Relaxing day in Kunming with Pu’er Tea ceremony and Botanical Garden

Kunming, the modern capital city and transportation hub of China’s southern Yunnan province, has a large student population and a temperate year-round climate. Bridges and pavilions cross the islands of Cui Hu (Green Lake), a park designed in the 17th century. Nearby is Yuantong Si. A temple founded by Buddhists in the 8th century, it features a statue hall and a pond with an ornate stone bridge.

The Black Dragon Pool is located 12 kilometers northeast of the city. It first became a popular tourist attraction over 700 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. The area contains many attractions alongside the main tourist draw, the Black Dragon Pool itself. The Black Dragon Pool was named after a legend stating that in ancient times there was a black dragon living in this pool. Two important building complexes in the Black Dragon Pool are the Longquan Temple (Dragon Spring Temple) and Black Dragon Palace. Longquan Temple, the largest structure in the park, was built along the pool during the early Han Dynasty. The temple was enlarged and reconstructed several times throughout subsequent dynasties. Most of the buildings visitors see today were completed during the Qing Dynasty. The Black Dragon Palace is at the bank of the pool, which is where memorial ceremonies were once held. This palace was built during the Ming Dynasty, around 700 years ago. It consists of three halls and two courtyards.

Kunming Botanical Garden (KBG) was established in 1938. It is affiliated to the Kunming Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has an area of 44 hectares. The Garden is a comprehensive institution with the main task of ex-situ conserving and sustainably utilising the rare and endangered plants, endemic taxa, and economically important plant species in the Hengduan Mountains and in the Yunnan Plateau. The Camellia Garden is one the oldest and most important specialized gardens within KBG.