December 2020: A Yunnan New Year Trip
December is my little one's birthday, and she turned five. We wanted to go skiing, but due to various circumstances, we chose Yunnan for its better climate. Eight years ago, I had been to Yunnan, visiting Dali, Tengchong, Ruili, and Xishuangbanna. This time, we planned to explore Honghe Prefecture and Wenshan, arriving and departing from Kunming, renting a car for a self-drive trip, and linking up several World Heritage sites and trendy spots along the way.
Our itinerary spanned 13 days and 12 nights. We booked round-trip flights to Kunming via Ctrip, and drove through Chengjiang, Fuxian Lake, Jianshui, Yuanyang, Hekou, Wenshan, and Qujing before returning to Kunming and heading home. The total driving distance was 2,443 kilometers. As I'm getting older and traveling with my little one and my mom, we avoided mountain-climbing itineraries and focused on leisure, sightseeing, and interactive experiences.
This route formed a sort of loop, with not-too-long distances between stops. However, Yunnan's highways are not as developed as Guizhou's. From Yuanyang onward—covering Yuanyang, Hekou, Pingbian, Wenshan, and Malipo—we were mostly on national, provincial, and county roads. Some sections were quite rough. Nearby highways are under construction, so there were no traffic jams, and the scenery was quite nice.
Yunnan's cuisine is excellent—various mushrooms, vegetarian dishes, and steam pot chicken. This trip, we mostly ate at hotels and packed some dry provisions, which turned out to be a very good choice.
Traveling with my child and mom, we mostly stayed at well-known local hotels. Apart from the Fuxian Lake hotel and a Jianshui guesthouse being a bit pricey, the city hotels offered great value for money. The only slight regret was missing the legendary Hu Quan Tian Yi Hotel in Mile.
Amid the pandemic, all entrance tickets were roughly half price, and we bought them all on-site without the rush we experienced in Guizhou during the summer.
We took an afternoon China Eastern flight and landed on time at Kunming Changshui Airport. The car rental pick-up went smoothly, and we drove directly to the Cuihu Hotel by Cuihu Lake in the city center. It's an established state-run hotel; the hardware isn't brand new and the rooms aren't huge, but the service was excellent—butler service, reservation-only swimming pool, and convenient parking. They even provided a table full of complimentary snacks in the room each day, which was quite a lot.
Day 2: Yuanmou Journey
Today was the first day of sightseeing. We set off for Yuanmou County in Chuxiong, about three hours from Kunming. First, we visited the Yuanmou Man Site. For our little one, who's used to archaeological trips, this was a familiar routine. Yuanmou, Yuanyang, and Yuanjiang are known as Yunnan's 'Three Yuans.' Yuanmou is said to have no concept of winter, and indeed it was over 20°C here.
After exiting the highway, it didn't take long to reach the Yuanmou Man Heritage Park. The site is still under development and fairly basic—just a few monuments, so you can mostly soak up the atmosphere. But it's featured in textbooks, so it's worth a visit.
Leaving the site, we returned to the county town to visit the Yuanmou Man Museum. Parking in the square cost 2 yuan. The museum isn't large but systematically introduces ancient humans and Yuanmou's landforms. Yuanmou is a basin, which explains why it's so hot.
Not far from Yuanmou county town is the Yuanmou Earth Forest—well worth visiting and very impressive. We took a car to the hilltop, then walked down, enjoying the scenery along the way. Wandering through the interior of the earth forest, the various sights were fantastic. The introduction says that after millions of years of crustal movement, the wind and rain sculpted Yuanmou's land into countless bizarre shapes, attracting photographers, geologists, and famous directors. Films like The Promise and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles were shot here.
Even after we returned to Shanghai, my mom kept saying the earth forest was more spectacular than the stone forest. We admired the earth forest views, flew a drone, and since there weren't many visitors, taking photos was very pleasant.
