West Hill
» Kunming, Yun Nan

西山,龙门 '一径飞红雨,千林散绿荫'

Xishan,Dragon Gate

West bank of Lake Dianchi

West Hill is at the west suburb some 15 kilometers from the city proper. It contains the Huating Hill, Taihua Hill and Luohan Hill, extending a distance of more than 40 kilometers at an altitude of between 1900 meters to 2350 meters above sea level.

Sleeping beauty mountain

It is really made up of four hills, which form a contour resembling a sleeping beauty, whose hair flows down to the water. For this reason West Hill is also called a sleeping beauty mountain.

A legend about "West Hill"

Legend goes that at ancient time locals mistook a phoenix for Jade Chicken and called the hill Jade Chicken Hill. The hill also called Lying Buddhist Hill for its resemblance of a sculpture of a lying Buddha.

The most beautiful place in Yunnan

West Hill is very beautiful with lush vegetation, blooming flowers, green grass and tranquil surroundings. West Hill has enjoyed great fame for its beautiful and unique natural scenery since ancient time and was renowned as "the most beautiful place in Yunnan". Looked from afar, the mountain looks like a sleeping beauty lying on the Dianchi Lake. The girl looks so fascinating with her dark long hair flowing on the water face and you can even distinguish her head, breast, belly and two slim long legs.

A tragic story related to this hill

A tragic story related to this hill said that in remote time, a pretty princess escaped from the palace to seek freedom and love. The girl later met her prince and they got married soon. Unfortunately, their marriage encountered the king's strong opposition, who later killed that her husband. The princess was so sorrow that she cried days and nights and tears fell from her face and formed the Dian Lake. The girl's body formed the West Hill.

What to see

Looked afar, the mountain resembles a sleeping beauty lying on the Dianchi Lake. 19 kilometers from Kunming proper, Xishan is also known for stone sculptures on the cliff, represented by the Dragon Gate, which took 72 years to complete. Tourists can take a bird-eye view of the grand Dianchi Lake from the spot of the Dragon Gate. Attractions here include the Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, Sanqingge Pavilions, Longmen Grotto.

Dragon Gate

Farther up, near the top of the mountain, is Dragon Gate. This is a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors and pavilions that were hacked from the cliff between 1781 and 1835 by a Taoist monk and co-workers, who must have been hanging up there by their fingertips. At least that's what the locals do when they visit, seeking out the most precarious perches for views of Lake Dianci. The tunnel along the outer cliff edge is so narrow that only one or two people can squeeze by at a time, so avoid public holidays and weekends!

Huating Temple

At the belly of the West Hill, it is one of the grander Buddhist Temples in the region with a history of over 900 years. The temple has undergone several repair and reconstruction and the complex existing today was built in 1923 by a monk here.

The temple contains a Great Hall, Heavenly Hall and Guanyin Tower, a tower for a huge clock, Yuhua Terrace and some other ancient buildings. In the Great Hall places three delicately carved golden Buddhist scriptures. The scriptures are in looks and grandeur in posture.

Taihua Temple

Tiahua Temple is at the highway up the Tiahua Mountain. The temple was built in the Yuan dynasty hundreds of years ago. It contains a Great Hall, A heavenly Hall, a Elusion Tower and Grand-view Pavilion and some mansions and winding corridors.

Taihua Temple has been famous the lush vegetation and blooming flower in the temple. In later spring or early summer, variety of flowers scatter everywhere around the temple with the camellia, yulan the most impressive and famous. The area around the temple is blanketed by bamboo forest and old trees.

Outside the gate of the temple grows a 600-year old gingko tree, whose trunk takes four Cfive men to circle with their arms stretched out. The branches of the tree spread out in all directions. The tree was said to be planted by one of the Ming Emperors.

Sanqingge Pavilions

The complex stands on a sheer cliff and is heavily sheltered by green vegetation. It contains 11 buildings including Linguang Hall, Laojun Hall and so on. The bird-eye view from the buildings top is superlative with precipitous rocks, tree-sheltered pavilions, towers.

Longmen Grotto

This is the largest and most beautiful Taoist stone carvings in Yunnan. It has four famous features of uniqueness, distinctiveness, danger and tranquility. Longmen Grotto ranks top of all the cultural heritage in and around Kunming and enjoys great fame internationally.

Best time to visit

Kunming is called the city of perpetual spring and is suitable for tourists all year around. However, spring is the best time to visit West Hills for the scenery is the best there and many local people visit the place at March 3 rd of the lunar calendar. Each spring, the locals will gather here singing folk songs, playing dragon and lion show and enjoying the stunningly beautiful scenery around.

Getting there

By bus

The hike from Gaoyao bus station, at the foot of the hills, to Dragon Gate takes 3 hours, though most people take a connecting bus from Gaoyao to the top section, or take a minibus direct to the Tomb of Nie Er.

By bike

Alternatively, it is also possible to cycle to the hills from the city center in about an hour. To vary the trip, consider doing the return route across the dikes of upper Lake Dianci.

