Yunnan Travel Notes—Kunming, Tengchong, Mangshi

In August, I applied for a job at a travel company. During the 50-minute interview with the "General Manager of South China Region", he asked me: "If you were asked to recommend a destination within the country, which one would you choose?" Without any hesitation, I said Tengchong.

Tengchong City is affiliated to Baoshan City, Yunnan Province and is located in the southwest of Yunnan Province. From the mainland, you can fly directly to Tengchong Airport, or transfer from Baoshan Airport to the passenger terminal and take the free bus to Tengchong City.

It is 600 to 700 kilometers from Kunming to Tengchong, and the journey takes eight hours. The highway toll is more than 300 yuan. Self-driving is obviously not suitable, so I chose to fly there from Kunming.

"What's there in Tengchong?" was the second question he asked me. I’m talking about various hot springs, Heshun Ancient Town, Volcano Hot Sea, Beihai Wetland, Dagunguo, Dieshuihe Waterfall, National Memorial Park, Gaoligong Mountain, Ginkgo Village, Yunfeng Mountain, and Yunnan cuisine.

"You went in March, did you ever think that the season was not suitable?" I explained that I went to Wuhan first to see cherry blossoms, and then to Luoping to see rapeseed flowers, and I had been to Kundali several times, so I went to Feiteng from Kunming.

When I travel personally, I never list the "best viewing period" as a must. When the so-called best season comes, I may not have the mood and time to explore.

To go to Luoping, you should fly to Guizhou Xingyi Wanfenglin Airport, and it would be faster to take a car or train there. I didn’t make a plan at the time, so I flew directly to Kunming when I saw that it was Yunnan Province.

When I first arrived in Kunming, the weather was uniquely bright in Yunnan.

The long-lost Kunming subway

Pink cherry blossoms bloom all the way

Kunming is full of sunshine, so I waited until evening to go out and take a bus to Kunming Old Street.

Kunming Old Street is the last remaining historical district in Kunming. Among them, Guanghua Street starts from Zhengyi Road in the east and ends at Wuyi Road in the west, with a total length of 435 meters. On this street, you can eat authentic small pot rice noodles, buy weird Yunnan antiques, and find medicine shops that have been around for hundreds of years. Guanghua Street embraces the past and present of Kunming with its mottled and simple mind.

Yongdao Street had the earliest flower and bird market in Kunming as early as 1983. Today, the entire street is still dominated by flower and bird jewelry.

In addition, there are Jingxing Street and Qianwang Street, which are very suitable for tourists to wander aimlessly. I bought freshly baked flower cakes here, and the aroma went directly to my forehead.

Free admission to the Yunnan Tea Culture Museum. You can enjoy tea here.

Went to Oriental Bookstore on Wenming Street. Oriental Bookstore, founded in 1926 by Mr. Wang Sishun, is the first bookstore in Kunming. The current location was rebuilt from the original site and was officially completed on June 16, 2018.

There are eight things that Oriental bookstores don’t sell: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Inspirational Stories about Success, Immortals and Taoism, Taoism, Forbidden History, Dark Strategies, Money Making Guides, Health Care, and Fortune Telling. Sell.

Walking out of the stone street, I met Xuanri.

This Internet celebrity wall attracts many tourists to take photos.

I passed by the Yunnan Art Museum, but it was after business hours.

So I went to the MUJI Kunming Shuncheng flagship store opposite. This type of stamp booth has the largest area and most patterns in China. About 1,000 seals can be used to transform jute bags. The store also has tie-dye and It's made of rattan and has three floors, so it's easy to walk around.

Afterwards, we rode to Nanqiang Night Market. There were many creative stalls for food and fun, and it was quite lively.

Early the next morning, I packed my bag and took the train to Xingyi. In the car, I chatted with a 70-year-old Shanghainese man. He relied on cycling and camping and walked all the way south after retirement. The old man also taught himself video editing and soundtrack, and used his mobile phone to record the scenery.

"I sent it to my wife to read. She was happy, even though she could only read it while lying on the bed."

