[2025 Shiping Attraction] Travel Guide for Shiping Confucian Temple (Updated Jun)

Shilin is a hidden gem in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It enjoys a spring-like climate all year round and is rarely disturbed by tourists. The city is home to a century-old iron train, a thousand-year-old ancient city, and the beautiful Yilong Lake Wetland Park. Shilin 1-Day Tour Guide First Stop Shilin Ancient City: This historical and cultural city is shaped like a turtle shell and has a well-connected road network. It is known as the hometown of the top scorer in the imperial examination and has a history of more than 2,000 years. The ancient city retains the layout of the Ming Dynasty and is home to many ancient buildings, such as the Shilin Confucian Temple, Shilin Academy, and the county government office. Second Stop The Shilin Station of the narrow-gauge railway was built in 1936. The station has been renovated and the narrow-gauge sightseeing train has been reopened. The Shilin Station retains the original ticket hall and platform, and the line to Baxin, Tuanshan, and Jianshui has been reopened. The lowest ticket price is CNY 40 for a hard seat from Shilin to Baxin, and CNY 120 for a round-trip hard seat from Shilin to Jianshui. Third Stop Yilong Lake Yilong Lake is a plateau lake connecting Shilin County and Baxin Town in Yunnan Province. Its history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. Attractions: Lake embankment, water pavilion, wooden arch bridge, and plank road. You can ride a bike or take a walk along the lake. Fourth Stop Haishan Pavilion Ruicheng Haishan Pavilion consists of Laicrane Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, and Kuixing Pavilion. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Yilong Lake from the top. Admission is free.

Shiping Confucian Temple is located on Beizheng Street, Yilong Town, Shiping County. It was first built during the Zhizheng period of the Yuan dynasty, rebuilt in the 22nd year of the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty, renovated and expanded in the 2nd year of the Jiajing period and the 5th year of the Tianqi period of the Ming dynasty, and renovated again during the Shunzhi and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty. The temple is 33.75 meters wide and 96.33 meters deep, covering an area of 4,257 square meters, and faces south. The existing buildings include Lingxing Gate, Pan Pond, Dacheng Hall, Xianshi Hall, and Zunjing Pavilion. The stone carvings on the railings of Pan Pond are exquisite. It is now a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

We discovered Shilin Confucius Temple while enjoying grilled tofu in Shilin. The owner told us that it is a genuine ancient building with a history of hundreds of years. After our meal, we visited the temple, which is free to enter. Upon entering, we were greeted by the Lingxing Gate, which is lavishly decorated with flying eaves and dougong brackets. Compared to similar buildings in the Central Plains, it is more ornate. It seems that ancient buildings in Yunnan are all very particular about this, though I don't know why. The Pan Pond behind the Lingxing Gate is quite large, with a long bridge lying across it, leading directly to the Dacheng Gate and Dacheng Hall. As a temple dedicated to Confucius, the Confucius Temple has always been one of the most important ritual buildings in every city, representing the highest level of architectural art at the time. Shilin Confucius Temple has preserved the Ming Dynasty style well, allowing visitors to feel a touch of the distant Ming Dynasty.

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. · 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.

Shiping, a 3-hour drive from Kunming, is the only city in Yunnan selected as one of the first batch of “Chinese Historical and Cultural Districts” and recommended by National Geographic! Compared with Dali, Lijiang and other destinations with relatively mature tourism industries, Shiping Ancient Town is quite low-key, with almost no trace of commercialization. All attractions in the ancient town are free, and the food culture is rich. The historical buildings have been completely preserved, with window frames and old-fashioned shops that are full of age. It is an ancient border city full of the flavor of life. You can feel the most simple life in Yunnan small town - 📷Attractions: 1. Shiping County Confucian Temple 2. Shiping Museum (Yuping Academy) Shiping has a strong Confucian cultural atmosphere. "The mountains and rivers are unparalleled in the east, and the first state of literature in southern Yunnan" refers to Shiping. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shiping produced 638 juren, 77 jinshi, 15 hanlin, and Yuan Jiagu, the only top scholar in Yunnan's special economics. 3. Shiping meter-gauge sightseeing train The terminus of the "Gebi Linshi Railway" on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, 🚂 French architectural style, very suitable for taking photos - 🥬 Food: 1. Shiping Tofu 🌟 For 600 years, local people in Shiping have used natural brine to make tofu, which is very delicious. 2. Fried fish with eight sides 3. Red Bean Paste Filled Rice Cake 4. Longan in syrup 5. Cold roll noodles

First, there is no direct high-speed rail to Shiping. The fastest way to reach Shiping is to take the high-speed rail and get off at "Jianshui Station". After exiting the station, there are private cars available at the door for carpooling or chartering to Shiping, usually 30 per person. If you go to Jianshui Bus Station and then take a bus, it is also possible, but it will take more time. 🚄 Second, there are many sub-items in the Shiping Confucian Temple ancient building complex. The most important historical site is undoubtedly the Shiping Confucian Temple, followed by the Yuping Academy, which is also the location of the Shiping County Museum. It is also worth visiting and it is free, so don't miss it. 🪭 Third, the railway station in Shiping County is very distinctive, consisting of a group of French-style buildings from the Republic of China. It is very similar to the Jianshui train stations in Jianshui city and the famous Mengzi Bisezhai Station. It is very photogenic and very filmy, so remember to check it out. 📷 Fourth, Long Lake in Shiping County has beautiful scenery that is not inferior to Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake. Many cities in Yunnan have a beautiful lake, such as Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Fuxian Lake in Yuxi, and Erhai Lake in Dali. Although Yillong Lake is not as large or famous as theirs, it also adds a lot of color to the small county town of Shiping. There is also a Laihe Pavilion next to it, which is a Taoist temple. Climbing up the Laihe Pavilion, you can have a panoramic view of the mountains and lakes. 🌊 Fifth, Jianshui tofu and Shiping tofu are known as the two giants of Yunnan tofu, but in fact there are great differences between the two. Jianshui tofu is made directly from tofu juice fermented from the original tofu juice, while Shiping tofu is made with well water. Therefore, Jianshui beans taste a bit like stinky tofu, while Shiping tofu retains the original aroma of tofu and tastes like meat, so there is a saying that eating meat is not as good as eating tofu. 🍘