923. As one of the largest Buddhist temples in Yunnan Province, the buildings inside the temple are imposing and spectacular.
● Taihua Temple(太华寺）
Taihua Temple gained its name for it is located on Taihua Hill. Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty (1206 – 1368), the temple is the oldest one in Western Hills. Daxiong Baodian Hall, Piaomiao Pavilion, Sizhao Hall are in the temple. The temple is famous for the beautiful rare flowers on the grounds. It is also a good place to watch the grand spectacle of the rising sun.
● Sanqing Pavillion(三清阁）
Sanqing Pavilion is built on the cliff at Luohan Hill. Being over 300 meters (approximately 984 feet) above Dianchi Lake, the pavilion looks like a ‘castle in the air’. This temple has a Taoist influence, and ‘Sanqing’ in Taoism refers to the loftiest stature. The pavilion is a good place where you can not only visit the temples, but also enjoy a panoramic view of Dianchi Lake.
There is a saying – ‘If you do not visit Western Hills, you haven’t visited Kunming; if you do not come to Dragon Gate, you haven’t been to Western Hills.’ Being the outstanding scenic place in Western Hills, Dragon Gate is a big exquisite stone carved edifice. The stone paths, stone rooms, stone grottos, and stone Buddhist figures are all carved with excellent craftsmanship on a large natural rock. Like Sanqing Pavilion, Dragon Gate was also built on cliff. You can stand on the edge of the cliff holding the railing, looking downward to experience the steepness of the hill and enjoy the spectacle of Dianchi Lake.
Best time to travel Western Hills
The best time is from March to October -spring, summer and autumn is the suitable time to visit Western Hill and Dragon Gate.
How to Get There
Western Hill is located at the west suburb Kunming City, and it’s very convenient to get there from the city center. There are many public buses driving from the city center to Western Hill, and public bus will take about 1.5 hours to get there. A better way is taking taxi or private car to there, and it will need about half hour.
How to Get Around West Hills
Cable Car: in Haigeng Park which is next to Yunnan Nationalities Village, tourists can take the “Dian Lake – Dragon Gate” cable car to get to the lower cableway station of Dragon Gate (Park Service Center is here), and this is ¥35/person. This will take about half hour and tourists can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dian Lake on the cable car. Then tourists can take cable car from there to get to the entrance of Dragon Gate – the upper cableway station, this is ¥25/person; or tourists can take battery car to the entrance, this will take ¥8/person. Travelers who love hiking can also walk to the entrance, and it’s only about 2km.
Travel Bus: after arriving at the parking lot of Western Hill, tourists can take the travel bus commuting between the entrance of Western Hill to the lower cableway station, and the ticket for the travel bus is ¥25/person, and the travel bus will make stops at Huating Temple and Taihua Temple. After getting to the lower cableway station, tourists can choose to take cable car, or battery car or walk to the Dragon Gate entrance.
Travel Route: tourists can take cable car or travel bus to the Park Service Center (the lower cableway station), then take cable car to the upper cableway station, and walk down the mountain and visit the Dragon Gate and San Qing Pavilion on the way. After arriving at the Dragon Gate Entrance, take battery car to the Park Service Center, then take travel bus to get back and visit Taihua Temple and Huating Temple on the way. This is the most popular and relaxing way. For hike lovers, they can walk most of the journey.
Useful Tips
1. Ticket
There is no ticket for Western Hill, however, the attractions on the Western hill are charged. The ticket for Dragon Gate scenic spot is ¥40/person, and this includes Dragon Gate Grottoes and San Qing Pavilion. The joint ticket for Taihua Temple and Huating Temple is ¥20/person. Cable ticket from Dian Lake to lower cableway station of Dragon Gate is ¥35/person; cable ticket from lower cableway station to upper cable way station of Dragon Gate is ¥25/person; battery car ticket on the mountain is ¥8/person.
2. Best seasons
The best seasons to visit Western Hill are spring, summer and autumn (from March to October). The scenery in winter is not good as the other seasons. During March to October, the Western Hill is covered with green trees and colorful flowers, and the scenery at this time is very beautiful and tranquil.
3. Walking Notice
There are many stairs in Dragon Gate Scenic Spot, so it’s suggested to wear comfortable shoes to walk.
Recommended West Hills Tours
Top 3 West Hills tours chosen by most customers to explore West Hills in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us. We provide some tour routes for tourists to choose.
