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Parks in Kunming

The West Hill Park Scenic Spot
The West Hill Park is located at the west suburb, some 15 kilometers from the downtown of Kunming. Legend goes that at ancient time the locals mistook a phoenix for Jade Rooster and called the West Hill Jade Rooster Mountain as well as Lying Buddha Hill for its profile of a sculpture of a lying Buddha. It contains the Huating Hill, Taihua Hill and Luohan Hill, extending a distance of more than 40 kilometers at an altitude of from 1,900 meters to2, 350 meters above the sea level. 

For looked at from a distance, they have the appearance of a giant sleeping Buddha. They have also been given another name - 'Sleeping Beauty Hills' for the hills when viewed together look like a beautiful young lady lying beside Dianchi Lake with her face upward and her hair trailing into water. 

Western Hills boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery. No wonder that the place has gained a reputation as 'having the most pleasant environment in the world'. It has been hailed as "the four major scenic mountains of Yunnan ".

 


The Golden Temple Scenic Spot
Located on top of Mingfeng Hill is the home of the Taoist Taihe Palace, which is the largest copper temple in China. It is also known as the Golden Temple. The site is classified as AAAAA-class tourist site.

The Golden Temple was first built in the 30th year of Emperor Wanli's rule (1602) in the Ming Dynasty. During the reign of the Qing Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), Wu Sangui rebuilt the temple and kept the original Hubei design. The bronze used weighed over 250tons. It is the largest bronze work of architecture in China. At the top of the mountain behind the temple hangs a 14-ton "Great Bell of the Ming Yongle Era". Being 2.1 meters tall and 6.7 meters in circumference, the bell was cast in the 21st year of the Yongle era(1424), over 560 years ago.

 


Kunming Botanical Garden
Nine miles (11 km) north of downtown, the Kunming Botanical Garden is linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was created in 1938. Its 100 acres (44 hectares) are home to 4,000 taxa, 13 specialized gardens, and a modern exhibition center. Yunnan Province is noted for eight native flowering plants: Rhododendrons/azaleas, Camellias, Magnolias, Orchids, Lilies, Gentians, and Mecanopsis. Most of these plants can be seen in the botanical garden.

 

The Dian Lake and Green Lake in Kunming
Kunming is surrounded on three sides by the mountain ranges of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau while the huge Lake Dian is located to the south. With an elevation of 1891 meters Kunming has a mild climate and can be visited at any time of year. There is a fairly even spread of temperatures from April to September, winters are short, sunny and dry while in summer (June to August) Kunming offers cool respite, although rain is more common during the season.

Located in the center of Kunming, the provincial capital of the Yunnan province, the Green Lake Park is an ancient garden with an area of 22 hectares. The lake in the park covers 70percent of the garden.

The warm weather and protected environment have attracted seagulls from Siberia to spend the winter since 1985. Over the twenty-five years that have passed, these seagulls have made friends with local residents. Every year when the seagulls come, people will gather in the Green Lake Park to watch birds and play with them.