After the preview, we went back to the hotel. The ground-floor Chinese restaurant was as reliable as expected—the steam pot chicken was a big hit, the service good, the prices moderate, and everything delicious. Well worth trying.
Day 3: Kunming Museum, Taihe Palace Golden Temple, and Feeding Black-headed Gulls at Haigeng Dam
Today was a leisurely day. Our first stop was the Kunming Museum in the city center, mainly to see Kunming's oldest structure—the Dizang Temple Sutra Pillar. The entire museum is built around this stone carving. Upon entering, the whole hall is dominated by the pillar. This ancient relic dates back to the Dali Kingdom period of the Song Dynasty. Made of sandstone, its surface has a slightly yellow hue. It has seven tiers, all densely carved with finely proportioned Buddhist statues—very awe-inspiring.
Before the museum was built, this area was a park centered on the pillar. Now, the museum has several exhibition halls, though the content isn't extensive. They cover some Yunnan-related topics, so we just browsed casually.
Leaving the museum, we headed to Mingfeng Mountain in Kunming's northeast suburbs, about 7 kilometers away, to see the Taihe Palace Golden Temple. You can drive right up to the gate, and parking was easy during non-peak hours. This is a famous Daoist temple in Yunnan, with a very serene environment. The highlight is the bronze hall inside. The Golden Temple was first built during the Ming Dynasty by Yunnan governor Chen Yongbin, modeled after the Taihe Palace and Golden Temple on Wudang Mountain's Tianzhu Peak in Hubei, and dedicated to the Northern Dipper True Warrior Great Emperor. The existing structure was rebuilt by Qing Dynasty Pingxi King Wu Sangui and weighs 250 tons—even heavier than Wudang Mountain's Golden Temple.
The temple is surrounded by camellia gardens and other landscaped areas, all quite beautiful. I took my little one up to ring the bell and pray for blessings. Exploring the historical site, climbing a small hill, and admiring the flowers was very enjoyable.
There were very few tourists, so we grabbed a casual lunch. In the afternoon, we drove to Kunming's Haigeng Dam. It wasn't far, and the dam was covered with black-headed gulls. We parked opposite at an auditorium and began our gull-feeding adventure by Dianchi Lake. December is the best time to see the black-headed gulls in Kunming, making this an absolute hotspot. The area is spacious with no entrance fee. Every winter, thousands of black-headed gulls fly all the way from Siberia. We fed them bread and birdseed to our hearts' content—so much fun! The little one was overjoyed, running around, and we bought lots of bread and birdseed, posing for all sorts of photos. Both young and old had a great time.
The gulls first came here in 1985. That year, a flock flew from distant Siberia to Kunming, and locals brought food from home to feed them. Every winter since, they've returned without fail to Dianchi Lake and Cuihu Lake. Each winter, citizens come here to feed them. I checked: black-headed gulls aren't a protected species, but Kunming has adopted them as a city symbol, treating them with great care—very nice.
Back at the hotel, the Chinese restaurant had a private booking, so we ordered dishes to the room. Still delicious.
Day 4: Kunming North Station (Yunnan Railway Museum), Chengjiang Fossil Site, Fuxian Lake
We woke up and prepared to leave Kunming today.
Our destination was Fuxian Lake. The first stop en route was the Yunnan Railway Museum at Kunming North Station. The museum consists of a south hall and a north hall. The south hall is modeled after the French classical architecture of the century-old Yunnan-Fu Station on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, while the north hall is a modern building inspired by high-speed rail station elements. A railway steel bridge connects the two halls, spanning three tracks at the station, integrating the museum with the active station. Though small, the museum is fascinating.
On this Yunnan trip, my wife was quite excited about the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. The museum offers a comprehensive introduction to it, all the way from Kunming to Hekou, systematically presenting it—very interesting. It also explains that Yunnan has standard gauge, meter gauge, and inch gauge railways of various specifications, adding to our anticipation for finding scenic spots along the railway later.