1 Day Kunming City Highlights Tour with Yunnan Ethnic Villages and Western Hills
11 Days Western Yunnan and Myanmar Border Cycling Tour
Why is Dianchi Lake so special?
Embraced by several peaks and alluring waters, Dianchi Lake is just like a sparkling jewel embedded in Kunming. The lake is crescent-shaped, stretching 24 miles (39 kilometers) from north to south and more than 8 miles (13.5 kilometers) from west to east. Occupying an area of 116 square miles (300 square kilometers), Dianchi Lake is the largest lake in China. More than 20 rivers converge into it.
The Dianchi Scenic Area is quite mesmerizing, where natural scenery and human landscape blend perfectly. It can be divided into two districts, namely West district and East district. What makes Dianchi Lake distinctive is that the color of its water changes with the clouds and sunshine of the day. Around Dianchi Lake also lie many places of interest, such as West Hill, Daguan Park, Yunnan Ethnic Village and so on. These featured attractions are all ideal getaways for visitors to get close to nature to relax.
Introduction
the History of Dianchi Lake
The Chinese character for the lake is a phonosemantic compound of the radical 氵 (“water”) and the character 真, whose current pronunciation is zhēn but whose Old Chinese pronunciation has been reconstructed as tin.
Dianchi Lake was the site of the capital of the independent kingdom of the Cuan (爨) during the first millennium AD. At that time, it was known as Kunchuan (昆川).
Biodiversity of Dianchi Lake
Together with other Yunnan lakes (Fuxian, Qilu, Yangzong, Xingyun, and Yilong), Dian Lake is recognized as an ecoregion. Among three major Yunnan lakes with a high number of endemics, the two other being Fuxian and Erhai, the most drastic loss of biodiversity has been seen in Dian. Of the 25 native fish species and subspecies in Dian Lake, 10 are endemic to the basin: Acheilognathus elongatus, Anabarilius alburnops, Anabarilius polylepis, Cyprinus micristius micristius, Liobagrus kingi, Pseudobagrus medianalis, Silurus mento, Sinocyclocheilus grahami, Sphaerophysa dianchiensis and Xenocypris yunnanensis. Today the only endemic fish known to survive in the lake itself is Anabarilius alburnops, but it is endangered. The remaining have not been recorded there since the 1990s or earlier, and most of these are likely extinct. Two other species, Schizothorax grahami and Yunnanilus nigromaculatus, are endemic to the general region, but have also disappeared from Dian Lake itself. Among the non-endemic natives, only gold fish and Asian swamp eel still live in Dian Lake. In contrast to the status of the natives, the lake is now home to more than 25 introduced fish species.
The Yunnan lake newt (Cynops wolterstorffi) was endemic to the lake, but it has not been seen since 1979 and is considered extinct. Many native hydrophytes have also disappeared from the lake.
Pollution Management of the Dianchi Lake
The pollution and the management of it is the eternal but sad topic of the province and government. Although the country and some global administrations like the World Bank have invested lots of money to help the progress of pollution management and have made some environmental improvement at Dianchi Lake, it can not completely solve the problems of pollution. Dianchi is still one of the most serious polluted lakes in the world, guests may find the water is of extremely green color in the lake.
Best Time To Visit Dianchi Lake
For the comfortable weather in Kunming, it is suitable to have trip here all the year round. What special in winter is that sea gulls will come to winter here and most of the local people will enjoy their time with sea gulls, such as taking photoes and feeding sea gulls.
How to Get here?
By Bus
Take Bus 24, 44, 73, 94, 135, 172 or 233, and get off at Haigeng Gongyuan (Haigeng Park) Station.
By Taxi
Take a taxi to the Haigeng Park (near Dianchi Lake)costs about RMB25 yuan, it is about 12 kilometers from the Nanping Pedestrian Street of Kunming.
Passenger car
There is special line for traveling to Dianchi, you can take that car in the city center.
Private Tour (Top Recommended)
If you want to get rid of hustle of public transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers sightseeing, dining and transfer from us. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Dianchi Lake with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing.
Nearby Attractions
Tourists can not only visit Dianchi Lake, but also can visit some famous attractions near it, such as West Hill Forest Park, National Sport Training Centers, Yunnan National Museum, Yunnan Minorities Village, Daguan Park and other attractions, they are very close to the lake.
