Shiping Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Shiping Ancient City Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Yunnan Summer Retreat Ancient City, Shiping
Yunnan Summer Retreat Ancient City
Shiping, a millennium-old city in Honghe Prefecture, boasts a century-old meter-gauge train, Yilong Lake, and the ancient city of Shiping. With summer temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees, it is an ideal place for a cool summer stay.
Attraction Recommendations
Shiping Ancient City
Founded during the Qin Dynasty, it has a history of over two thousand years. The existing ancient city retains the layout of the Ming Dynasty, exuding an ancient charm, and preserves a large number of ancient buildings such as the Shiping Confucian Temple, Shiping Academy, and the county government office.
Meter-Gauge Train
The Shiping station of the meter-gauge train was established in 1936. Today, the station has been renovated and the meter-gauge sightseeing train service has been resumed
Shiping station retains the original ticket hall and platform, and has opened routes to Baxin, Tuanshan, and Jianshui. The lowest fare is for a hard seat from Shiping to Baxin station, 40 yuan for a one-way trip, and 120 yuan for a round trip from Shiping station to Jianshui station.
Yilong Lake
Yilong Lake is a plateau lake connecting Shiping County in Yunnan with Baxin Town, with a history that can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty
Attractions: Lake embankment water pavilion, wooden arch bridge, plank road. You can ride or stroll by the lake, and in summer, you can enjoy the lotus. The pavilions and water platforms are scattered like stars in a chessboard pattern, with dozens of twists and turns. Admission is free.
Hai Shan Pavilion
Hai Shan Pavilion in Ruicheng is composed of Lai He Pavilion, Wen Chang Pavilion, and Kui Xing Pavilion, which were built during the Ming Dynasty. From the top, you can overlook the entire panorama of Yilong Lake. Admission is free.
Accommodation: Recommended Shiping Ancient City, standard rooms starting at 100 yuan
Cuisine: Soybean curd with thick sauce, grass sprout rice noodles, papaya water
Departing from Kunming | Southeast Yunnan Self-Drive Tour for 7 Days and 6 Nights is so beautiful and refreshing
| Southeast Yunnan Self-Drive Tour for 7 Days and 6 Nights is so beautiful and refreshing.🙋 In March, we gathered from south of Kunming and chose the Southeast Yunnan mini loop for 7 days and 6 nights. Just go without looking back or rushing, averaging two to three hours of driving each day, and we had a great time~ Here is the detailed itinerary to share with everyone~✌️
The 1⃣️st stop Kunming➡️Luoping
A sea of canola flowers, a sight too beautiful to describe
Accommodation recommendation: Shizong county town (During the canola flower season, hotels in Luoping county are ridiculously expensive, so we chose a nice and affordable hotel in the neighboring county, which is a 40-minute drive from the Luoping Jindie Peaks scenic area, with fewer people and cheaper hotels, very comfortable)
The 2⃣️nd stop Luoping➡️Mile
Visit scenic spots and soak in hot springs ♨️Experience the charm of a small health and wellness town
Accommodation recommendation: Mile city area (Any hotel near the lake and springs is good, most of them have their own hot spring pools)
The 3⃣️rd stop Mile➡️Gejiu
Experience the atmosphere of the '70s and '80s Little Hong Kong, full of nostalgia
Accommodation recommendation: There are many hotels in Gejiu city area, try to choose a newly renovated economy chain type, both hardware and services are good~👍🏽
The 4⃣️th stop Gejiu➡️Yuanyang
Witness the sunrise and sunset over 170,000 acres of Hani terraced fields, so beautiful and stunning~
Accommodation recommendation: Homestays near the Duoyishu viewing platform (Very convenient to get up early the next day to see the sunrise)
The 5⃣️th stop Yuanyang➡️Jianshui
A cultural ancient city with a strong sense of life, delicious and fun to explore~
The narrow-gauge train has a lot of charm, but it's a bit pricey, not recommended for self-driving trips, the sunset at Shuanglong Bridge is really too beautiful, never tiresome to watch~
Accommodation recommendation: Chain hotels or newly renovated homestays within the ancient city🏨
The 6⃣️th stop Jianshui➡️Shiping➡️Fuxian Lake
Shiping ancient city - almost no tourists, local food is very delicious
Fuxian Lake - the sea in the hearts of Yunnan people, the sunset over the lake is very fairy-like and beautiful~
Accommodation recommendation: Fuxian Lake Xiaowan village homestay (This season there are fewer people, the homestay prices are reasonable and the service is enthusiastic)🏨
⚠️⚠️The canola flowers in Luoping are off the market, but in September there is the sunflower festival, and you can also take a detour to Puzhehei and Bamei, a very nice Southeast Yunnan self-drive tour loop~ Definitely worth taking a trip❗️❗️
Seek tranquility in the hidden corners~ Yuying Academy in the ancient city of Shiping
Yuying Academy faces south with its back to the north, covering an area of 3,303 square meters. It boasts a grand scale, consisting of structures such as the main gate, the second gate, the archway, the lecture hall, and the dormitories. The wooden structure is a three-entry quadrangle complex, with the grandeur of a palace.