"I have live video chat with her every day. I watch it for her in places where she can't go. It's the same."

The enviable white-haired love.

After getting off the train in Xingyi, take a 5 yuan minibus at the station entrance to Jinji Fengcong.

The main things to do in Luoping are to take pictures of rapeseed flowers and visit Jinji Peak, Niujie, Duoyi River and Jiulong Waterfall.

The scenery on the train

20 yuan lunch at village B&B

The yellow flowers have almost faded

Finally found a piece of yellow

You need to pay a 20 yuan entrance fee to enter Jinji Fengcong. The villagers charge it themselves. If you don't want to pay, you can get in through the barbed wire fence next to the road. The old lady selling garlands (3 yuan each) on the roadside will enthusiastically guide you to the entrance of the cave. I showed my teacher's ID and bought the ticket at half price.

However, the ticket is only valid for that day. If you want to go up to watch the sunset today and watch the sunrise tomorrow, you will have to pay twice.

What’s interesting is that I met an old man on the train at the entrance of the scenic spot. He asked me to wait for him to repair the car under the tree. After repairing the car, he let me ride in and play. “It’s so big in there. It will save you energy to ride my car.”

It was too sunny at noon, so I accepted the offer and watched him repair the bicycle under the tree for two hours.

The Shanghai uncle travels all over the country in a small car

Everything is green, so disappointed

When you are tired of walking, you can take a villager’s motorcycle out.

After riding in the scenic area for an hour, I returned to the gate. To thank the uncle for his generosity in borrowing the car, I said I would go to the village to help him fetch water.

I returned to the store with my uncle's 1.5L large kettle and saw two new customers. While waiting for the water to boil, I struck up a conversation with them. We had a good conversation and made an appointment to go to the peak to watch the sunset together.

On the way back, I felt there was something wrong with the aesthetics of the "Magpie Bridge"

Dinner for three

We had a great time with this post-80s couple from Kunming, and the local rapeseed flowers had almost faded, so they invited us to drive to Huangguoshu together the next day.

Now that I think about it, it’s still amazing that I traveled from Wuhan to Kunming, from Xingyi to Huangguoshu, and from Guizhou back to Kunming in three days.

It takes 3 hours to drive from Luoping to Anshun via Xingyi.

Tickets for Huangguoshu Waterfall: RMB 220 including entrance fee + guided tour + personal insurance, unlimited entry and exit to the scenic spot within two days.

It is divided into three scenic spots: Great Falls, Doupotang, and Tianxing Bridge. These are also the drop-off points for the guided vehicles.

My personal favorite is the lower section of Tianxing Bridge. The tour guides on the road all tell everyone at the entrance, "The lower section is closed, so don't go.", "The lower section is not fun and interesting, so don't go." Come, don’t go”, so the whole road was deserted!

In fact, the second half is the best scenic spot. Although it does take an extra 2 hours to walk, the scenery is worth it!

Finally, you can take the 10-yuan cableway up to the tour bus entrance to save your legs.

When I was at the first scenic waterfall, because Guizhou has been relatively dry in recent days, the water flow was not majestic. I thought "I seem to have been to this place before" and "Is this really the number one waterfall in the country?" "Why am I showing off like this?"

The scenic area is dirty, the ground is full of fallen leaves, and the viewing corridor is blocked by untrimmed branches. But when you walk to the lower part of Tianxing Bridge, omg these are the only things worth visiting.

Fruit snacks and mineral water are all at normal prices inside and outside Huangguoshu Scenic Area, so you don’t need to carry too many things up the mountain.

We had a meal of hot pot with sour soup at the entrance of the scenic spot, and then set off back.

It was already 1 o'clock at night when I returned to Kunming. The Kunming couple watched me get into a taxi before leaving. The roads in Beijing are still busy in the early morning, and fresh bouquets of flowers are placed on the cars, which is a characteristic of Spring City.

I woke up late the next day and went out to eat Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles at noon.

Departing from the Yunnan Provincial Museum, the basic displays of the Yunnan Provincial Museum narrate the historical development process from ancient civilization to the peaceful liberation of Yunnan.

