Southwestern China
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Southwestern China - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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21. Moon Hill
Probably the most popular destination in Yangshuo, Moon Hill is named after the large hole through the center of this karst peak. Amazing vistas are at the top of the several trails that snake up the hill's side. This is a favorite for rock climbers.
Yangshuo–Gaotian Lu, Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 541900, ChinaNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: Y15, Daily 6 am–7:30 pm -
22. Peak of Solitary Beauty
The 492-foot Peak of Solitary Beauty, with carved stone stairs leading to the top, offers an unparalleled view of Guilin—and a short but intense workout for your legs. It's one of the attractions of the Prince City Solitary Beauty Park (Jing Jiang Wang Cheng). Surrounded by an ancient wall, outside of which vendors hawk their wares, sits the heart of Old Guilin. Inside are the decaying remains of an ancient Ming Dynasty palace built in 1393 and Guilin's Confucius temple. Sun Yat-sen lived here for a few months in the winter of 1921 (a fact duly noted on the wall by the outside gate). Cixi, the former empress dowager of China, inscribed the character for "longevity" on a rock within these walls.
Donghua Rd., Guilin, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 541001, ChinaNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: Y120, Daily 7:30–6:30 -
23. People's Park
This park surrounding White Dragon Lake has some 200 species of rare trees and flowers. Here you'll find the remains of fortifications built by a warlord in the early part of the 20th century.
1 Renmin Dong Lu, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 530022, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 8:30–6 -
24. Puxian Temple
If you can find it, the Puxian Temple is a tranquil place to get away from the crowds. At the temple's vegetarian restaurant, try the jidoufen, a bean concoction that can be eaten hot as a porridge or cold and cut up like noodles. The ubiquitous baba bread is also quite good. Wash it all down with a pot of Tibetan tea, made with yak butter.
76 Qi Yi Jie, Lijiang, Yunnan, 674100, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 8–6 -
25. Qianling Mountain Park
Dominating this 740-acre park is a 4,265-foot-high mountain that has fine views of the town from its western peak. The park itself has a bit of everything, including thousands of plants and a collection of birds and monkeys (many of which roam freely through the park).
187 Zaoshan Lu, Guiyang, Guizhou Sheng, 550004, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y5, Daily 6:30 am–10 pm -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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26. Sanchahe Nature Reserve
One of China's first serious attempts at ecotourism, the 900-acre Sanchahe Nature Reserve is home to wild elephants. Two hours north of Jinghong, the park also features a butterfly farm and a cable car that offers breathtaking views. Lodging is in "tree houses" about 25 feet above ground—a unique place to spend a night.
Jinghong, Yunnan, China -
27. Seven Star Park
This park gets its name from the arrangement of its hills, said to resemble the Big Dipper. At the center of this huge park is Putuo Mountain (Putuoshan), atop which sits a lovely pavilion housing a number of famous examples of Tang calligraphy. Indeed, calligraphy abounds on the side of this hill, mostly the work of Ming Dynasty Taoist philosopher Pan Changjing. Nearby is Seven Star Cliff (Qixing Dong), with several large caves open for exploration. The largest contains rock formations that are thought to resemble a lion with a ball, an elephant, and other figures. An inscription in the cave dates from AD 590. Seven Star Park also contains the Guilin City Zoo, only worth a stop if you have kids in tow.
1 Qixing Rd., Guilin, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 541004, China0773-581–4342Sight Details
Rate Includes: Y99, Daily 6 am–8 pm -
28. Shaping
This town sits on the lake's northern shore, and can be most easily reached by boat or by hiring a car and driver. Its market, held every Monday morning, is the most popular in the area.
Dali, Yunnan, China -
29. South Lake
South Lake covers more than 200 acres. A bonsai exhibit and an orchid garden are in the surrounding park, which is encircled by a wide path that's ideal for strolling or jogging.
Gucheng Lu, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 530021, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily -
30. Three Pagodas
The most famous landmark in Dali, the Three Pagodas appear on just about every calendar of Chinese scenery. The largest, 215 feet high, dates from AD 836 and is decorated on each of its 16 stories with Buddhas carved from local marble. The other two pagodas, also richly decorated, are even more elegant. When the water is still, you can ponder their reflection in a nearby pool. A massive Chan Buddhist Temple has been built behind the pagodas. The pagodas are a 20-minute walk from the Old Town.