After leaving the museum, we departed Kunming. First stop: Maotianshan—the Chengjiang Fossil Site, a little-known World Heritage site. No entrance fee. The fossil discovery point had hardly any visitors, just a large mound of earth, but it's said to be a pilgrimage site for paleontologists.
At 3 p.m. on July 1, 1984, Hou Xianguang discovered an Early Cambrian invertebrate fossil in a loose rock layer. He found three important fossils that day, which were later identified as Naraoia, Branchiocaris, and Jianfengia. This opened a door to a treasure trove of Early Cambrian paleontological riches. Hou went on to discover many more Cambrian fossils like arthropods, jellyfish, and worms. Together with his supervisor Professor Zhang Wentang, he authored 'The Discovery of Naraoia on the Asian Continent,' naming the Chengjiang fauna.
We took photos as a memento, then left the site for the museum 8 kilometers away. Opened in August, the museum is said to have cost 600 million yuan and is arguably China's best natural history museum, right by Fuxian Lake. Upon entering, the massive fossil wall in the lobby is stunning. Inside, the exhibition hall is filled with high-tech exhibits, light and sound effects, all focused on paleontology. Free guided tours are available. It was eye-opening—we learned about the Cambrian Explosion and the Cambrian overlord Anomalocaris. My little one was a bit scared but also curious. The fossils here aren't large, somewhat different from what I'd imagined. The most unique feature of Chengjiang fossils is that the soft-body structures of 530-million-year-old organisms are perfectly preserved in the rock. These fossils retain not just bones but also skin, cilia, eyes, guts, digestive tracts, mouths, nerves, and other soft tissues. The Chengjiang fossil fauna vividly recreates the magnificent landscape of marine life 530 million years ago and the original features of modern animals, proving the reality of the Cambrian explosion and challenging the limitations of Darwinian evolution. It's hailed as one of the most astonishing scientific discoveries of the 20th century—definitely a museum worth visiting, a real eye-opener.
Online, there's a wealth of information praising the Chengjiang Fossil Site—absolutely a must-see!
Leaving the museum, just a few kilometers brought us to the Hilton Hotel by Fuxian Lake. The location is superb, perfect for watching the sunset. The hotel service was good. A minor unpleasantness at the front desk didn't mar things much. My little one loved the various activities. We strolled by the lake, sipped tea, and enjoyed the view.
As for regrets, I didn't get to taste the Fuxian Lake kanglang fish (the hotel only had 0.5 kilograms left, and it sold out).
Day 5: A Full Day at Fuxian Lake
Waking up early, the view from the balcony was all Fuxian Lake, delightful. We planned an in-depth tour of the lake. First stop: Fuxian Lake Park. The lake's standout feature is its water quality—Grade I, meaning it's drinkable. Except for rescue vessels, no motorized boats are allowed, so the water is incredibly clear. Fuxian Lake ranks third in size among Yunnan's lakes, but with an average depth of over 90 meters, it holds an enormous volume of water. There are various wild birds and black-headed gulls, but artificial feeding is forbidden to prevent pollution.
Leaving the park, we enjoyed the scenery along the lake, then continued to Jieyu Stone Park on the roadside. Located in the middle of Yudai River, which connects Xingyun Lake to Fuxian Lake, legend says that fish from the two lakes swim to this point and then turn back, creating the 'Two Lakes Meet, Fish Don't Cross' wonder of Jieyu Stone.
The park is tiny with few visitors, but worth a look.
Our final Fuxian Lake stop was Gushan. To visit the island, you must take a boat—either pedal boat or human-powered, with no internal combustion engines allowed. Gushan is the only island in Fuxian Lake. It's not big and not crowded, but climbing up for a lake view is very pleasant. Known as 'the jade of central Yunnan' and famed for its extraordinary beauty, it's well worth a visit.
