Kunming in April: Step into the Jacaranda Wonderland of a Miyazaki Anime
| Step into the Jacaranda Wonderland of a Miyazaki Anime. In April and May, while other places are still lamenting the passing of spring, Kunming welcomes its most romantic season - the jacarandas are in full bloom, and the entire city seems to have been overturned by a purple palette, dreamy and charming, making it the perfect time to visit. Not only that, Kunming's temperature is comfortable at this time, the sun is not dry, and it avoids the peak tourist season, allowing you to enjoy your trip more comfortably. Below is your Kunming travel guide 📝
Food Recommendations
1. Steamed Chicken in Pot: A must-try specialty in Kunming, steamed in a pot, the chicken is tender, the soup is delicious, and it is rich in nutrition. Recommended restaurants: Huixiang Xilou (Cuihu Branch), Fuzhaolou Steamed Chicken in Pot · Yunnan Specialty Cuisine (Railway Station Jinjiang Branch).
2. Wild Mushroom Hot Pot: April and May are the best time to taste wild mushrooms. Various fresh wild mushrooms gather in a pot, and the cooked soup is fresh, fragrant, and rich. One bite is full of nature's gifts. For example, Boletus edulis rice, Shiping tofu, old potato, and small pot rice noodles are also worth a try.
3. Yunnan Specialty Snacks: Canned stinky tofu rice noodles, classic rose cakes, and Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles can immerse your taste buds in Yunnan's unique flavors. Yunping Flavor Garden (Huguo Road Branch)'s canned stinky tofu rice noodles, Jiahuaxian Flower Cake (Nanping Flagship Store)'s rose cakes, and New World · Yunqian Yixian (Main Store)'s Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles are not to be missed.
Scenic Spots
1. Jiaochang Middle Road Jacaranda Avenue: The most concentrated and spectacular place for jacarandas in Kunming. The jacarandas on both sides of the road cover the sky and the sun. Looking up, it is a blue-purple sea of flowers. The breeze blows, and the petals fall, as if you are in a fairy tale world.
2. Dianchi Lake: The largest freshwater lake in Yunnan, known as the "Pearl of the Plateau". Here, you can take a boat trip on the lake to enjoy the scenery of the lake and mountains, or you can stroll along the lake and feel the breeze on your face. If you are lucky, you can also see black-headed gulls.
3. Stone Forest Scenic Area: A world natural heritage site with a unique karst landform. The stones are in various shapes, some like animals and some like people, making people marvel at the nature's craftsmanship.
4. Yunnan Ethnic Village: A good place to experience the culture of 25 ethnic groups in Yunnan. Here, you can see the characteristic buildings of various ethnic groups, enjoy their traditional song and dance performances, and taste the delicacies of various ethnic groups.
Suggested Itinerary
1: Arrive in Kunming in the morning and go to the hotel to check in > Go to Jiaochang Middle Road Jacaranda Avenue in the afternoon to take photos and experience the romantic sea of flowers > Go to Nanqiang Night Market in the evening to taste Yunnan specialty snacks and feel the local life of Kunming.
2: Go to Dianchi Lake in the morning, take a boat trip on the lake or feed seagulls at Haigeng Dam > Go to Yunnan Ethnic Village in the afternoon to experience the culture of various ethnic groups > Taste steamed chicken in pot and other delicacies at nearby restaurants in the evening.
3: Visit Stone Forest Scenic Area all day, explore the unique karst landform, and return to the city for rest in the evening.
Precautions
1. Weather and Clothing: Although Kunming is like spring all year round, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, so it is recommended to bring a light jacket. At the same time, the sun is strong in April and May, so take sun protection measures and bring sunscreen, sun hats, sunglasses, etc.
2. Transportation: Kunming's transportation is relatively convenient, but traffic jams may occur during peak tourist seasons and rush hours. You can check the traffic conditions in advance before traveling and choose the appropriate travel method. If you want to go to farther attractions, you can also choose to join a local day tour, but you must choose a regular travel agency to avoid being ripped off.
