Exploring China’s Fairytale Towns 🏯 | Kunming, Dali & Lijiang | Yunnan Travel Vlog

Exploring China’s Fairytale Towns 🏯 | Kunming, Dali & Lijiang | Yunnan Travel Vlog

Hey everyone 🙂 this week we are heading to China’s Yunnan province This area is known for its charming,
fairytale-like old towns and stunning landscapes We arrived in the evening so we’re on the lookout for dinner The city is very modern While in Yunnan, you have to try their fresh flower cakes They’re flaky pastries filled with sweet rose jam The rose jam are made from the province’s fresh Damask rose petals Got a bunch of different flavours Ooh wow they taste better than expected It’s delicately sweet and floral with a buttery crust Stumbled across a food court Hmmm… no thank you I got a braised chicken noodle dish instead Let’s do a quick accomodation tour (my mum booked this place, well done mum!) It’s modern and clean with lots of great amenities Like a water dispenser where you can control the temperature The hairdryer feels just like a Dyson It’s going to be a comfortable stay tonight Good morning, our first full day looks like a rainy day We decided to check out this city park that’s about an 18 min drive from the hotel I’ll link each location that I visit in my description box This park has an extensive lotus pond What a lovely park in the middle of the city It’s a different kind of beauty seeing it in the rain Our next location is a bus trip up to ‘Longmen’ which translates to Dragon Gate Longmen is one of the most scenic sites in Kunming, famous for its cliffside views From here, you can either hike up or take the cable car to the Dragon Gate Let’s take the easy way up & off we go! We are being lifted pretty high up There are no seatbelts so I feel like I could just slip off and roll down the mountain Let’s not do that… It only took a few minutes to get to the peak The mist today adds a mystical charm to the scenery The main sites to see are down these narrow steps You’ll find temples and grottoes carved into the very face of the mountain It’s said that a single Taoist devotee began
carving these walkways and shrines from 1781 The work was then continued by artisans for over 72 years You get a panoramic view of Dianchi Lake from up here too It’s really cool to walk through these carved narrow paths We’ve finally reached the Dragon Gate I think they say alot of students come here to pray for good results These paths are all hand carved That was cool, let’s head back to Kunming for a traditional lunch We’re going to have a dish called ‘Crossing‑the‑Bridge Noodles’ It consists of many small plates filled with raw or lightly cooked ingredients There’s so many different types of mushrooms To eat them, you get a hot bowl of hearty chicken and pork bone broth All the ingredients from the small plates are added into the hot broth This looks incredibly nutritious & finishing off with a chicken herbal soup Day 2: We’ll be taking a train from Kunming to Dali Dali is a peaceful lakeside town nestled among mountains The train journey from Kunming takes about 2 hours At first, the view was all city streets and buildings Then gradually, the landscape opened up into rolling countryside This is our hotel room in Dali, it’s bright and clean Love the aesthetics of the place, another great booking by mum! It has a Japanese-style toilet Bathroom looking great too They also provide free unlimited teas, coffees and soft drinks I got one of these flower teas that bloom in the water A short walk from the hotel will lead you to the edge of Dali Ancient City Dali Ancient City is a well-preserved historical town The current city walls and architecture mainly dates back to the Ming dynasty But its roots stretch back to the 8th century during the Nanzhao Kingdom Today, it’s been restored into a lively shopping street It’s a beautiful blend of old and new The mountainous backdrop makes the townscape even more charming There’s something to see in every corner Before we knew it, it was getting dark Let’s find a place for dinner For dinner, we ordered a variety of dishes recommended by the waiter Yunnan is famous for its incredible range of wild mushrooms So you’ll be seeing lots of mushroom dishes from here on! The hotel breakfast consists of steamed buns, soft-boiled eggs,
sweet potatoes, warm rice porridge, and milk Not a breakfast I’m used to but I really enjoyed it, especially the black sugar
steamed buns Today we will be visiting the famous ‘Three Pagodas’ As apparently it could trap your spirit or luck After all pagodas are symbolically meant to contain spiritual energy
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According to our driver, you shouldn’t take a photo with the pagodas Behind the pagodas stands Chongsheng Temple It was once the royal temple of the Dali Kingdom The complex is said to be in prime Fengshui location with Cangshan Mountain as its backdrop and Erhai Lake stretching out in front There’s a beautiful cycling route along Erhai Lake This specific spot is called ‘S-curve’ and is famous on Chinese social media You can hire colourful bikes and cycle along the river You’ll also find plenty of charming cafés and restaurants along the street Xizhou Town is another historic gem near Dali It has a beautiful lotus lake that blooms during early September It’s known as the heart of the Bai ethnic minority culture & you’ll be able to spot some old, historical buildings Their markets are also a great place to get some street food Look at all these mushrooms You can choose your ingredients and they will stir fry it for you, smells amazing! They’re making the rose petal pastries we tried on the first day Let’s get some Chinese pancakes because they smell so good It’s really good Finishing off with a salted plum kumquat juice! Dinner time Wow their plates and cutleries are sterilised in a bag We are having mushroom hotpot I’ve never seen so many different types of mushrooms in a dish There’s also a hot plate to grill your meats and vegetables Our plate is getting full This has to be my favourite meal of the trip so far It’s day 4 and we are leaving Dali for Lijiang We’ve been hiring a driver daily since Dali
and now he’s taking us around Lijiang as well I think its the best way to travel in this area especially if you have a group as public transport isn’t the best in these smaller towns Made a brief stop by the roadside to check out the view The clouds are so low down It’s probably because we are at a higher elevation There are so many spiders here though… The main reason we’re here is to visit a cafe that’s built into a cliffside For that we have to head further into the old town This used to be the private residence of Yang Liping, a famous Chinese dancer It has now been opened to the public as an artspace and cafe There are several different floors and rooms you can explore or relax in It’s amazing to think that this used to be someone’s home Being on the cliffside, it reminds me of a fancy bond villain lair You can freely roam the whole place and choose your favourite seat & they will bring your order to you Got ourselves a cake and tea set Enroute to Lijiang All the dishes here were so delicious, I would recommend this place! So this place is a bit of a curveball from the historical sites we’ve been visiting How do I even begin to describe this place? It’s like a whimsical junkyard It’s like you stepped into Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle But there’s a slightly eerie side to it Almost like a post-apocalyptic fairytale It feels like I’m walking through someone’s dream You can also hire these ‘cars’ to go around You can spend hours here if you’re not careful Yet another old town but this one’s ideal if you’re after a more peaceful, less touristy vibe There’s definitely less crowds with this one Stopping by a cafe for a coffee This is the prettiest old town so far With the willow trees and cobbled-stone streets, I feel like I’m back
in ancient China ‘I miss you alot in Lijiang’ It seems like locals still live here too You can catch glimpses of every day life We’re here at ‘Chama Old Town’ Unlike others, this old town has tons of live shows happening all around I can just about hear one, let’s go check it out Looks like a re-creation of a traditional wedding ceremony We’re going to catch 2 bigger shows next The first one is outdoors (but the seats are shaded) It’s a love story between 2 different ethnic minority clans I wasn’t expecting the stage to start flowing water Overall it was pretty grand and entertaining The next show is indoors It’s a series of stories about the different ethnic minority groups in Lijiang Lijiang is home to over 20 ethnic groups The stage extends all around you They even brought in live horses at one point This one was about the Mosuo people, China’s last matriarchal society Honestly the whole set up was amazing The stories were really engaging, I’d definitely recommend catching this show We’re here at the main old town of Lijiang This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site We found a random restaurant for dinner I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these wonderful towns See you in the next one