Yunnan Ethnic Villages ( 云南民族村)
The Yunnan Ethnic Village acts as a good shortcut to understand the social customs of the ethnic groups in Yunnan. It has a natural sun-bathing area where you can escape from the heat of summer. Twenty-five ethnic nationalities have their respective villages and conduct many activities to present their unique folkways and beautiful clothes. Also you can enjoy the water screen movie and an elephant performance, have a taste of the local dishes and buy pretty handicrafts.
Daguan Park (大观园)
Daguan Park is vibrant with rock gardens, pavilions, bridges and murmuring water. It is famous for the longest couplets in China on the Daguan Pavilion (dà guān lóu 大观楼). The Daguan Pavilion was built in the year 1828. It commands a lovely view. The couplet written in the Qing (qīng 清) Dynasty (1644-1911), contains 180 characters brimming with literary grace. During festival evenings, gatherings take place here
Baiyukou Park (白鱼口公园)
Baiyukou Park is on the west bank of Dianchi Lake. Here a small hill looks like a white fish opening its mouth to Dianchi Lake. Near the Irregular shore line, beautiful gardens are hidden among green trees. In spring, the cherry trees are in blossom, adding luster to this serene place. Overlooking Dianchi Lake, you can see white sails of boats on the glistening lake and gulls skimming over the waves.
Haigeng Bank (海埂)
Haigeng Bank is about four kilometers (2.5 miles) long while ranging in width from forty meters (131 feet) to three hundred meters (984 feet). The bank, like a floating jade belt, is in fact a watershed of the Dianchi Lake. Slender willow twigs sweep the lake in the gentle breeze. In the south is a wonderful natural swimming pool which is always crammed with people in midsummer.
Kwan-yin Hill(观音山)
Kwan-yin Hill is bordered by the vast lake and has an altitude of 2,040 meters (6,693 feet). Lofty peaks on this hill seem to thrust themselves straight towards the sky. A Kwan-yin Temple built here in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was once a popular resort of Buddhism. Remaining are a seven-tier brick pagoda, houses, and a gate to the Kwan-yin Temple.How to get there: A Taxi ride to the northern section of the lake near Daguan Tower lakeside from the city center should cost you a mere Y15. You can also take bus 24 , 44 and get off at Haigeng Bank.
Recommended Dianchi Lake Tours:
Top 3 Dianchi Lake tours chosen by most customers to explore Dianchi Lake in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us. We provide some tour routes for tourists to choose.
1 Day Kunming Cycling Tour Around Dianchi Lake
6 Days Northeast Yunnan Winter Birding Tour to Dianchi Lake, Nianhu Lake and Dashanbao
9 Days Yunnan-Guizhou Winter Birding Tour with Dianchi Lake, Caohai Lake, Nianhu Lake and Dashanbao Nature Reserve
Travel Tips:
1.Recommended travel itinerary in Kunming including the Dianchi Lake: Visitors can firstly go to the West Hill Forest Park for a visit, then take the cable car from Longmen (the gate of the dragon) to Dianchi lake (Ticket price at RMB30).
2.There is no entrance fee charged at the Dianchi Lake, the entrance fee for Haigeng Park is RMB8 yuan. If guest do not want to take boat during the visit, a half day is enough for a visit to Dianchi Lake. If you want to explore the lake further, you can rent a bicycle and spend two days to cycle around the Dianchi, it is about 200 km.
Why is Yunnan Ethnic Villages so special?
This theme park displays the colorful folklore and architecture of 25 ethnic groups residing in Yunnan Province. The theme park offers shows and performances, folklore and wax museums, as well as replica buildings found in the villages of each ethnic group.Villages of over 25 minorities including the Yi, Dai, Miao, Jingpo, Wa, Hani, Naxi, Dulong and others have been built here. Through various displays and re-creations of the original villages, the Yunnan Ethnic Village displays the diverse local ethnic culture. Villages of different styles are well arranged and show visitors their unique charm. Displaying a variety of buildings, lifestyles, and religious beliefs in the region, the village is a microcosm of Yunnan’s colorful and diverse ethnic culture.
At the main gate hangs a plaque inscribed with five Chinese characters, Yun Nan Min Zu Cun, saying Yunnan Nationalities Village. A logo of a flying golden phoenix is right below the plaque, symbolizing good wishes to the village. On the lawn near the gate is a group of white elephant statues, as it is a custom here to welcome distinguished guests with elephants.
