The rain has stopped and the sunny weather is forecasted to last at least through the weekend, making now the perfect time to get out and enjoy Kunming's parks. Here is a guide to some green spaces around Kunming.
Cuihu Park 翠湖公园
Cuihu Park is Kunming's most magical place. Located in one of the busiest parts of the city, it does just what an urban park should do: offer a break from crowded streets and honking cars, and give people a place to meet and talk, sing, dance, drink tea or just watch the ducks swim by.
Right now the musical ensembles are especially plentiful and elaborate, in celebration of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a good time to see some traditional Chinese music.
World Horticultural Expo Gardens 世博园
Heilongtan 黑龙潭
Heilongtan or 'Black Dragon Pool' is pretty far north of Kunming's city center, but if you make it a day and also visit the Kunming Botanical Gardens, it is worth the trip. As you enter the park, you pass through an impressive corridor of bamboo stalks. Pretty quickly, you arrive at a goldfish-packed pond surrounded by beautiful old buildings. If you continue to follow the path toward the "tower," you'll pass more gardens and eventually arrive at the top of a ridge in back of the park, with a great view of Kunming.
Kunming Botanical Gardens 植物园
Not to be confused with the Horticultural Expo Garden, the botanical gardens are a lesser-known Kunming gem, located very close to Heilongtan. From the gate of Heilongtan, take the street that dead-ends into the street where Heilongtan sits. Walk about 200 meters and the entrance to the gardens will be on the corner to your left. The gardens charge an admission fee of 3 yuan.
The botanical gardens and Heilongtan can easily be done together in one day.
Daguan Park 大观公园
Wenmiao Tea Garden 文庙茶园
On Renmin Zhong Lu, just past the Wuhua district government building (the tall blue pagoda-shaped building), Wenmiao Tea Garden is tucked into the city so neatly it can easily be missed. For a 1.5-yuan admission fee, you also get a hot water bottle with green tea leaves. The small tree-filled park is composed of a walkway, a bridge, a large pagoda and several restaurant-style booths around the edges. Dozens of old locals play mah-jong and Chinese chess, but somehow there seems to always be an open seat.
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The Kunming Botanical Gardens (昆明植物园) is worth a visit when Autumn red & yellow foilages reach full vibrancy around November 11-15. A beautiful spectacle on the inclined slope near the North gate entrance path.
Endulge in morning/afternoon picnic beneath the colorful trees. The park also allows tents. A bit too late for fall leaves right now, so mark your calendars for next year.
Transportation is simple:
Take subway line 2 (blue) to northermost, penultimate terminal station called Longtou Jie station (龙头街站). Walk out B exit and a bus station sits outside. Take buses
9, 249, or 79 toward 植物园 (botanical garden). Conveniently get off in front of park's North gate.
Entrance fee is 9 yuan on Meituan, 10 at the door. Free for elders. Close around 17:00?
Scroll down Weibo timeline photos to get a rough idea of Kunming Botanical Gardens and above-mentioned changing foliage by timestamps in reverse chronological order from most recent:
m.weibo.cn/[...]
The ubiquitous Chinese selfies may be annoying to some, but they can be our eyes & ears.
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