3. Travel Shopping: When buying specialties such as flowers, pay attention to checking the quality and price to avoid buying goods of poor quality or high prices. Be cautious when shopping in scenic spots and avoid impulsive spending.
4. Civilized Tourism: When visiting scenic spots, protect the environment, do not litter, and do not destroy flowers, trees, and cultural relics at will. Respect local customs, especially in areas where ethnic minorities live, and pay attention to your words and deeds.
The miniature landscape park is quite large; you can easily walk through it in three hours. I recommend going as soon as the park opens, as many shows are combined at the beginning and become more scattered later, making it difficult to see everything. If you're short on time, it's not necessary to force yourself to go.
The park is huge! It's best to plan your time in advance. You can also take a sightseeing bus; the driver will take you around the park and direct you to the corresponding area based on the free performance times for different tribes and ethnic groups. This visit taught me a lot about the different ethnic groups! Highly recommended! I suggest bringing children.
The biggest highlight of the park was its immersive ethnic atmosphere. The architecture of the 26 ethnic villages was realistically replicated. You could encounter locals in their traditional costumes while walking around, and the air was filled with the aroma of ethnic delicacies, instantly transporting you to the local culture. I watched the Lisu "climbing the mountain of knives" performance, but the ritual wasn't particularly appealing. The singing by the fire pit, though smoky and lively, was unique and immersive. The park is too large, and the performances are scattered throughout the villages, so I only saw two shows before my legs were killing me. Overall, it's quite commercialized, with a lot of promotion for travel photography. The ticket price of 80-90 yuan seems only average for its price.
First of all, Yunnan Nationalities Park is a place I have been looking forward to for a long time. I like to be in an environment with various ethnic customs, see their smiling faces, watch them work, chat with them about the customs and habits of their own ethnic group, their outlook on life, their outlook on love, and the world they see. In just one day, I seem to have traveled to most of China.
There are 56 ethnic minorities in China, of which Yunnan has 26. In addition to experiencing the delicious mushrooms, you should also experience the atmosphere of ethnic minorities' singing and dancing. Yunnan National Village is a folk paradise where ethnic minorities gather. Not only can you learn about the cultural customs of some ethnic minorities, but you can also experience some food and watch some performances, which is very interesting! The theme "Yun·Say Yunnan" is a large-scale stage performance, which is divided into several sessions a day. The VIP area is in the middle, and the viewing effect is better. The opening is the interaction between the totem animals of various ethnic groups and the audience. The atmosphere is lively, especially for children. Then there is a large-scale opening ceremony, which is very spectacular. The scene is switched according to the dance, etc., and the sound effect is also good. After the opening, there are performances of various ethnic groups. Although the language is as incomprehensible as foreign languages, the performances are very exciting! In the middle, some audiences will be pulled on stage to participate in the interaction. The costumes of various ethnic groups plus the performances are continuous without interruption. It is a perfect performance.
This time I brought two elderly people in their 80s. We took a sightseeing bus at the entrance. It cost 300 yuan per bus, which was just right for the six of us. There are many scenic spots inside, and you can learn about the dwellings and folk customs of various ethnic minorities. You can have fun at each point. After having fun, call the sightseeing bus and it will pick you up to the next point. We rented car No. 17. The female driver gave a brief explanation while driving. What touched us was that she was very patient. Because we old people walked slowly and played a little late, she asked us to call her to pick us up after get off work, and said, "Because I hope my mother can be treated well outside." Thank you very much!