When I went there was the exhibition "Moso: Family·Marriage·Dialogue". I went to Lugu Lake a few years ago and learned about some of the walking marriage customs of the Mosuo people in Lijiang, so I was very interested.

The flowers at the door are blooming very well. I sat on the grass and basked in the sun comfortably for a long time.

Next to the Provincial Museum is the Yunnan Provincial Grand Theater. There seems to be a cultural center next to it. Like Guangdong, the third provincial museum is not far away.

After exiting the provincial museum, you will find Guandu Ancient Town across the road.

Guandu Ancient Town has a long history. During the period of the Dali Kingdom in Nanzhao, it was already a large market town and transportation hub on the northeastern shore of Dian Lake. Before the Song Dynasty, a ferry was set up, and fishing boats and passing official ships docked here. They also entered Kunming City by sedan or horse riding through the Zhuangyuan Tower, so it was named "Guandu".

There are many ancient buildings, Buddhist temples, attics and temples distributed in the ancient town, commonly known as "six temples, seven pavilions and eight temples".

At six o'clock in the evening, I took the subway back to the B&B to catch the evening flight to Tengchong.

It took a long half an hour to walk from the security check area to the boarding gate at Changshui Airport.

In Tengchong, the Tomato Tree Youth Hostel I stayed at was a youth hostel transformed from an entire villa. Because of its high ceilings and wide view, it felt good to live there.

After the plane landed at the airport at 11 o'clock in the evening, I took the airport bus and got off at the "Bus Terminal", and then walked to the hotel. There were no people or cars on the avenue late at night. Two police officers saw me carrying my luggage alone on the road during inspection. Go and ask me if I need help.

The next morning I opened the bed curtain and a girl asked me if I wanted to play together. I was stunned for a while and said yes, where do you want to go today?

I didn’t do any strategies before arriving in Tengchong. I was just about to wash up and do some research before setting off. I happened to have someone with me, so why not?

It was still a bit cold in the morning and evening in Tengchong in March, so I put on my autumn and winter coat. Another girl from Guangdong was shivering in shorts and a short shirt. She asked me why I brought such thick clothes from the south. I said because I still have to go to Northeast China. But it wasn’t until three months later that I set foot in the Northeast, and my down jacket and sweater were always stuffed at the bottom of my suitcase.

In the morning we started by eating porridge, which is a kind of ground white pea powder that is boiled into gruel. When the store gives you a bowl of paste, you need to add chili, peanuts, sesame seeds and coriander according to your own taste. The prices in Tengchong are very low, this portion only costs 3 yuan.

The Western Yunnan Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall is a martyrs cemetery built to commemorate the fallen soldiers and civilians of the 20th Group Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Anti-Japanese War.

There are 10 exhibition halls inside. You can reserve admission for free through the "Travel Yunnan" applet. It is worth visiting.

There are more than 3,000 tombstones with names in the Memorial Cemetery. A young man who was traveling with me was looking for his grandfather’s name among them, and the atmosphere was solemn and sad. There are always commentators on site to explain the history of the Anti-Japanese War in Western Yunnan to tourists.

When it’s lunch time, we will introduce the “Country Garden” restaurant that we often visit in Tengchong. There are three branches. The portions are large, affordable, and the taste is good. Ordering a full table only costs more than 30 yuan per person.

After eating and resting for a while, we took a taxi to Atami.

Tengchong is a famous geothermal scenic spot in China. There are currently 64 geothermal activity areas found in the region, with more than 80 hot springs and a maximum water temperature of 96.3°C. Among them, the one with the strongest heat and the most wonderful external display is the Tengchong Hot Sea embedded about 20 kilometers west of the city.

It is surrounded by green mountains and roaring water. It starts from Sulfur Pond in the north, Songshan Qing in the south, Zhongxiao Temple in the east, and Bajiao Garden in the west. It covers an area of ​​about 9 square kilometers and is rich in various types of geothermal landscapes. Currently, more than ten scenic spots have been developed, including Big and Small Rolling Pots, Hamazui, Beauty Pool, Lion Head, Pearl Spring, Drumming Spring, Pregnancy Well, Immortal Bathhouse and Bathhouse River Falls.