List of the main 25 Ethnic Minorities in Yunnan
List of the 25 Ethnic Villages in Yunnan Ethnic Villages
Introduction
the Basic Information of Yunnan Ethnic Villages
Located by the Dianchi Lake and at the foot of the Western Hill, the Village is a major part of Kunming Dianchi National Tourist and Holiday Zone. Opened to the public on February 18, 1992, the community is 8 km away from the city of Kunming proper and covers an area of 1,340 mus. The whole community contains 26 villages, and so far the Dai Village, the Bai Village, the Yi Village, the Naxi Village, the Wa Village, the Jinuo Village, the Lahu Village, the Bulang Village and 4 other villages have been completed.
The village is not only celebrating ethnic minorities, but it is also designed to give the world a snapshot view of both the natural scenery and cultural importance of Yunnan including: precipitous hills and beautiful lakes, parks, woods, old and modern treasures. Now the community has become a must-see for domestic and overseas visitors to Yunnan.
the Main Villages in Yunnan Ethnic Villages
• Dai Village
After entering, the first site coming into view is the Dai Village. Occupying 4.4 acres (1.8 hectares), the village is surrounded with water on three sides. Bamboo houses built on stilts are shaded with trees and flowers. A meandering path paved with red sandstones leads to a sacred Burmese-style temple. The lofty white tower, exquisite pavilions and bridges are very impressive. As a nationality loving singing and dancing, Dai People are proud of their peacock dance and music played on cucurbit flutes, which perfectly match each other.
• Bai Village
The typical Bai Village is composed of some traditional Bai residential houses with rooms on three sides and a wall (with the door) on the southern side. Tourists should never miss the occasions of Bawang dances and March Street (a festival normally celebrated from March 10th to 21st of lunar calendar in Dali)
• Yi Village
In the west of Harmony Square is the Yi Nationality village. It covers more than 8.4 acres (3.4 hectares). Since Yi People show respect to tigers, you can see a tiger rockery as well as a wall engraved with three tigers. A giant totem column is erected in the center of the magnificent Solar Calendar Square. Carved on the column are patterns of the sun, fire, tigers and the Eight Trigrams of ancient China. Around the column, there are ten black and white stone spheres facing different directions, symbolizing that life originates from the sun and the moon. The twelve lifelike carvings of Chinese zodiac animals on the peripheral add a lot of fun to the village. The distilleries, bullrings, and Mo Qiu, which is similar to a seesaw, represent authentic Yi culture.
• Naxi Village
Naxi Village is located to the east of Bai Village. Tourists can appreciate Naxi folk culture (called Dongba Culture), especially the local Dongjing music, the so-called sound of nature.
• Mosuo Village
Next to Naxi Village is Mosuo Village, which still maintains the matriarchy clans and the customs. What are special in Mosuo Village are the exquisite wood houses, delicious food, beautiful girls and last but not the least, the mysterious custom of walking marriage. Mosuo people’s marriage culture is quite uncommon. They prefer a visiting relationship between lovers—an arrangement they sometimes refer to in their language as sisi (zou hun in Chinese, meaning walking back and forth; or azhu zou hun, meaning friend marriage. Azhu means friend in Mosuo language). A Mosuo woman is free to receive male visitors after the coming-of-age ceremony at 12. A lover may stay overnight in her room but will return to his own mother’s home. Children born from such a relationship live with their mother. In Mosuo society, lovers can end their relationship at any time. For example, a woman may refuse her lover by simply no longer opening the door. Their marriage relationship is not a formal one.
• Achang Village
With a courtyard building as the main body, and the village gate, workshop is corresponding, such as a grey tile brick wall and stone column is characteristic. Achang people are hospitable and respect the old and cherish the young. There are guest to nap, the host entertain the guest with good tea and serve better wine; When propose a toast or pour tea, avoid to accept without comity. There is custom that the host will try to persuade guest to drink and eat, whether people who can drink liquor or tea, it is taboo that guest does not accept; When guest is persuaded by the host during dinner-time, no matter you are full or hungry, you’d better receive what the host give with bowl holding in both hands. Receiving with both hands or get up to salute is regarded as a great respect.
• Zhuang Village
Zhuang compatriots of Yunnan province mainly gathered in Wenshan prefecture, they live in Ganlan or Malan local-style dwelling houses, good at planting and diligent about farming, and they have customs of sun-worship, “Three Eternity Emperor” worship, ancestor-worship, and the custom of the master of elder is the leader. They regard highly of bronze drum, love silver ware, can sing and dance. They are hospitable and love to eat five-color glutinous rice, rice wine, and roasted tea. They have a national consciousness of self-esteem and self-confidence, their excellent traditional cultures are still intact that remain the ancient ethnic traditional culture essence of Baiyue minority.
