Kunming
Kunming is situated in central Yunnan and north of the Dianchi Basin, is skirted on three sides by mountains, with one side opening onto the dianchi Lake. The city is nicknamed ?City of Spring due to the fact that it is covered all the year round with the rich verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city 15000 square kilometers of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers. Kunming is world-famous for its abundance of camellias, orchids, azaleas and Primula malacoides, which can be found in the Kunming Botanical Garden, where 4000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants grow profusely amidst dense clusters of camellias. Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in southwest China. In ancient times it was an important gateway to the celebrated Silk Road which conducted to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India. The city's highland  scenery is as its karst landform is bewithching . Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and customs, and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of cultural interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. Among the major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake, the Cuihu Lake, the Village of Ethnic Culture, the Jindian (Golden Temple ) Park , the Western Hills, the Stone Forest, the Grand View Pavilion and Bamboo Temple.

Travel Attractions in Kunming

Stone Forest 
The Stone Forest , which is found in the Lunan Yi Autonomous County some 100 kilometers from Kunming , is composed of the greater stone Forest , the lesser Stone Forest , the Outer Stone Forest , and the Stone Forest lake . Looking in the distance like a vast expanse of forests , it is actually a world of stone peaks , stalacto-stalagmites , stalagmites , substerranean rivers and underground limestone caves . For this top graphical turmoil the place is dubbed ?Number One Wonder in the World ?. the Stone Forest is home to the Sani people , a branch of the industrious and brave Yi minority . As born singers and dancers , the sani people are also skilled in embroidery . On the 24th of the sixth lunar month , the Stone Forest attracts large crowds of visitors from at home and abroad who come to join the Sani people in celebrating the Torch Festival . 

Western Hills
The Western Hills , about 15km's from Kunming city , is located on the edge of Dianchi lake in the western suburbs of Kunming . It is stretching from north to south for 40 kilometers with an altitude of some 2500 meters above sea level . It looks like a sleeping lady lying on the bank of Dianchi lake with her long hair drooping into the lake . So the western hills is also called " a sleeping beauty " . In fact , the western hills is a forest park . When you are walking in the round path in the hills , flourish trees , beautiful flowers and fountains provide you with a pleasant feeling . However , the most important thing is that the western hills is a very famous scenic spot . It consists of Huating Temple , Taihua Temple , Nier'er Tomb , Sanqing Pavilion and Dragon Gate . 

Golden Temple 
The park , sprawling for more than 2000-mu on the Mingfeng Mountain seven kilometers northeast of Kunming , is a national forest reserve . With a natural scenery mingled with sites of historical interest and man-made International Horticultural Exposition will take place there . On the Mingfeng Mountain stands the exquisite and serene golden Temple , 6.7 meters in height and 7.8 meters in width ,and cast of 250 tons of solid bronze . It is the largest bronze hall in China . 

Bamboo Temple
Bamboo Temple is located in Yu'an Mountains in the Northwest of Kunming , about 7 Kilometers away from the center of the city . Around the temple are mountains covered with trees everywhere , and at the gate of the temple stand many very tall cypress trees which were planted in ancient times . The streams and brooks are flowing through the woods and valley , making a beautiful natural sound. At the back of the temple , a great deal of bamboo is so green as if there were some dew-drops on its leaves . That is the so-called Qiongzhu--a kind of bamboo . There is an interesting story about the name of the temple . It is said that in the Tang Dynasty two brothers were hunting at the edge of Dianchi lake . Suddenly , they found a rhinoceros .The two brothers began to chase the animal , running after it towards Yu'an Mountains . To their surprise , the rhinocerous vanished into the woods . They searched for the animals carefully . But they couldn't found it . However , they found a few strange-looking monks sitting on the ground . As soon as the two brothers came up to these monks , there was nothing but bamboo there . They felt very curious and tried to pull the bamboo out . But that failed . The next day , the two brothers went along and found that there was bamboo everywhere . So they look that as a very important sign from Buddha . Laker , they decided to set up a temple there . Hence the name , Qiongzhu Temple , that is , Bamboo Temple . Obviously , it is nothing more than a legend, of course , in fact , Bamboo Temple was first built in the Song Dynasty , and was burnt down in 1419 in the Ming Dynasty . Later, the temple was rebulit and renovated several times .

Yunnan Ethnic Village
Situated six kilometers south of Kunming , the Yunnan Ethnic Village is a 2000-mu affair bording on the south b the Dianchi Lake and on the west by the famous Western Hills scenic Area . The famous historical and cultural city of Kunming is in the north of the villages . Each of the 26 ethnic peoples of Yunnan will have a village built on the premises , and there will also be a square symbolizing unity among various ethnic groups , a theatre for the performance of ethnic songs and dances , a folklore museum of ethnic waxworks . When completed , the Yunnan Ethnic villages will become an epitome of Yunnan as a multi-ethnic province , and an immense garden in south Chinese horticultural and landscaping traditions . 

World Horti-Expo Garden
Is located in the north suburbs of Kunming next to the Golden Temple scenic spot which is just 6 kilometers from the city . Approved by the Bureau International des expositions and the Association of International Horticultural Producers , and registered as an AI-rating international event , the 1999 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition . China has been successfully sponsored by the Chinese government from May 1st to October 31,1999 in Kuming , Yunnan province . Specially constructed for Expo'99 , the world Horti-Expo garden covers an area of 218 hectares and is consisted of 5 indoor exhibition halls , 6 theme gardens and 34 outdoor gardens of domestic participarts , 34 outdoor gardens for foreign countries and international organizational and 9 outdoor exhibition area for the enterprise participants .The Horti-Expo Garden is also matched with facilities which offer all sorts of service . The World-expo Garden is in perfect harmony with the surrounding mountains , waters and forest , showing that it originates from and return to the nature . The has hosted a large collection of elit horticultural and gardening works not only from different Chinese provinces and municipalities , but also from all over the world . 

Jiuxiang Scenic Spot
It is 90 kilometers from Kunming and is located in Yiliang  County . Covering 200 Sq. meters , the area , which is one of China's natioanl-level scenic resorts thickly forested mountains in which are scenic spots such as the sanjiao cave , Diehong Bridge . Shangda Cave . Dasha Basin and Mingyue Lake , 66 out of the numberous caves in the area have been identified to have great value for development and the karst cave cluster is the largest of its kind on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau . The caves in the area are praised for their grandeur , wonder grotesquerie and natural beauty .