It takes about an hour and a half to walk back and forth in Atami. The ticket price is 50 yuan, and an additional 248 yuan is required to soak in the sulfur hot springs in the scenic area.

You can buy a bag of eggs at the door and take them in, then steam them in a large boiling pot.

In the evening, the youth host volunteer made dinner, Chaoshan raw pickled shrimp yyds, which was even more delicious than what I had at home.

On the second day in Tengchong, I followed the shop owner’s suggestion and went to Qiluo Ancient Town. I heard that tourists will be charged next year.

Qiluo is divided into upper Qiluo, middle Qiluo and lower Qiluo. It is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese with beautiful scenery, long history, numerous talents and simple folk customs. It is also a famous cultural hometown in Tengchong. Especially in Xia Qiluo, there are many cultural heritages, which are said to be "one palace, two temples, and five ancestral halls", namely Wenchang Palace, Shuiying Temple, Jinglan Temple, Qingqi Li Clan Ancestral Hall, and "Jade Tiger" Li Clan Ancestral Hall. (Destroyed), Yin's Ancestral Hall, Duan's Ancestral Hall, etc., most of which were built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the 12th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1639), Xu Xiake stayed in Yuhu Lane for five days from the fourth, fifth, seventh to ninth day of May. The former residence of Li Hubian at night; the former residence and tomb of Li Zhenguo, a famous general who defended the country against the British during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty; the "Stele of Three Li's Meriters" written by Mr. Yu Youren, the veteran of the Kuomintang; etc. These cultural relics and historic sites are concentrated in the residential area of ​​Xia Qiluo Village, which is less than one square kilometer. Their density is so high that it is rare.

Qiluo Library was founded in 1919, five years earlier than Heshun Library in Heshun Ancient Town.

We went to an early market and took a look at the fruits and vegetables of Yunnan and the warmth of the neighbors.

Xia Qiluo Village is densely populated with criss-crossing lanes. When you step into it, it feels like a small town. The residents here live according to their surnames and have their own lanes. Most of the lanes are paved with 1-3 rows of stone slabs. There is rarely muddy weather in the rainy season.

An old style barber shop in the village. The days in the past were slow, just right, and there are not many traces of modern life.

Wenchang Palace was first built in the 13th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1586). It was renovated and expanded during the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty.

You can go inside and visit these renovated houses with a unified style. Most of them are doing jade-related businesses.

Because this place is close to Myanmar, there are also many descendants of Myanmar.

Oxygen-rich pool.

Walking out of the ancient town, I saw vendors setting up tents and gathering here to set up stalls, like a spring outing.

At noon we went to eat Tonglao Beef. The cream strawberries in the supermarket downstairs cost 6 yuan per pound.

After lunch we went hiking, the not too high one was Fengshan.

Laifeng Mountain is a shield volcano formed by a volcanic eruption hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is the oldest of the many volcanoes in Tengchong. The main scenic area of ​​the park is a shield-shaped volcanic cone, shaped like an elephant. Legend has it that a phoenix came here and got its name. Every early morning in winter and spring or after rain in summer and autumn, the mist rises from the mountains, forming a white line wrapped around the mountains, or an umbrella hanging on the top of the mountain. The scene is magnificent and rare, and it is called " Come to Feng Qinglan.”

Laifeng Mountain is also a holy place for bird watching in Tengchong . I read a book on bird watching in Yunnan before, which focused on Laifeng Mountain. However, you need to be accompanied by a professional guide to better identify dozens of species of birds. posture and chirping.

On the way up the mountain, you can see real trenches from the previous Anti-Japanese War period, as well as weapon and ammunition pits.

There is also a famous Wenbi Tower on the top of the mountain. A long time ago, you could climb to the top to see the whole city of Tengchong, but later the entrance was sealed.

That night I packed my bags and went to live in Heshun Ancient Town. I really like Heshun Ancient Town! I think can stay here for three days.
Although people around me say that the 55 yuan ticket price is not worth going, but if you go with a leisure heart, it will be really comfortable! And comfortable!