• Tibetan Village
Covers an area of 21 mu, the village has top residences and carving type flat local-style dwelling houses building. Sacred Tibetan Buddhist temple, magnificent welcome white pagoda, the “white yak” sculpture is symbol of auspicious peace and unique style of Tibetan architecture mutual set off, bring out the best in each other. During the festival, singing folk songs, dancing Guozhuang dance and Xianzi dance, riders are even competing for archery.
What to do in Yunnan Ethnic Village
1. Watching Ethnic Singing and Dancing Performances
The ethnic singing and dancing performances and the folk performances are from 9:00 to 17:00, mainly in the Dancing Hall and Tuanjie Square. The Asian Elephants performances are specially recommended.
Shows Timetable
| Colorful Clouds | Jingpo Village | 09:30-10:00, 11:30-12:00, 16:10-16:40 |
| Daogan Square | 10:10-10:40, 11:20-11:50, 17:00-17:30 | |
| Wa Village | 10:50-11:20, 12:00-12:30, 16:20-16:50 | |
| Yi Village | 10:40-11:10, 14:00-14:30, 16:10-16:40 | |
| Jino Village & Lahu Village | 11:40-12:10, 14:10-14:40 | |
| Mosuo Village | 13:20-13:50, 16:30-17:00 | |
| Bai Village | 10:30-11:00, 12:40-13:10, 17:00-17:30 | |
| The Call of the Plateau | Dianchi Stage | 13:20-14:10 CNY 150 for a normal ticket and CNY 260 for a VIP ticket |
| Elephant Show | Elephant Show Square | Ride elephant and take pictures: 10:30-11:00, 14:30-15:00, 15:30-16:00 Elephant show: 11:00-11:30, 15:00-15:30, 16:00-16:30 |
Note: The time schedule is subject to changes due to weather conditions and other factors.
2. Celebrating Festivals of Minority Ethnic Groups
1. Torch Festival of Yi- falls from June 24 to June 26 in Chinese lunar calendar (usually late June in western calendar).
2. Water Splashing Festival of Dai- falls in mid-April and lasts for 3-7 days
3. Hunting Festival (Lieshen Festival) of Yi- falls in February 1 to February 3 in Chinese lunar calendar (usually early March in western calenda)
4. Sanyuejie Festival of Bai- falls in March 15 in Chinese lunar calendar (usually in mid-April in western calendar)
5. Mizhi Festival of Yi- usually falls in November and women are not allowed to attend.
6. March 3 in Chinese lunar calendar- falls in late March or early April in western calendar; it is a day for spring outing of Kunming people.
3. Familiar Ethnic Culture
Yunnan Ethnic Village has managed to represent and exhibit the history, the cultures, the customs and the natural village houses of the 26 nationalities in this province. With the inclusion of precipitous hills, beautiful lakes and an integration of the customs, cultures, music, songs, dances, religious and architecture of the 26 nationalities, the village community has helped to show the world the true nature of Yunnan, a mysterious yet modern garden of ethnic cultures.
How to Get There?
• From Changshui International Airport to Village of Ethnic Culture
Kunming Changshui Airport is about 25 km from downtown, it takes about 100 RMB to Kunming city. And it is inconvenient to take public bus from the airport to the village because of transfering, so we recommend people to go to Village of Ethnic Culture from the airport by taxi which costs at least 100 RMB.
• From Kunming City to Yunnan Ethnic Village
By bus: You can take public bus No.24, 44, and 73 to Yunnan Village of Ethnic Culture bus stop.
By taxi: Taking taxi from downtown to Yunnan Village of Ethnic Culture takes about 30 minutes.
Transportation Facilities within the Tourist Site
| Quadricycle with 2 or 4 seats | CNY 100/vehicle (three hours) |
| Balance bike | CNY 80/hour |
| Electro car with 2 seats | CNY 80/hour |
| Sightseeing mini-train | CNY 30 per person |
| Sightseeing boat | CNY 20 per person |
| 13-seat battery car | CNY 500/car (two hours) |
| 7-seat battery car | CNY 300/car (two hours) |
Nearby Attractions
Except Yunnan Ethnic Village, you also can enjoy other chanrming attractions near Yunnan Ethnic Village.
