Kunming, Dianchi Lake, Xishan, Lingxu Pavilion, Longmen

Kunming, the Spring City, is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with basins and plateaus distributed in a staggered manner. It has an average altitude of 1,893 meters, surrounded by mountains on three sides and Dianchi Lake to the south. Jiaozi Snow Mountain is the highest point in Kunming, with an altitude of 4,344 meters. It has three major river basins: Jinsha River, Nanpan River, and Hong River. About 30,000 years ago, humans lived in the Dianchi Lake area. From the Warring States Period to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the Dian people around Dianchi Lake established the Dian Kingdom and created the Dian culture. Dianchi Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan, also known as Kunming Lake, and is known as the Pearl of the Plateau. It extends west to the foot of Xishan and north to Daguan Park, with an average depth of 5 meters and a maximum depth of 11 meters. The lake water flows out from the southwest estuary and is the source of the Pudu River, a tributary of the Jinsha River, the main stream of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The scenery of Dianchi Lake is beautiful, surrounded by Yunnan Ethnic Village, Yunnan Ethnic Museum, Xishan Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, Sanqing Pavilion, Longmen, Daguan Tower, and other attractions. Xishan looks like a reclining Buddha from a distance, also known as Sleeping Beauty Mountain. It is located east of Dianchi Lake and south of the estuary, with the highest peak being Beauty Peak, with an altitude of 2,511 meters, 620 meters above the water surface of Dianchi Lake. This is my second time in Kunming, and the changes are huge. This time, I stayed at Sofitel Kunming for only two nights. At noon, I took a taxi to Xishan by Dianchi Lake to visit Xishan Scenic Area. I first took a bus at the visitor center, where I could get off halfway to visit Huating Temple and Taihua Temple. One stop took me to the visitor center of Nie Er's Tomb. I took a cable car to the top of the mountain, Lingxu Pavilion, where I could enjoy the scenery of Dianchi Lake, the city skyline, and the horizon. Then I went down the mountain to Tiantai, Longmen, Ciyun Cave, and Sanqing Pavilion, and took an electric car to the gate. I also took a bus at the visitor center to go down the mountain and took Metro Line 3. It was just evening, so I went to Kunming Old Street to have a look. It was all very good. I originally planned to visit the Yunnan Provincial Museum, but I didn't have enough time. I will come to Kunming again next time.