This time I stayed at Aunt Liu’s house in the ancient town. It was 10:30 pm when I arrived. She also took me to see the night view of the ancient town. She thought I was cold and insisted on lending me a thick coat to wear. Upgraded my studio to a family room at twice the price. During the day she kept asking me if I wanted to eat some of her cooking and gave me handmade turtle paste. She was very warm and honest .

Everyone must visit Heshun’s morning market. It sells everything, it’s super cheap, and it’s also crowded and lively.

The picture below shows eight yuan of spicy mixed with two yuan of tofu pudding. I took it back to the B&B to watch a drama and eat it. There was a light-transmitting patio above me, and my aunt was drying the quilt upstairs. It was super comfortable.

Hand-washing stations equipped with hand sanitizer, disinfectant, paper towels and hand dryers can be found everywhere in Tengchong, whether in scenic spots or not.
It’s really amazing! I also like it very much.

Very nice gatehouse.

There were no tourists in the alley in the morning, so it was quiet. I loved it.

There are several large ancestral halls in the ancient town.

At the laundry booth, villagers still wash their clothes there.

Sitting by the pond and watching the wild ducks swimming around, I felt so comfortable. This was a vacation.

Just sit here and watch the willow branches sway in the wind. There will be no worries.

Yuanlong Pavilion still has only one abbot, who guards a temple alone.

Ai Siqi's former residence and memorial hall are located together. His father Li Yuegai was a veteran of the Revolution of 1911 and followed Mr. Sun Yat-sen in the revolution. Ai Siqi followed his father away from home when he was two years old and studied in Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanjing and other places. Ai Siqi is a Marxist philosopher with wide influence. He wrote many popular philosophical works in his life.

What an interesting alleyway, called "the troops are divided into three routes".

At the main entrance of the ancient town, there is a sign saying "Ice and Pure".

The "Thousand-Hand Guanyin" in the back mountain. It was very quiet here. I sat on the tree stump for more than half an hour. I thought of some sad things and some unsolvable problems in life. But when I thought of it, I felt peaceful inside. I knew what I longed for and what I hoped for. The desire to hit the road is greater than anyone else’s.

Every time I feel like it’s time to leave a certain place, I buy a ticket and run away. After spending lazy time in a different place, I can come back with full health.

Go to the rooftop of the B&B and move a chair to watch the sunset.

I regretted that I missed some scenic spots yesterday. By the time I watched the sunset, it was already past 7pm, and all the ticket checkpoints were closed.
When I was leaving, my aunt insisted on taking me to the entrance of the village. She said: "Don't regret that you haven't gone to those scenic spots yet. Don't regret it. Don't. You still have a chance to come next time. Come You must bring your boyfriend here. It will be better for two of you to see the world." Her rough hands held mine tightly, and I was actually a little moved.

When we met, we realized that the world is vast not because it is boundless, but because it cannot accommodate anywhere.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the bus seemed to have stopped. I stood at the station and waited for a while. I saw a few takeaway guys resting on the roadside, so I went up and asked if the bus was not coming. One of them answered that the bus had stopped. Oh, where are you going? I'll take you with me.

I was a little surprised and said no, I won’t disturb your rest. He said it's okay. It costs more than 30 yuan to take a taxi back to the city. I'll give you a lift and it's free! I still declined, but the little brother became anxious and said that if you look at my work ID and number, I am not a bad person.

I couldn't laugh or cry so I had no choice but to take a special group bus.

After driving for more than half an hour, my brother sent me to the door of the hotel. I gave him a bag of "Ignorance Chou" oranges I bought at the morning market and said thank you and wish you a happy day. After the two parties declined several times, I ran away and he shouted to me: "Thank you! Welcome to Tengchong!"

Why can’t humans wait? It's obviously just passed by time.

Freedom originally means not wanting anything, just living life as you please.

I have to work overtime tomorrow and go to work at 7 o'clock. I can't finish writing tonight, so I'll leave it for the next chapter.