KunMing Trip 27.12.2014 Part 2

After we visited The Hall of One Thousand Buddhas, we dropped by our last destination in Kunming, Yuantong Temple. 

Yuantong Temple is at the foot of Yuantong Hill in the northern part of the city. It is the largest and one of the oldest Buddhist temples of Kunming. The temple was built during the Tang Dynasty, with a history spanning over 1,200 years. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the temple was reconstructed and repaired several times to its present size and appearance.

The RMB6 entrance fee is a small amount to pay for the peace and tranquility of the temple. We got a set of candles and incense to offer and pray.

We entered Yuantong Temple from above and descend along a gently sloping garden path.

The view before we starting our peaceful walk beneath the gigantic cypress trees that line the garden path to the temple with its extensive array of flowers and foliage is deeply restful and impressive.

Yuantong Temple is grand and unique. Its brilliant appearance, grand building complex, and tranquil surroundings have intoxicated generations of poets and painters who have written poems and brushed scrolls about it.

A beautiful garden surrounds the temple complex and a pond filled with many frolicking tortoises sits in the middle of it.

Architecturally beautiful with statues and wall carvings in the main buildings, it is a lovely place to sit and contemplate and forget about the worries of daily life.

The temple itself is in good condition, and worth the photo opportunities it offers.

 

This temple is worth the small entrance fee.

 

We saw a pavilion which shelters a golden statue of Guanyin with thousand arms, goddess of the fecundity and protector of the daily lives in the courtyard, right at the center of the basin. The main room contains remarkable statues of Buddha with its beams and rolled up pillars with dragons.

KunMing Trip 27.12.2014 Part 1

We planned to visit Yuantong Temple (圆通寺) which is nearby our hostel on the last day in Kunming. We walked there and found out that another attraction, The Hall of One Thousand Buddhas (千佛堂) was located opposite of Yuantong Temple in Yuantong Street. 

KunMing Trip 26.12.2014 Part 2

My brother in law felt tired and not comfortable after back from Haigeng Park. Therefore, we went back to hostel to rest after visited Green Lake park for second time.

KunMing Trip 26.12.2014 Part 1

We took taxi to Kunming station and then transferred to visit HaiGeng Park (海埂公园) by bus.


Upon reaching Haigeng park, I was attracted by the seagulls.

KunMing Trip 25.12.2014

We took taxi to Kunming East Coach Station and spent 2 hours drive in a bus from Kunming downtown to reach Shilin (石林) National Park/ Stone Forest. The journey takes about 2 hours.

We enjoy great fame, wonderful vistas and landscapes and a consistently warm climate in Kunming. Among the most dramatic of these attractions is the Stone Forest, known since the Ming Dynasty as the 'First Wonder of the World'. 

Truly, Stone Forest is one of the most important attractions of Yunnan. The Stone Forest is located in Shilin County, 85 kilometres southeast of Kunming. Covering a few hundred square kilometres, stone peaks rise abruptly from the ground in numerous layers like bamboo shoots, forests and pagodas.

While walking through the forest, I marveled at the natural stone masterpieces and was bewitched by the intricate formations. The magnificent, strange and steep landscape creates countless labyrinthine vistas, including Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest, all of which feature stones in various formations. Animals, plants, and even human figures can be found here. Some are elegant, some are rugged, and each is lifelike with its own distinguishing characteristics. 

We spent the whole day traveling by bus and visiting Stone Forest. We left there about 5pm to get the last bus heading back to Kunming.