Golden Temple was built in Ming dynasty and was reconstructed by Wu Sangui in the 10th year of the Kangxi Period (1671 A .D.) made by brass which is the mixture of copper and zinc. That’s why it is named as “the golden temple”. It is totally weighted250 tons and 6.7 meters high; it isthe biggest and heaviest as well as the best preserved copper templein China. It is a key national cultural and historical relics. The whole temple reflects the excellent metallurgical and casting technology more than 300 years ago in Yunnan.
The Western Hills and Dragon Gate
Western Hills boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery. They have also been given another name – ‘Sleeping Beauty Hills’ for the hills because its skyline looks like a beautiful young lady laying beside Dianchi Lake with her face upward and her hair trailling into water.
The Kingdom of the Little People
The Kingdom of the Little People is a theme park located near Kunming, Yunnan that features comic performances by people with dwarfism. Supporters of the park claim that it provides employment to people who would otherwise be unable to find work, but it has been criticized for treating dwarfism as a humorous condition.
Recommended Yunnan Ethnic Village Tours
Top 3 Yunnan Ethnic Village chosen by most customers to explore Yunnan Ethnic Village in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us. We provide some tour routes for tourists to choose.
1 Day Kunming City Highlights Tour with Yunnan Ethnic Villages and Western Hills
1 Day Kunming Stone Forest Tour with Yunnan Ethnic Villages
11 Days Yunnan Ethnic Minority’s Markets Discovery and Long Street Banquet Celebration Tour
Travel tips:
1. Each village has performances from 09:00 to 17:00, usually taking place in the Dance Hall or in the Plaza of Ethnic Unity.
2. Asian Elephant Show Time: 10:30-11:30; 13:30-14:30; 15:30-16:30.
3. CNY 40 for one-way cableway to West Hill Forest Park, CNY 70 for round cableway.
3. CNY 40 for one-way cableway to West Hill Forest Park, CNY 70 for round cableway.
Introduction
Yunnan Nationalities Museum is located on the east bank of Dianchi Lake next to Yunnan Nationalities Village in Kunming City, China. Completed in 1995, it is a comprehensive ethnology museum. Covering an area of over 200 mu, the museum has a building area of 130,000 square meters. It consists of various exhibition halls, office building, report hall, storage and workshops. The ecological environment, religious customs, culture and arts and ethnic relics of the ethnic groups of Yunnan are collected in it.
The structure of Yunnan Nationalities Museum
The whole architecture looks like a courtyard with winding corridors featuring the local and minority nationalities’ styles.
Including 17 nationalities, Yunnan Nationalities Museum assembled 23 assistant research fellows and 28 lecturers. It consists of 5 sections: Administration Department, Exhibition Department, Cultural Relics Department, Research Department, Scientific Education Department, Development Department. The whole collection of the museum reached to over20,000. The museum has a exhibitions focusing on specific subjects.
In addition, the museum is not only a hall for showing the nationalities cultures, but also a beautiful scenic spot and ideal conference center. It has multi-function conference hall which is equipped with simultaneous interpretation system. Book store, handicraft shop, tea house and Artist studios or galleries are available for entertainment. Wish you a good time in Yunnan Nationalities Museum. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.
Exhibition of Yunnan Nationalities Museum
Basic Exhibition
1.Ethnic Costumes and Its Processing Skill: The exhibition is composed of two parts: “Traditional costumes” and “Costume processing skills”. Taking a main route of the history of costume development, the part of “Traditional costumes” presents the ethnic costumes made with various materials, rich styles, exquisite skills and of cultural meaning in different periods. The part of “Costume processing skills” presents the cloth including Dai brocade and Zhuang brocade, cloth processing tools, including spinning wheels, spinning tools, waist looms, horizontal looms, costume techniques and processes such as Tie-dye of Bai people, Batik of Miao people; various decorative ornaments and their processing tools, which display excellent skills level and unique aesthetic interests of Yunnan ethnic groups.
2.Ethnic Writing Characters and Ancient Books: The exhibition is composed of three parts：“Primitive Recording”, “Ethnic Ancient Books”, “Working Achievement”. The part of “Primitive Recording” displays those primitive information exchange ways before the invention o writing characters, such as wood carving and rode-tie, knitting, character patterns, objects endorsement, cliff painting. The part of “Ethnic Ancient Books” presents extensively ethnic writing characters and ancient books of various recording types, including inscriptions cliff, signature, stamps, ancient archives. The part of “Working Achievement” focus on the field work collecting, research and exhibition, interpretation and publishing works to show the fruits of ethnic ancient books and facing opportunities and challenge.