The most noteworthy ancient architecture of the academy is the Longmen Archway. The archway is a brick-wood-stone structure with flying eaves and bucket arches, carved beams and painted rafters, very majestic. Four dragon-shaped stone pillars, with their heads held high and eyes bulging, are supported on four column bases. The carving skills are exquisite, and the shapes are lifelike.
On the main gate of the archway, there is a vertical plaque with the two characters 'Longmen'. 'Longmen', also known as Yumenkou, is located at the northwest of Hejin County in Shanxi and the northeast of Hancheng County in Shaanxi. Legend has it that once a carp in the Yellow River leaps over the Yumenkou, it can transform into a dragon. This is meant to encourage students to strive for excellence, to study diligently, and to emerge from the academy with profound knowledge, to succeed in the imperial examinations, and to become renowned far and wide.
The Watch by the Platform | Shiping
The Watch by the Platform | Shiping|||Shiping Railway Station, the jewel on China's first private railway—the GeBiShi Railway, is a romantic French-style cottage, elegant and unique; with its bright yellow station exterior walls, green doors and windows, exotic palm trees 🌴, and rail tracks full of the marks of time.
Zhengying Ancient Village, ten kilometers from Shiping, is known as 'Yunnan's Number One Village'. The Chen Family Ancestral Hall, the Zheng Family Ancestral Hall, and the Chen Family Residence are must-sees.
The ancient village, with its quietly living people, combines the dilapidated old houses with the contemporary new countryside, creating a unique flavor.
Here, the hairy crabs are very famous, and coinciding with the 🦀️ season, I found a farmhouse at the entrance of the village and had a hearty meal.
Shiping's tourism ecology is quite good, with almost all attractions being free of charge, pristine, and slow-paced, making it very suitable for Citywalk
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Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Compared to Dali, I have a deeper affection for this unassuming and lively small town in southern Yunnan
In the middle of Yunnan, there lies a small town that is both delicious and fun,
Honghe Shiping—this place is known for its cultural heritage and as the hometown of top scholars,
With its niche meter-gauge train and the ancient charm of old houses and deep alleys still present,
In winter, you can watch seagulls at Yilong Lake, and there's an endless list of amazing food to recommend.
I make it a point to visit Shiping Old Town every year, and here's a two-day itinerary suggestion to keep:
·
D1🚲: Kunming/Jianshui → Shiping Old Town → Confucian Temple/Museum → Yuan Jiagu Memorial Hall → Qihe Tower
D2🚗: Yilong Lake/Laihe Pavilion → Shiping Little Train → Baxin Town/Huilan Bridge Pavilion → Zhengying Village/Xiushan
·
Shiping Old Town/Confucian Temple/Museum
The turtle-shaped ancient town with a history of over six hundred years has a long cultural heritage.
The Shiping Confucian Temple and Shiping Museum are full of ancient charm and are worth a visit,
Yunnan's only top scholar 'Yuan Jiagu' also hails from here.
The stone-paved roads of Zhutian Temple Alley and the market life on Beizheng Street,
As well as the bustling market days in the old town streets every five days, are worth taking your time to stroll and savor.
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Shiping Little Train/Qihe Tower
The train station built in 1936 has a French-style building full of exotic charm,
The little train departs daily at 10:30 for Baxin, passing by Yilong Lake for sightseeing;
The Qihe Tower hidden in Shiping No.1 Middle School is a national protected site,
With its four-tiered, octagonal pavilion and a mix of Chinese and Western architectural beauty.
You can try the Ma Li barbecue on Nan Zheng Street, Li Ling barbecue on Xi Zheng Street,
Yangmei ribs at Yanwu Restaurant, eight-sided fried fish at Yongjian Restaurant, large crabs at Zhengying, and the green fish manor at Baxin, all worth a taste.
National Key Cultural Building - Shiping Confucius Temple
The Confucius Temple is the core of Shiping Ancient City. Although it is not as spectacular as the Confucius Temple in Qufu and as grand as the Confucius Temple in Jianshui, its architectural system is complete. Small and exquisite, more grounded! There are often many local elderly people playing cards and chess in the Confucius Temple, which is very human!
The pair of stone lions under the Lingxing Gate is a unique feature. There is a groove cut on the back for unknown reasons. But this adds a lot of astonishment to this pair of lions!!