We spent 5 days exploring Yunnan’s fairytale ancient towns – it’s like we’ve stepped straight into a storybook. I hope you enjoy!

(00:53) Day 0 – arrival into Kunming city
(02:49) Day 1 – exploring city garden in Kunming and Longmen (Dragon Gate)
(08:25) Day 2 – train to Dali, Dali ancient city
(13:02) Day 3 – Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Erhai lake, Xizhou Town
(19:34) Day 4 – Shuanglang Ancient Town, Moon Palace
(23:20) Day 5 – exploring Lijiang: Land of Wilderness, Shuhe Ancient Town, Chama Old Town, Lijiang Ancient Town

travel date: 1-5th September 2024

equipment: iphone 13 pro

Places visited (nothing has been sponsored and these are not affiliate links):
– Jen Kunming By Shangri-La https://maps.app.goo.gl/YG4GMx1DXLinjNvL6
– 翠湖 https://maps.app.goo.gl/beRDQRAvZQrgh6t37?g_st=ipc
– Longmen https://maps.app.goo.gl/GAsf3YfBoHpj7t9b8
– Jianxinyuan (crossing the bridge noodles) https://maps.app.goo.gl/vMj1pmSHizvMcs1Y8
– Dali Impression Shuiyue Yinshi Hotel
– Dali Ancient City https://maps.app.goo.gl/zXHr87CQo2x4osNG8
– Three Pagodas https://maps.app.goo.gl/YXAmJPDGfh8Vf7bZ9
– Ethnic Cultural Street https://maps.app.goo.gl/P7JPHF1tTn89dqVU7
– Shuanglang Ancient Town https://maps.app.goo.gl/tDTX5fL5mxJ79MHq9
– Ge Bi Lao Wang https://g.co/kgs/Pp7cjwG
– Land of wilderness https://au.trip.com/travel-guide/attraction/lijiang/land-of-wilderness-133820887/
– Chama Old Town
– Lijiang Eternal Love live show https://www.kkday.com/en-my/product/185572?cid=4904&ud1=detail-share&ud2=mobile-web
– Lijiang Old Town https://g.co/kgs/KwufZJg

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