Bidding farewell to Fuxian Lake, we continued south. Tonight we'd stay in Jianshui. Eight years ago, I came here for the steam pot chicken; this time, I revisited my favorite old town. The ancient city has become commercialized, but not overly so. Chaoyang Tower still stands, and there are more guesthouses now.
We chose the best guesthouse, Tingziyun, which is itself an ancient mansion. Parking is 300 meters away. The service was excellent—a shuttle cart picked up our luggage. The owner gave us complimentary breakfast and upgraded our room since we were a party of three—very grateful. After settling in, we went for a stroll along Lin'an Street. It was my mom's first visit. Passing by the Imperial Examination Shed, which was still open, we took my little one in to learn about the imperial examination culture.
Continuing along Lin'an Street, my little one got hungry. We exited the west gate, found Daban Well, and the Baban Well Tofu Workshop across from it satisfied her greatly. My wife, who adores Jianshui tofu, gave Jianshui a big thumbs-up. Soy milk, tofu pudding, and crispy-skinned tofu were incredibly tasty.
After eating, we went to see the well. My little one worked hard drawing water, to her heart's content. Back on Lin'an Street, she played some roadside games. We found a trendy restaurant where Xie Tingfeng had filmed a show, and tried the local cogon grass shoots—very satisfying.
Day 6: Jianshui Little Train
The guesthouse breakfast was delicious. After eating, thanks to the enthusiastic staffer who drove us in a golf cart to Lin'an Station, we caught the train. The owner had worried the cart might not be allowed at the station, and I was concerned about driving in time. The staffer's kind help saved the day. On my previous visit, the little train didn't exist. This time, with my little one, we took the ride. The route is based on the old Ge-Bi-Shi railway, which we'd learned about at the Kunming Railway Museum. Now the inch gauge has been converted to meter gauge, but the train is real, operated by Kunming Bureau, with the journey starting at Lin'an Station and ending at Tuanshan Station, with stops at Shuanglong Bridge and Xianghui Bridge.
There are two departures: 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The round trip takes 4 hours and 40 minutes, with a slow, meandering feel—very comfortable. Boarding at Lin'an Station, we took photos on the platform. The wooden carriages felt nostalgic. At the first stop, Shuanglong Bridge, a train attendant led the group on a guided tour around the bridge. This is a famous Jianshui attraction, commonly called the 'Seventeen-Arch Bridge,' a large stone arch bridge with three pavilions and seventeen arches, spanning the confluence of the Lujiang and Tachong Rivers. It's one of Yunnan's renowned historical sites and listed in China's bridge-building annals—very beautiful. The stop was about half an hour, just enough.
Next stop: Xianghui Bridge Station. Here we mainly admired the station platform—a genuine old building. We had 20 minutes for photos and a look around.
The final stop was Tuanshan Station, where the Tuanshan Ancient Village lies. We had over two hours to explore. Tuanshan Ancient Village blends local ethnic culture with Central Plains culture, rich in historical remains. It's a quiet, lesser-visited spot in Jianshui.
Actually, all these sites are reachable by car without much distance, but the slow pace of the train is an experience in itself.
After 40 minutes, the train returned to Lin'an Station (Jianshui). Along Yinghui Road, we randomly picked a snack bar, sat down, and started grilling tofu. It reminded me of the roadside station tofu grill eight years ago—still using corn kernels to count, full of that tofu aroma.
One regret: I couldn't find the old small rice noodle rolls in the alleys from back then. We walked all the way to Chaoyang Tower. My mom enjoyed the views and took photos. This tower is the original counterpart to Tiananmen in style.
A roadside vendor from northeast China selling red rice pancakes from Yuanyang was a unique find, giving us energy for the next leg to Yuanyang.
