Beautiful Southwest Yunnan

1. Stone Forest Scenic Area

At the end of March 2007, the severe winter had just passed; in March, when the spring was full of spring and the grass was growing and the orioles were flying, my wife and I came to the beautiful scenic spot with a tour group. Stone Forest Scenic Area in Kunming City, Yunnan Province. It is located in Lunan County. It is a rare scenic spot in the world with karst landforms as its main body. It is a masterpiece of nature's uncanny craftsmanship and has been included in the World Heritage List. The Stone Forest is a "forest" composed of strange rocks. Walking through the forest, you can see strange rocks rising from the ground. They are abrupt and towering with various postures. When you are among them, you can't help but use your imagination to your heart's content and appreciate the endless changes of the stone scenery with your own unique eyes. You will find that In the forest, there are "a phoenix spreading its wings in the wind, a giant turtle resting on a high platform, two birds flying together..." forming a poetic and pure natural art treasure. The jagged peaks and mountains are in various shapes and forms, and they are so ingenious. Among the many scenic spots, Jianfeng Pool, Wangfeng Pavilion, Ashima Peak and other scenic spots have the best scenery. Wangfeng Pavilion is located at the highest point of the stone forest. Standing on the pavilion, you can have a panoramic view of the stone forest. The various shapes of stones are really breathtaking. I saw vast forests and undulating stone peaks; looking from a distance, it looked like huge waves of the sea rushing into the distance. The spectacular sight made people's blood boil. Looking down at the surrounding mountains, there is a feeling of "being at the top of the mountain and seeing all the small mountains at a glance". After getting off the stone peak and walking north, at the junction of the large and small stone forests, there is a lake with sparkling blue waves. An independent stone peak stands on the lakeside, just like a beautiful woman wearing an embroidered bun and carrying a small backpack on her back. The long awaited discovery is that this is the legendary Ashima Incarnation Stone. I was admiring this charming scenery fascinatedly, and I heard someone in the team say that we should go further. At the stone forest scenic spot that is crowded with tourists, many tourists will take photos, and I also took a few. The Stone Forest is truly a natural museum that is "the most amazing wonder in the world". It is known as one of China's four natural landscapes, along with Jilin's foggy pine trees, Guilin's mountains and rivers, and the Yangtze River's gorges.

2. Xishuangbanna

After leaving the Stone Forest Scenic Area, we went to the beautiful Xishuangbanna. That day happened to coincide with the annual Water Splashing Festival of the Dai people (I think it may have been held temporarily so that tourists can experience the joyful scene of the Water Splashing Festival in person). Water splashing started, and tourists carried various plastics they had just bought. A small basin was rushed into the pool, filled with a full basin of clean water, and together with the Dai people (who call girls "Sao Duoli" and boys "Mao Duoli"), they splashed each other to their heart's content and poured water on each other. bless. At this moment, although the nationalities are different and the costumes are different, they are all saying the same blessing. Those excited and happy smiling faces left beautiful memories in everyone’s heart. It is said that every April in the lunar calendar (April 13-April 16) is the Dai New Year. During this period, activities such as worshiping Buddha, dragon boat racing, and splashing water are held, which usually last for 3 to 7 days. Although I did not participate in the splashing, I just stood there watching the joyous scene from a distance, but my clothes still got wet. I was completely immersed in the joyful and lively atmosphere. After leaving Splashing Square, we followed the tour guide to the "Mysterious Aini Ancient Village", which is an ancient village built in the tropical rain forest. According to the tour guide, this village is inhabited by ethnic minorities from Xishuangbanna, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. Here, I witnessed two old men wearing black minority clothes, sitting there eating raw meat and drinking raw blood. Their behavior attracted some tourists to stop and watch. I also saw two ethnic minority boys called "Birdmen", jumping up and down in front of a small house made of wooden planks, babbling. They were not wearing clothes, but were wrapped in Leaves are used to cover shame. In another place, several young men performed the thrilling "Climbing the Mountain of Knives and Descending the Sea of ??Fire". In front of a two-story building made of wooden boards, I saw two beautiful long-necked girls upstairs. Their necks are very long. It is said that they need to wear a steel ring every three years old. Because their necks are long, , the cervical spine cannot be supported, and if you remove the steel ring, you will quickly suffocate to death. Due to the inconvenience of the neck and the inability to exercise strenuously, the longest life expectancy is only thirty to forty years... In this mysterious ancient village, I saw many weird ethnic minority customs.