1 km (½ mile) north of Dali Gucheng, Dali, Yunnan, 671003, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y128, Daily 7 am–8 pm -
31. Unicorn Cave
CaveDiscovered in 1531, Unicorn Cave was used as a prison for the two Nationalist generals, Yang Hucheng and Chang Xueliang, who were accused of collaborating with the Communists when Chiang Kai-shek was captured at Xi'an in 1937. The cave is known for its unicorn-shape stalactite and used to host a nunnery.
187 Zaoshan Rd., Guiyang, Guizhou Sheng, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y5 -
32. Visitor Center for Nature and Culture in Northwest Yunnan
This small but fascinating museum highlights the region's cultural and biological diversity. Exhibits include one in which villagers were given cameras to document their daily lives. Another compares photos taken in the 1920s with those taken more recently. The museum is funded by the Nature Conservancy.
42 Xianwen Xiang, Lijiang, Yunnan, 674100, China0888-511–5969Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 9–6 -
33. Wase Bai Ethnic Village
Wase has a popular area market featuring Bai clothing. The town is on the opposite side of the lake from Dali and can be reached by car or boat. Wase also has some inexpensive places to stay if you want to spend the night in a lake village.
Dali, Yunnan, China -
34. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
The nearest large town in the area, Menglun, is the location of China's largest botanical garden. With a gorgeous setting on a peninsula in the Luosuo River, the garden holds more than 13,000 tropical and subtropical plant species and a section of dense, unspoiled tropical rain forest. A museum tells about the local flora and fauna, as well as the humans that have inhabited the region. Families enjoy the humid and fragrant air of the tropics, picnicking in pavilions, and observing rare plants and animals. Visits can take anywhere from a few hours to an entire day (there are restaurants and places to stay overnight). Electric buses help you explore, and hop-on, hop-off tickets are available for Y100. Buses only run until 6 pm, so start at the eastern park and make your way back toward the entrance. Menglun is about 60 km (37 miles) east of Jinghong, a trip that takes about 90 minutes by bus. Or you can take a cab.
Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y100 -
35. Xishuangbanna Tropical Flower and Plant Garden
With a well-designed layout, this is one of China's finest gardens, and an interesting place to spend several hours among fragrant frangipani, massive lily pads, drooping jackfruit, and thousands of other colorful and peculiar plants. Don't walk through too fast, or you'll miss out on some of the more unique plants, such as tiaowu cao, or "dancing grass," which actually stands up if you sing at it. Each plant's placard features English and Latin names.
99 Xuanwei Dadao, Jinghong, Yunnan, 666100, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y40, Daily 7:30–6 -
36. Xizhou
Among the prettiest towns in the area is Xizhou, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Dali. It has managed to preserve a fair amount of its Bai architecture. The daily morning market and occasional festivals of traditional music attract a fair number of tourists from Dali. Minibuses leave from Dali's west gate and cost Y7.
Dali, Yunnan, China -
37. Yangshuo Park
In the center of town, Yangshuo Park is where older people come to play chess while children scamper about in small playgrounds. The park has a number of statues and ponds worth seeing, and Yangshuo Park Peak has a small pagoda offering excellent views of the surrounding town. For a more intense climb with even better views, ascend the television tower across the street from the park's entrance.
Diecui Lu, Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, 541900, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily -
38. Yiwu
Once one of the starting points of the ancient tea and horses trade route to Tibet, this village has an Old Town featuring the houses of the "tea lords" of yesteryear. The Old Town is hidden away behind the school on a hill and makes for very pleasant investigation for an hour or two. Yiwu's higher altitude also means that it's a great way to get away from the Jinghong heat. All around the area are tea plantations you can stroll in. Several buses to Yiwu leave from Jinghong daily.
Yiwu, Zhejiang Sheng, 666318, China -
39. Yuantong Temple
The largest temple in the city, Yuantong Temple dates back some 1,200 years to the Tang Dynasty. The compound consists of a series of gates leading to the inner temple, which is surrounded by a pond brimming with fish and turtles. The chanting of worshippers in the serene environment makes it hard to believe you're in the middle of a big city. In the back of the compound a temple houses a statue of Sakyamuni (the Buddha), a gift from the king of Thailand.
30 Yuantong Jie, Kunming, Yunnan, 650031, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y6, Daily 8–5 -
40. Yunnan Provincial Museum
The museum focuses primarily on the Dian Kingdom, which ruled much of Yunnan from 1000 BC to 1 BC. Most of what you'll see here is more than 2,000 years old. Exhibits have good English captions.
118 Wuyi Lu, Kunming, Yunnan, 650032, China0871-6362–9328Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Tues.–Sun. 8–5:30
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