Leaving Jianshui, we took National Highway 245 to Yuanyang. The road wasn't great, with many cliffside sections. Due to ongoing highway construction, there were plenty of large trucks. We had hoped to see the sunset at Yuanyang, but we ran into a temporary road closure for dismantling large protective devices, delaying us an hour. The road into the Yuanyang Terraces area was very good. We chose the Wanshan Holiday Hotel in Qingkou Scenic Area. It was affordable, and the restaurant food was decent. The booking didn't include breakfast, but the hotel surprised us by saying, 'There's no breakfast nearby, so the hotel will provide complimentary breakfast.' Thumbs up for that! The area lacked crowds, even though it's a 2013 World Heritage site! The commercialization can't compare to Jiangsu-Zhejiang; it still feels agrarian, with hardly any farm-stay options.
Day 7: Yuanyang Rice Terraces & Hekou Port
The best sunrise spot at Yuanyang Terraces is Duoyishu, a 40-minute drive one way, meaning we'd have to return for breakfast. We decisively skipped it, had a relaxed breakfast, and simply enjoyed the beautiful terraces from nearby viewing platforms.
Most visitors were photography enthusiasts with professional gear. After checking out, we went to Bada Scenic Area. The whole Yuanyang Terraces area is free, with only a few smaller scenic spots requiring tickets—a reasonably priced all-in-one pass. We stopped at several viewpoints for photos along the way. Bada has two observation decks with utterly magnificent views. According to the introduction, starting from the Mali Village River at 800 meters altitude, endless layers of terraces stretch up to mountain peaks at 2,000 meters, lifting Hani villages like Mali, Bada, Shangmadian, and Quanfuzhuang into the sea of clouds. The 3,700-plus tiers of terraces resemble a heavenly ladder reaching the clouds.
Further on, at a hilltop viewpoint, Hani children were doing business. The area truly remains agricultural and under-commercialized. We dressed our little one in ethnic costumes for photos. Soon we reached Duoyishu. Here, you enter directly to see the terraces. The entrance was under renovation, so parking was a bit of a hassle, but with few cars and people, it was fine. At 1,900 meters altitude, 650 hectares of terraces spread across slopes of 25 to 50 degrees, resembling bays in Duoyishu, Aichun, and Dawazhe. This is the prime spot for viewing and photographing sea-of-clouds terraces, sunrises, and mountain villages. The famous film Yunnan Story was primarily shot among these terraces and villages.
The Tiger Mouth area was closed due to geological hazards. We missed Qingkou's sunset and Duoyishu's sunrise, but Yuanyang Terraces still didn't disappoint.
Leaving Duoyishu, we continued winding over mountains on National Highways 553 and 219, following the Yuan River south. There were few tourist cars. Once we got onto Kaihe Expressway, there was almost no traffic, straight to Hekou. The border town had slightly stricter security checks. Off the highway, we went directly to Hekou Port. Due to the pandemic, it was deserted, with nearly all shops closed, but parking was easy. The Nanxi River and Yuan River converge here, and as the Yuan River enters Vietnam, it's called the Red River.
The port was closed, border trade completely halted. We walked around to see the boundary markers, the port, the national gate, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway's Hekou cross-border bridge, and Hekou Station. The once extremely bustling scene was completely gone. Luckily, we saw a Vietnamese train crossing the border with goods—quite a stroke of luck. From Kunming to Hekou, our journey along the railway was complete. We checked into the Yunling Xinhewan Hotel, considered the best in town. On that day, only about eight rooms were occupied. The restaurant was still open, and the swimming pool fully operational. Service was indeed good—thumbs up.
Day 8: The Human-Shaped Bridge & Wenshan
In the morning, we went to the hotel's own viewpoint, which overlooked the Hekou cargo port. Trucks were constantly crossing the bridge between Vietnam and China—wondering how the drivers were managing pandemic controls.
Leaving Hekou, today's only attraction was the Human-Shaped Bridge in Pingbian, an important spot on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway.
We drove for a long time along the railway route. The road wasn't tough; we took it slowly, enjoying the views, and arrived at the bridge around noon. No entrance fee. We ate at a farm restaurant, then climbed up to the bridge.