3.Traditional Producing and Life Skill: The exhibition is composed of “Traditional Producing Skill” and “Traditional Life Skill”. “Traditional Producing Skill” including two units of “Collecting, Fishing and Hunting Skill” and “Traditional Agriculture Skill”, presents Yunnan ethnic producing skill such as collecting, fishing, hunting, slash-and-burn cultivation, sowing and irrigation, hoe farming and plough farming, harvest and threshing. “Traditional Life Skill”, including three parts: “Folk dwelling house architecture”, “life utensils” and “life skill”, displays typical ethnic dwelling house in Yunnan, utensils for daily life and skills such as pottery-making, paper processing, sugar and oil press, rice processing, etc.
Temporary Exhibition
1.Culture on Fabrics – Canadian Aboriginal Textile Art
2.Zheng He, the Great Navigator, Diplomat and Envoy of Peace
3.Living by the Same River: The Greater Mekong Documentary Photography Exhibition
Domestic Exhibition Tour
1.A Fairyland of Seven Colors – Yunnan Ethnic Folk
2.The Charm of Yunnan – Yunnan Ethnic Folk Customs Exhibition
3.The South of Colourful Clouds – Yunnan Ethnic Folk Customs Exhibition
Exhibition Abroad
1.China’s Ethnic Clothing & Accessories Exhibition (2003, China-France Culture Year)
2.Lotus and Dragon – China’s Ethnic Clothing & Accessories Exhibition (2004, Finland)
3.Splendid China – China’s Ethnic Clothing and Handicrafts Exhibition (2007, Russia’s Year of China)
Departments of Yunnan Nationalities Museum
Executive Office:
Responsible for secretarial, personnel, financial and foreign affairs, coordination between departments and public relations
Administrator: Du Yunhong, Associate Research Fellow of Museology.
Tel: 0871 – 4311389
Fax: 0871 – 4311394
Cultural Relics Department:
Responsible for the storage, maintenance and collection of cultural relics.
Administrator: Jiang Zhen, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Deputy Administrator: Li Jin, Museologist
Tel: 0871 – 4312097
Exhibition Department:
Responsible for planning and implementation of exhibitions, multimedia research and development of exhibitions, management of pictures and data, etc.
Administrator: Yang Li, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Deputy Administrator: Li Xiaobin, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Tel: 0871 – 4312090
Research Department:
Responsible for scientific research, website construction, books and data, video resources, etc.
Administrator: Wang Guoliang, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Deputy Administrator: Yang Xiaobing, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Tel: 0871 – 4312091
Scientific Education Department:
Responsible for management of exhibition halls, visitors, volunteers, social education, etc.
Administrator: Hei Shaorong, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Deputy Administrator: Qiu Wenfa, Associate Research Fellow of Museology
Tel: 0871 – 431138, 0871 – 4311216
Development:
Responsible for development, operation, logistics, water and electricity, environmental sanitation, etc.
Deputy Administrator: Ji Zhimei, Museologist
Deputy Administrator: Luo Zhicheng
Tel: 0871 – 4311215
Security Department:
Responsible for security, fire prevention, monitoring, management of security guards, etc.
Chief: Pu Zongde
Tel: 0871 – 4311317
Education of Yunnan Nationalities Museum
The Yunnan Nationalities Museum, adhering to the core value of museum education and the tenet of serving the general public and building China into a strong nation of socialist culture, has attracted more than 6 million visitors with various exhibitions, extracurricular activities for high school students, thematic lectures, community-based family education sessions, school-museum and inter-museum cooperation, construction of patriotism and popular science bases, public services, thematic education programmes, volunteer team building efforts and museum membership since its establishment. The Chinese and foreign state leaders that have visited our museum include NPC Chairman Qiao Shi (1999), Vice Premier Wu Bangguo (1995), NPC Vice Chairman Bu He (1998), CPPCC Vice Chairman Yang Rudai, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand and Prince Akishino Miyafumihito of Japan. The Yunnan Nationalities Museum, as an important window open to the outside world and a spiritual home of all ethnic groups in Yunnan, is now playing an important role in publicizing the outstanding Chinese cultural heritage and promoting the national unity.