This charming city attracts thousands of travelers from all over the world. 6. Dali Ancient City We came to the ancient city of Dali again, which has the characteristics of "wind, flowers, snow and moon". Dali is mainly inhabited by the Bai ethnic group. Men are called "Apeng Ge" and women are called "Golden Flowers". When you arrive at the ancient city of Dali, the first thing you see is a tall tower, which is simple, elegant, and sturdy. The simple and beautiful houses in the ancient city, the clean and elegant streets, and the orderly goods are really extraordinary! It is beautiful on the outside and beautiful on the inside. The city is square, the city walls are thick, the streets inside the city are crisscrossed, and the uniform Dali Bai buildings, with blue tiles and white walls, are particularly unique. The snow spring in Cangshan Mountain flows through the ancient city, and the scenery is clear and shining as you walk through the streets. The tinkling sound of running water immediately added a touch of elegance to the entire street. Walking in the ancient city, there is a fresh, refined and spotless feeling that makes people reluctant to leave for a long time. I was deeply attracted by the charm of the ancient city. The ancient city is divided into four gates, each with a history of 600 years, which seems to show how glorious and spectacular the Dali Dynasty was. Stepping on the ancient bricks, a feeling of admiration arises in my heart. In the ancient city, Bai people can be seen chatting and laughing everywhere. The houses have only two colors, cyan and white. Dali is not only beautiful in scenery, but also rich in marble. No wonder one of the "Eighteen Yunnan Monsters" is called "Selling Stones as Paintings."

Erhai Lake is a plateau lake. It is located on the east side of the ancient city of Dali, at the foot of the green Cangshan Mountain. Although Erhai Lake is called the sea, it is actually the second largest freshwater lake in Yunnan. , Cangshan Snow, Erhai Moon)" is one of the four scenic spots. It is said to be named "Erhai" because it is shaped like an ear. It is the "Mother Lake" of the Bai people. The ancestors of the Bai people called it the "Golden Moon". If you go boating on the Erhai Lake on a calm day, you can see the whole picture of the Erhai Lake. The clean and transparent lake surface is like the clear blue sky, giving people a peaceful and distant feeling. It makes people appreciate that "the boat is sailing on the blue waves and the people are painting." The poetic and picturesque feeling of "Middle Reach". Standing on the deck of the cruise ship, letting the wind blow through your long hair, your clothes flying, and groups of water birds flying up and down from the lake. Leaning on the railing and looking into the distance, I want to embed all the beautiful scenery in front of me deeply into my heart. Back in the cabin, we just caught up with the three-course tea performance. The three-course tea is the traditional hospitality etiquette of the Bai people. Bitter tea, sweet tea, and honey are presented to the guests in sequence, which means "the first is bitter, the second is sweet, and the third is aftertaste." While sipping tea, we watched a song and dance performance. After sipping tea and watching the show, the cruise ship also docked not long after. Then, we came to the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in the northwest of Dali Ancient City. After passing through the park gate, there was a road paved with marble, with lush trees on both sides. When we looked up, we saw the four major "Yongzhen Mountains and Rivers" Gold letters. Next is the majestic Three Pagodas, which consist of one large, two small and three pavilions. The big tower, also known as Qianxun Tower, also known as "Wenbi Tower", is a typical octagonal hollow square brick tower with dense eaves in the Dali area. The small towers in the north and south are both ten-level, 42.17 meters high, and were built during the Zhengyan period of the Duan Dynasty in Dali. (1108-1172), it is the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Three towers stand on a tripod, with Qianxun Tower in the middle and two small towers guarding it from the north and south. The art of building towers reaches its peak and has extremely high historical, cultural and architectural value. The short trip is coming to an end, but the beautiful scenery of southwestern Yunnan will remain in my mind forever.