Following steps upward, we reached the railway tracks, walked through a tunnel, and emerged onto the bridge deck. The wind was strong, and the sight was magnificent.
The Human-Shaped Bridge, also known as Wujiazhai Railway Bridge, is a ribbed three-hinged arch steel bridge on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. It lies in the Sidiehe Grand Canyon at Wujiazhai, Heping Township, Pingbian Miao Autonomous County, Honghe Prefecture, between Poduqing and Luogu stations. The bridge is a landmark of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and vital for studying the railway and Chinese bridge history, listed in the World's Famous Bridges. Construction started on March 10, 1907, designed by French engineer Paul Bodin of the Batignolles construction company based on principles of applied mechanics, and built by his firm.
The bridge is 71.7 meters long, 4.2 meters wide, and 102 meters high, with its deck 102 meters above the deep gorge below. It's entirely constructed of steel plates, channels, angles, and rivets. To build it, all components were designed to be carried by a single person, hauled up entirely by human labor, and assembled on-site. Over 800 laborers died during construction—a tremendous challenge. Walking through the tunnel on the opposite side, the local downhill path was really rough, so I suggest taking the improved tourist steps a bit further ahead.
Leaving the bridge, we headed for Wenshan. Baidu and Gaode Maps didn't recommend a certain shortcut, but we decided to try it. That road turned out to be the roughest of the trip. From the bridge area, we had to climb a dirt track running parallel to the railway, then cross the line onto a muddy, rutted path. Fortunately, traffic was light. The road went through forest farms, heading toward Heping Town, then onto Wenshan. This route was indeed the shortest time-wise. After a bumpy ride, we finally got onto Tianhou Expressway and arrived smoothly in the land of Panax notoginseng—Wenshan.
We checked into the Wenshan Fenghuang Jinjiang Hotel, a big city hotel with good restaurant dishes, but many featured notoginseng, giving a strong medicinal and slightly bitter taste. Interesting!
Day 9: A Trip to Malipo & Lao Mountain
Today we went to Malipo and Lao Mountain. No highway, only Provincial Road 210 and National Highway 246, with patchy fog and winding mountain roads, but the road surface was decent. Border checks were very strict—lots of forms and even fingerprinting. Malipo is a border county, a key site of the recent Sino-Vietnamese conflict. Historically, it saw warfare from ancient times until the 1990s, with the whole county contributing manpower and resources, enduring great hardship. But it also has history dating back to the Stone Age—worth a visit.
First, we headed to Lao Mountain. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the main peak was closed. We could only see some war relics at the base. The 'red tourism' development is well done: exhibition halls, the Divine Artillery position, a mine exhibition hall, and various sights.
Not far from here is Tianbao Port, smaller and even more deserted than Hekou. The national gate was sealed off; we could only view it and crossing vehicles through a wire fence. We strolled around, saw very few tourists, and the surrounding shops had absolutely no business.
It was still early, so heading back, we decided to visit the Da Wang Rock paintings in Malipo town. These are Stone Age works. Da Wang Rock Park is right beside the road downtown, parking is tricky—you just leave your car on the roadside. The park has no gate. From the roadside, you can see an extremely steep staircase without handrails, going straight up and down—a bit dizzying for those with height issues. About 300 meters along the road, there's a gentler staircase, though it was under construction, muddy, and not easy to walk. Both staircases lead to the Da Wang rock face. The Da Wang Rock cliff paintings are on a rock wall at Yangjiaonao, 500 meters east of town.
The paintings are said to be in two groups, with no description. The area around the paintings is completely sealed off by thick concrete walls and a large iron gate, so you can only view the main motifs from a distance. Still impressive. These have been identified as Neolithic works, worth a look in this small border town. From Da Wang Rock, a path leads to the cliff top for a view over all of Malipo. After a rest at the top, we started back to Wenshan.
Driving back, we passed the Malipo Martyrs' Cemetery. War is too cruel. We paused at the gate to pay respects and show reverence.