From Nie Er to Dragon Gate

Farther along the road, near the minibus and cable car terminus is the Tomb of Nie Er. Mr. Nie Er coposed the national anthem of China. From here you can catch a chairlift if you want to skip the fairly steep ascent to the summit. Alternatively a tourist tram takes passengers up to the Dragon Gate. You can also catch a cable car here down to Haigeng Gongyuan and Yunnan Nationalities Village.

Attractions around » Kunming, Yun Nan

Natural Scene

Natural Scene

Historical Site

Historical Site

Cultural Site

Cultural Site

Nightlife

Nightlife

Day Entertainment & Sports

Day Entertainment & Sports

Shopping & Leisure

Shopping & Leisure

  Weather

  1. Is Kunming's weather like Spring all year round?

  Transportation

  1. Noitce this when you take a bus
  2. Noitce this if you plan to rent a car

  Shopping

  1. Avoid buying fake goods
  2. If you have bought some ivory or ivory handicrafts...

  Travel

  1. Is it safe to travel in Kunming?

  Other Hints

  1. Tips for you to have a pleasant tour in Kunming
  2. Is it easy for me to make a call?
  3. Toilet Facilities
  4. Keep healthy
  5. Emergency
  6. Useful Numbers

  • Is Kunming's weather like Spring all year round?

    Kunming belongs to the subtropical plateau monsoon climatic zone; the annual average temperature is 14.7 and the yearly precipitation is 1,024 mm. It has the best climate of all Chinese cities, popularly known as the "Spring City". Kunming does not have severe winters or hot summers and the natural features of the four seasons are clearly defined. For the visitor, this means that Kunming is in bloom all year and a year round destination.


  • Noitce this when you take a bus

    Stand close to the door to get off at the next stop, otherwise, the bus driver does not stop.


  • Noitce this if you plan to rent a car

    Foreigners must have a Chinese driver's license. We suggest tourists rent a car with a local driver to avoid going crooked road.


  • Avoid buying fake goods

    Fake goods are prevalent on the streets of Kunming and while they might seem like tempting purchases, beware that you could be faced with their being impounded and charges brought against you when attempting to bring them back into your home country.So, please try to avoid buying goods from peddlers on streets. Instead, please choose large stores as your shooping places.


  • If you have bought some ivory or ivory handicrafts...

    As a rule, ivory and ivory articles are forbidden to be taken out of China. In China, bring out ivory articles or ivory carving needs strict checkup. The testimonial issued by relative governmental department is required.


  • Is it safe to travel in Kunming?

    The city of Kunming is a safe place to be with low levels of crime and few obvious threats to visitors. Like any big city however, it has its rogue element so the usual caveats with regards to pickpockets and bag snatchers apply. Keep money, wallets, purses and personal items of value well hidden and in hard to reach places. Avoid frequenting run-down or sparsely populated areas especially at night and be particularly conscientious with regards to personal safety if you are a lone female traveller.


  • Tips for you to have a pleasant tour in Kunming

    You should also wear sunglasses to shad their eyes from ultraviolet ray.

    When the lack of oxygen at high altitude occurs, it is necessary to take good rest or receive treatment by sucking oxygen.

    The southwest is an area where the minority nationalities live in compact communities and their culture, customs and habits vary from place to place. Attention should be paid to the following situation.

    • The Dai nationality resent outsiders entering their stockade village on horse back;
    • in the Jingpo village, the place where the Jingpo (Chingpaw) nationality hang the ox head cannot be touched;
    • when seeing logs placed at the door of the va (wa) nationality, one must avoid putting on short pants, must not step on the threshold, not to spit in the presence of other People and what is more, one must not hurt animals and birds at random.



  • Is it easy for me to make a call?

    While public phones are easily found in small shops along streets in Kunming, we suggest tourists make low-cost IDD or DDD calls in post offices or telecom buildings.


  • Toilet Facilities

    Most toilets in Kunming charge no more than 0.5 yuan. Tourists can find free sanitary toilets in some large department stores or fast food restaurants.


  • Keep healthy

    Be wary of where you choose to eat in Kunming, hygiene standards at street vendors and some restaurants may not meet western standards and you could end up with a whole lot more than just a portion of fried rice if you're not careful.

    Water from the tapsshould be avoided for drinking purposes and for brushing teeth and bottled water, which is cheap, can be found everywhere and should be used instead.

    Health care in Kunming's public hospitals is below what is considered international standard so visitors requiring medical care are advised to make use of the newly-opened Richland International Hospital.


  • Emergency Numbers:

    • Fire: 119
    • Ambulance: 120
    • Police: 110
    • Traffic: 122

  • Useful Numbers:

    • Weather forecast of the scenic spots: 16800122
    • Zip code inquiry: 3139491
    • Consumption Complaint: 12315
    • Kunming Tourism Complaint: 3164961


Being a sleeping beauty mountain, West Hill boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery. No wonder that the place has gained a reputation as 'having the most pleasant environment in the world.'

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