Yilong Lake Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Laihe Pavilion in Shiping, Yunnan
Laihe Pavilion, also known as Haishan Pavilion, is located on the end of the island in Xiaoruicheng Village, Yilong Town, Shiping County, three kilometers away from the county town. The end of the island was originally one of the three small islands in Yilong Lake, along with Mapa Long Island and Daruicheng Heilong Island. However, due to the retreat of the sea, it has become a mountain range on the land by the lake. The entire architectural complex of Laihe Pavilion (Haishan Pavilion) (Laihe Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, Kuixing Pavilion) was built in the sixth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1633), with a majestic momentum, surrounded by lake water, looking like a mirage from a distance, and a beautiful jade building up close, known as the scenic spot of Shiping. Among them, Laihe Pavilion and Kuixing Pavilion collapsed, and Laihe Pavilion was rebuilt on the original site in the twelfth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1673), and Kuixing Pavilion was rebuilt in the fifty-first year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1713), and there are many Buddha and Taoist statues in the pavilion.
It is said that during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Guangding, the prefect of Shiping, admired the beautiful scenery of Yilong Lake and happily climbed up to Haishan Pavilion to enjoy the scenery. As he walked and admired, he couldn't help but exclaim. When he walked out of Haishan Pavilion, he suddenly saw a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar sitting alone drinking by the stone table on the terrace in front of the pavilion. The scholar was dressed in blue cloth and had a jade flute in his waist. Seeing Wang Guangding coming, he invited him to drink. Wang Guangding saw that the scholar was open-minded and extraordinary, so he went over to drink and compose poetry with him. Because the two of them shared the same interests, they didn't know how much time had passed while they were drinking and composing poetry. When Wang Guangding looked up, the sun was in the sky, as if it hadn't moved, and he was surprised. He wanted to ask the scholar who he was. But he saw the scholar take off his jade flute and blew it lightly, and the sun fell like a meteor, and the sky gradually darkened, and a white crane descended from the sky. The scholar rode on the crane and flew away. Wang Guangding suddenly realized that he had met Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals. Afterwards, he invited a sculptor to sculpt a colorful statue of Lu Xian riding a crane and blowing a flute in the pavilion, and renamed Haishan Temple to Laihe Pavilion.
Yilong Lake
Yilong Lake is a national wetland park in Shiping County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, with beautiful natural landscapes and rich biological resources. Here is a plan and experience for Yilong Lake for reference:
- Time: Avoid weekends and holidays, choose to go on weekdays, reduce the cost of food and accommodation.
- Equipment: It is recommended to wear skin clothes, quick-drying clothes and other comfortable clothes; carry rain gear, hats, gloves, arm covers, sunglasses and other items; carry enough drinking water and your favorite snacks and fruits; In addition, don't forget to bring your mobile phone and camera to record the journey.
- Route and itinerary:
- Day 1: From the wetland park to Baxin Town, the whole journey is 21 kilometers. Along the way, you can enjoy the beautiful lake view and rural scenery, and you can also replenish water and dry food in Baxin Town.
- Day 2: From Baxin Town to the gate of the wetland park, the whole journey is about 16 kilometers. There are attractions such as Longjing Railway Station along the way, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of blooming flowers.
During the tour, you need to abide by local regulations, protect the environment and natural landscape. If you need to know more about the plan and experience of Yilong Lake, you can continue to ask me.
Shiping Xiaojia Bieyuan Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
ShiPing YiDao Art Life Museum
Not far from the ShiPing Confucius Temple, on the side of a small alley of a dilapidated old house, I found the sign of the YiDao Art Life Museum. Following the narrow alley for a while, I saw the nameplate that read 'Dong Shuxian's Private House'.
The small courtyard is a three-entry two-courtyard structure, with the front courtyard having three rooms and one screen wall, and the back courtyard being a quadrangle, representing the residential architecture of the ancient city of ShiPing.
This is not to promote the life museum, but to write this impression out of respect for the owner's protection and pursuit of ancient architecture and art.
By chance, I met my fellow Shanxi native - Lan Tian senior Du Chunbo in the museum. Chunbo is cheerful, generous and talkative, revealing his love for Yunnan's humanities, history and ancient architecture in his conversation!
Wish YiDao Art Life Museum always stay young! Wish those who pursue art health and happiness!
Wande Yuyuan Hotel Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
ShiPing Ancient City, an astonishingly elegant ancient city!
ShiPing is definitely an underestimated small city! When you get to ShiPing, besides ShiPing tofu, the beautiful Yilong Lake, and taking a ride on the small rail train, what I recommend the most is to leisurely stroll around the ancient city, taste some local snacks, buy some ShiPing tofu, and tofu skin to take home! Also, on the 5th and 10th of every month, there are market days with all kinds of rare mountain goods that you've never seen before, making you not want to leave!
Next, I would like to recommend the 'Wande Yuyuan' hotel in ShiPing. The rooms are large, clean and sanitary, and parking is convenient. What I recommend the most is the hotel's breakfast, the rice noodles are too delicious, for these rice noodles, the six of us stayed an extra day!
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Popular Restaurants in Shiping