The return journey had quite a few trucks, but everything went smoothly. Then, my wife received an urgent work assignment and had to fly to Hunan the next day, so I'd be continuing the Yunnan trip alone with my little one and mom. We adjusted the remaining itinerary, deciding to stay an extra night in Wenshan.
Day 10: Puzhehei
I drove my wife to Wenshan Airport early in the morning through dense fog.
Puzhehei was conveniently on our route. No highway, but the road surface was excellent. We arrived smoothly in Puzhehei under scorching heat.
The scenic area has no entrance fee. At the visitor center, we bought a shuttle bus ticket. First, we went to Shuangjiashan Pier to take a painted boat. Because of Shanghai's aid programs, my ID card scored me a 70-yuan discount per ticket. Boats depart about hourly. There were few tourists, and the ride felt like cruising through a painting. The landscape here is all karst topography, with little hills dotting the water—very beautiful. Passing Swan Lake, it wasn't the season, so there were no swans, just the scenery. The 70-minute ride was relaxing. We arrived at Qinglong Mountain, climbed to the viewpoint. On one side was Puzhehei Village (where Dad, Where Are We Going? was filmed); on the other, the filming location of Eternal Love: Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms—very pretty. Several limestone caves were closed due to the pandemic.
Coming down from Qinglong Mountain, we took the scenic area's Line 2 back to Pucaotang Pier. Along the way, you could get off to visit Puzhehei Village, Xianrendong, and other spots. Back at Pucaotang, we switched to Line 1 and went to Xihuang Wetland, where many locals were enjoying themselves. 'Puzhehei' in the local language means a pond teeming with fish and shrimp. Sure enough, everyone had a net, and in no time could scoop up a bucketful of tilapia without any skill—amazing! On a small island in the wetland, there was a troop of monkeys kept by someone. They were all over the pontoon bridge, and we could feed them. My little one had a blast. Not wanting to stay too late, we returned smoothly to Wenshan.
Day 11: Bisezhai, Jijie Station & Stone Forest
After waking up, we left Wenshan, first heading to Bisezhai in Mengzi on the expressway. Bisezhai became famous because of Feng Xiaogang's Youth, but it's more importantly a core hub of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, the interchange station between meter-gauge and inch-gauge lines. You can drive right up to Bisezhai Station, though parking is limited. Alternatively, park in the scenic area lot and take a 20-yuan shuttle.
The commercial activity here mainly revolves around period costume rentals for photos, not expensive, to reminisce about that era. In reality, it's a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, with the entire station protected and many historical remnants. At the Kunming Railway Museum, I'd read about Bisezhai Station. It was built in 1909 (first year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty), initially named Bishizhai, later changed to Bisezhai. In 1918, it was designated a special-class station. In 1992, passenger service stopped; in October 2010, the station was abolished. It's now a fourth-class station under the Kunming Railway Bureau, on the Kunhe and Gebishi lines. Currently, a Bisezhai Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park is being built—worth a visit.
We then drove to Jijie Station in Gejiu. This station isn't as famous as Bisezhai but was listed as a cultural relic even earlier. It's where the inch-gauge line survives. In 1970, the Ministry of Railways widened the Jijie-Shiping inch-gauge section to meter gauge, connecting it to the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway in the same year. The Jijie-Gejiu section, unable to be converted due to limitations, was closed in 1990. This isn't a tourist spot; we found parking at the end of a small lane. The station is dilapidated, with tracks piled up under the platform. The main building is a Sino-French style building, with a square waiting room and a platform to the south—rather pretty. Visiting Jijie marked the completion of our Yunnan-Vietnam Railway tour without regrets.
