A Wonderful Summer Journey: Roaming at "Sunac Kunming Dianchi Houhai"

I've always been fascinated by Yunnan, a mysterious and beautiful land, especially the Spring City Kunming. This summer vacation, I had long planned to go to Yunnan for a colorful and mysterious journey.

Our first stop was Kunming. Not wanting to follow the traditional tourist route, we skipped the famous Dianchi Lake and Xishan Mountain. Instead, we chose a newly built food, scenery, and shopping paradise called "Sunac Kunming Dianchi Houhai" recommended by a travel buddy I knew well. We scanned the QR code of the "Sunac Cultural Tourism Club" mini-program that was everywhere on the street, and found tons of travel recommendations. So my friend and I picked our favorite shops and started our exploration tour at Sunac Kunming Dianchi Houhai.

Entering Kunming Dianchi Houhai, we discovered it was a magical pedestrian street full of hidden treasure shops. The architectural and decorative style of the entire Dianchi Houhai pedestrian street is a combination of traditional Chinese ancient architecture and the characteristic ethnic architectural styles of various ethnic minorities in Yunnan. Strolling along the street felt like stepping into a dreamy blend of ancient and modern times. The street was lined with diverse and flavorful food shops and highly individual handicraft stores. Just looking at them got us excited, and we couldn't wait to rush in and check them out, buying everything in sight.

By the time my good friend and I arrived at Dianchi Houhai by car, it was already past 10 o'clock, almost 11. After arriving, we began our shop-hopping mode, checking out many great shops along the way. Among them, two artsy and cultural stores left a deep impression on me, and I strongly recommend them to any ladies planning to visit.

First shop: Wen++Yi

Location: No. 10, Jingzhen Street, Sunac Dianchi Houhai, Xishan District, Kunming

Price range: Average spending from 50 yuan to a few hundred yuan per person

Products: When we first encountered this brand, we got to know an interesting soul—the owner "Wang Sicong," who shares the same name as the son of Wanda Group. She is a post-80s woman with strong innovative thinking and an independent spirit. The store is filled with a dazzling array of earrings, ranging from Chinese-style, vintage, Japanese/Korean styles to specially customized pieces. You can always find something that suits you, and they make perfect finishing touches to match beautiful clothes for different seasons.

Specialties: The store's signature glass earrings, distinctive bronze earrings, ceramic earrings...

Experience: This small jewelry shop themed around love and artsy culture is super charming and full of sentiment. The store's style is natural and vintage. Most of the accessories are handmade, with a wide variety of unique, niche, individual, and fashionable designs.

Second shop: Hua Daying (Flower Promise)

Location: Inside Sunac Cultural Tourism City, Xishan District, Kunming

Price range: Drinks at around 30 yuan per person on average

Products: Waffles, Mojito Lemon, Hua Daying Green Tea, Louis Boss, Jasmine Milk, Panda Milk Tea, Five Flowers Ji Mei Iced Tea, Many-Grape, Handmade Ice Cream...

Specialties: Five Flowers Ji Mei Iced Tea is brewed from five kinds of flowers and two types of fruits, with a light fruity acidity and rich floral fragrance—refreshing and fragrant. The handmade ice cream has no additives, an ultra-pure milky taste, and is a super popular item.

Experience: "Everything you see is flowers." Everything related to flowers can be found here. This store extends the infinite possibilities of flowers, incredibly fresh and lively.

After checking out many stores, it was almost 1 p.m., and our stomachs were growling with hunger. So we headed straight to the uniquely Tibetan restaurant "Yazhuola." Once inside, we quickly ordered under the enthusiastic recommendation of a young waiter and began enjoying a delicious Tibetan feast.

Location: C3-7, Sunac Dianchi Houhai, Xishan District, Kunming?

Price range: Around 70 yuan per person on average

Products: Hand-grabbed yak meat, oil-drizzled dried yak meat, Tibetan fungus mixed with walnuts, Tibetan fragrant pig with pigeon eggs, butter tea, morel mushroom stewed with beef ribs, fried cabbage with oil residue...

Specialties: The warm butter tea comes in two flavors: sweet and salty. We chose the sweet one, and the more we drank, the more addictive it became. The large pieces of hand-grabbed yak meat were top-notch, served with two dipping sauces—dry chili powder and chili oil. Bite after bite, we couldn't stop.

Experience: The Tibetan atmosphere embraced us as soon as we entered. The building featured Tibetan-specific colors, and the waitstaff dressed in traditional Tibetan attire greeted us warmly. The store had a mysterious and special fragrance. The dishes were exquisite, the portions generous, and the flavors amazing. Our first Tibetan dining experience was truly excellent. While eating, we enjoyed a Tibetan song-and-dance performance by handsome Tibetan men and beautiful women on stage. The ambiance was great, and overall, we felt it was great value for money.

After our treasure hunt ended, our feet were a bit sore, haha. My friend and I decided to find a small shop to sit and rest. So we walked into this incredibly charming fairy-like shop—Honey Life Hall.

Location: A1-2-1/A1-2-2/A1-3A, Sunac Cultural Tourism City, Xishan District, Kunming

Price range: Raw honey products around 100 yuan per person on average; honey drinks in-store around 25 yuan per person on average

Products: Longan raw honey, honey enzyme, honey lip balm, hand cream, soap, honey drinks...

Specialties: The store's signature longan raw honey is naturally matured raw honey, produced using traditional breeding methods and natural harvesting and production techniques. The honey gives off an incredibly natural and sweet aroma.

Experience: This is a super offline experience store similar to a creative space. From food to daily necessities, everything exudes a natural, healthy, sunny vibe. I recommend it to girls who love health preservation and all-natural products.

Our day roaming around Dianchi Houhai came to an end. Everything we saw and heard captivated us. Looking forward to meeting Dianchi Houhai again next time.