20230202 Full day: 1. "Yunnan National Village" is a cultural tourism sanctuary located on the shore of "Dianchi Lake" that brings together 25 1:1 scale ethnic minority villages. It is interesting, artistic and informative. Each village uses architecture, pictures and models to show the food, culture, festivals and other customs of 25 ethnic minorities. There are also 9 villages with ethnic songs and dances. The night show of the scenic spot requires a separate ticket. Enter from the east side door after the daytime show is cleared at 17:30. ①Address: No. 1310, Dianchi Road, Xishan District, Kunming City. ②Transportation: Direct bus access, easy to park by car. ③Peak season: None, four seasons like spring. ④Notes: It takes a whole day to see all 9 performances. It is recommended to plan the route in advance. The word "art" will be marked on the scenic map. 2. Each performance is 20 minutes long. Leave 10 minutes between performances to catch up. Then the order of watching all 9 performances is: ①09:30 Achang ②10:10 Dulong ③10:40 Yi ④11:00 Laku ⑤11:30 Naxi (Mosuo is its branch) ⑥12:20 Wa ⑦15:50 Dai ⑧16:30 Hani ⑨17:00 Bai The scenic area is densely populated, and it is best to divide it into a nine-square grid for introduction. Due to the word limit, I will not introduce the customs of each ethnic group. If you are interested, you can Baidu it yourself. The main gate is in the northeast corner. The antique commercial area "Kunming Old City" outside the gate is very charming. The densely packed succulents, ancient towers, ancient bronze statues, seals and stone carvings beside the stalls are all very suitable for taking pictures. The visitor center is considered half a museum, displaying ethnic costumes. 3. There are villages of Tibetan, Achang, Jingpo and Deang in the northeast region. The tower-style buildings of Tibetans are the most distinctive, with beautiful prayer wheels, stupas (holy objects for storing the body of the living Buddha) and prayer flags; the "knife-beating workshop" of the Achang people is a photo spot, and the houses are ordinary two-story attics. There was a performance of "Diligence in Early Spring" here, but I missed it due to time conflicts; the Jingpo people's is a large circular square, a night carnival place, surrounded by wishing pools, wooden pestle houses, hornbill nests (locked doors) and other landscapes, and the "mountain official house" is an open two-story villa; the Deang people's is a Thai pastoral style with a lake, and the Buddha niches, Theravada Buddhist temples, and the "Longyang Legend" white tower are very beautiful and are photo spots. 4. In the north area, there are Hani and Lisu villages, "Unity Square" (modern stage), "Dianchi Grand Stage" (indoor performance venue), and elephant performance venue (divided into performance and interaction, both are half an hour. Performance: three shows at 11:00/13:30/16:30 every day, ticket price 30 yuan; interaction: three shows at 10:30/13:00/16:00, feeding 15 yuan, photo taking 30 yuan). The Hani village gate "Hani Longba Gate", "Sun and Moon Square" and many suspended small houses are all photo spots. The performance "Terraces on the Clouds" here shows the scene of farming on the terraces. At the end, it walks into the tourists from the rice fields and scatters rice into the sky, which means a good harvest. It is quite exciting; the Lisu people only have a few suspended wooden houses, and the houses are folk customs introductions... The word count exceeds the limit, continue in the last picture.
Yunnan Nationalities Village is located on the bank of Dianchi Lake in the southwest suburb of Kunming, Yunnan Province, covering an area of 89 hectares. It is a window reflecting and displaying the social and cultural customs of the 26 ethnic groups in Yunnan. It is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a national ethnic cultural base of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, a traditional folk culture base of the CIOFF China Committee, and one of the first national ethnic work contact points of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. Since its completion and opening in February 1992, Yunnan Nationalities Village has displayed the architectural art, singing and dancing costumes, cultural customs, religious beliefs and living customs of various ethnic groups in Yunnan in a vivid and lively form. There are more than 10 national folk intangible cultural heritage festivals such as Torch Festival, Water Splashing Festival, and Munao Zongge Festival; more than 30 national, provincial, folk music and song and dance intangible cultural heritages such as wooden drum dance, Guozhuang dance, Lisu folk songs, and Yi Haicai tune; more than 10 national, provincial, and municipal traditional handicraft intangible cultural heritages such as Husa knife making skills, Jianchuan wood carving skills, and Yi embroidery skills.