With the last two railway spots checked off before noon, I took my mom to the Stone Forest. Originally not on the itinerary—I had been here with my wife eight years ago—but since my wife had left the group, I needed to consider my mom's interests. So we skipped the kid-friendly Mile (missing the legendary Hu Quan Tian Yi Hotel there) and headed straight to the famous Stone Forest. Two hours on the highway brought us there. Now, the parking lot is 400 meters from the visitor center, and the visitor center is 1.5 kilometers from the scenic area, requiring a shuttle. Not many people, but a cold front had arrived, making it quite chilly. I hired an Ashima guide to explain things to my mom, who happily snapped photos, exclaiming it was wonderful. Last time, my wife and I visited the Greater and Lesser Stone Forests, Naigu Stone Forest, and Jiuxiang Caves. This time, we just did the Greater and Lesser Stone Forests.
That night, we stayed at the Hongyue Lake Hotel in Luliang, the best value hotel of the trip.
Day 12: Colorful Sand Forest & Qujing's Three Great Stelae (Cuan Baozi Stele, Cuan Longyan Stele, and Stele of the Duan Clan's Alliance with 37 Tribes)
We left Luliang early and first visited the Sand Forest. My mom wanted to complete the trio: Yunnan's Stone Forest, Earth Forest, and Sand Forest. On the way, we passed the Cuan Longyan Stele—a nationally protected cultural relic and a masterwork of calligraphy! Unfortunately, it was closed for interior renovation, so we couldn't see the real thing; we just walked around outside for a quick look.
At the Colorful Sand Forest, we were among the first visitors. The area isn't huge, but the natural landscape is quite nice, with some Three Kingdoms legends and sand sculpture art added. The sand forest formed through weathering and erosion, with layer upon layer of sand cliffs, pillars, and peaks in hues of gold, white, red, and gray, interspersed with black, cyan, green, and blue—vibrant and dazzling. Combined with seasonal, weather, sunlight, and viewing angle variations, it creates a rich palette. Overall, my mom liked the Earth Forest best, then the Stone Forest; this one was just a scenic stop along the way.
To be near Changshui Airport for our flight home the next day, we drove to Qujing city in the afternoon and checked into the government hotel near the South City Gate. Qujing houses two nationally protected stelae from 1961: the Cuan Baozi Stele and the Stele of the Duan Clan's Alliance with 37 Tribes. Both are inside Qujing No.1 Middle School, where a museum space was carved out. Opening hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, for a few morning and afternoon hours. We arrived on a Thursday, and it opened at 3 p.m., so I happily went back, got settled, and since my mom wasn't interested, she stayed at the hotel scrolling through social media.
I went alone. The Stele of the Duan Clan's Alliance with 37 Tribes was erected in 971 AD (Northern Song Dynasty) by the Dali Kingdom's Duan clan. It's a precious physical witness to the long history of unity and friendship among Yunnan's ethnic groups, and an important artifact of cultural and artistic exchange between minorities and the Han, as well as calligraphic art of the Song Dynasty. It's a rare physical record using Chinese characters to document minority historical events, languages, and artistic layout.
The Cuan Baozi Stele, full title 'Jin Dynasty General Zhenwei, Jianning Governor Cuan Fujun's Tomb,' is a sandstone stele. The body is rectangular with a semicircular top. The head inscription has 5 columns, 3 characters each. The main text has 13 columns, 4 characters each, totaling 403 characters. The text is a eulogy for the short-lived Cuan Baozi. The four-character parallel prose, reminiscent of Han fu or Yuefu, demonstrates its unique historical status in Chinese literature and frontier ethnic culture.
Both stelae hold an extremely high position in calligraphy. I could only appreciate them as a layman, ticking them off the list without regrets.
Day 13: From Qujing to Changshui Airport, Heading Home
Just about a kilometer from the hotel, we got on the highway and drove straight to Changshui Airport, smoothly heading home…
This journey was one of the longer trips in recent years. We explored the less touristy southeastern Yunnan route, with an abundance of diverse sights—history, culture, natural landscapes, and ethnic minority customs, all encompassing.
Hoping the pandemic ends soon, so traveling can be even more joyful.
