Yunnan Steam Train Flower Secret Garden

Today, let me take you into a fairy tale of southern Yunnan—the Haihong Monet Garden! 📍Hidden in the Bisezhai area on the northwest outskirts of Mengzi City, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, about a 2-hour drive from Kunming, nestled on a gentle slope beside the century-old Yunnan-Vietnam Railway branch line and the edge of Nanhu Wetland. This is not a traditional garden but an "Oriental Monet" nurtured jointly by a French horticulturist and Yunnan flower farmers: 30 acres of land carefully divided into 12 themed flower landscapes—In the morning mist, blue-purple verbena flows like Provence; under the afternoon sun, the large-flowered Allium unique to southern Yunnan, "Purple Fairy," sways in the wind, its bulbs blooming like miniature fireworks; the most stunning is its "Water Light Impressionism" design: five mirror-like ponds reflect the clouds over Cangshan Mountain and the flower clusters. On sunny days, the entire garden looks like Monet’s original "Water Lilies" spread out on the red soil plateau. Scattered throughout the garden are French cast-iron benches, a coffee house transformed from an abandoned steam locomotive, and low walls built from southern Yunnan pottery jars and volcanic stones... There are no ticket gates here, only handwritten admission tickets and a bouquet of wild daisies gifted to visitors, making it the gentlest stroke in Yunnan’s niche aesthetics. Itinerary: 1-day Southern Yunnan Impressionist Tour | Flower viewing + photography + handicrafts + nostalgic Yunnan-Vietnam Railway dinner Total budget: within 400 RMB (about 395 RMB per person) Transportation｜¥70 - Taxi round trip from Mengzi city center to the garden ¥70 (25 minutes one way | carpool recommended | high-speed rail station transfer also available) Admission｜¥68 - Full garden pass ¥68 (includes guided map, free rental of straw hats/sketchboards, complimentary wildflower bouquet, coffee house seating rights | student ID ¥58) Highlights｜Be a light and shadow colorist! ✅ Morning golden hour: Enter at 7:30, head straight to the "Mirror Pond Area," and wait for 15 minutes to capture the first reflections of flowers on the water as the morning mist clears 📸 ✅ Noon handicraft experience: Make a mini blue-glazed flower vase at the pottery workshop (includes firing and shipping service, you can choose the shipping address on-site) 🖌️ ✅ Afternoon leisurely stroll through the "Four Seasons Corridor": In April, enjoy verbena and lupine flowers; in June, chase hydrangeas and plumbago; in September, encounter drunken butterflies and cosmos. Each season’s plants are updated with handwritten signs by the garden owner 🌿 ✅ Evening move to Bisezhai Station: Walk along the century-old narrow-gauge railway and have a Yunnan-Vietnam style dinner at the "Steam Canteen," converted from the old stationmaster’s room 🚂 Dining｜¥257 Lunch: Garden coffee house—French onion soup + basil roasted chicken leg + blueberry muffin + southern Yunnan rose cold brew ¥86 Afternoon tea: Hand-poured by the mirror pond—Mengzi pomegranate cold brew tea + petal nougat ¥32 Dinner: Bisezhai Steam Canteen—Vietnamese spring rolls + narrow-gauge railway mashed potatoes + French baked cheese + Yunnan-Vietnam soda ¥98 Snacks and extras: Grandma’s stall grilled rice cakes at the garden entrance ¥12 | Handmade blue-glazed coasters ¥15 | Lavender honey soap ¥14 ✅ Total cost breakdown: Transportation ¥70 + Admission ¥68 + Dining ¥257 = ¥395 (Remaining ¥5 can be exchanged for a limited edition blue-glazed petal bookmark) Best time: Early morning 7:30–10:00 | soft light, fewer people, mist not yet cleared | avoid weekend afternoon crowds Essentials: White/light-colored dresses (perfect for photos), straw bag, power bank (photo-taking drains battery fast), cash (Grandma’s stall only accepts cash) Niche experience: Bring a copy of selected letters from Monet’s correspondence and read his letter to Alice on a bench by the mirror pond: “The light is changing, the flowers are moving, I must hurry...” When the wind brushes the verbena, the water ripples with a purple mist, I suddenly understand—Monet never came to Yunnan, but the light in his dreams has long quietly blossomed here.