3-Day Jianshui Culture and Temple Mountain Tour

Day 1: Xiu Mountain & Jianshui (L)

In the morning, we will pick you up from your hotel in Kunming city and drive 3.5 hours to Jianshui, the historical center of the province of more than 1200 years old. Many Ming dynasty (1368-1644) houses are still intact, and her cobbled streets and grand Residential Houses will charm any visitor. On the way we will visit the ancient mix of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucius temples and pavilions of the Xiu Mountain. Some temples even date back to the Tang dynasty (618-968). 

After lunch, we will drive to Jianshui to visit her most famous attraction, the Zhu Family Garden. Built in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) by the influential Zhu brothers, this private residence is downright impressive in its historical importance and gigantic size: it covers 20.000 m2 and has 218 pavilions and towers with painted crossbeams and painted ceilings, as well as 42 small courtyards. The Zhu brothers earned their wealth by trading in everything possible from tin to opium until they eventually fell victim to the political chaos in 1911. You will feel like you went over 100 years back in time, back to imperial China.

Day 2: Narrow-gauge Train, Tuanshan Village, Purple pottery workshop (B, L)

After breakfast, we will drive to the historical 19th century Yunnan-Vietnam railway to take the train to go to Tuanshan Village, a typical Qing dynasty village owned by the wealthy Zhang Family for over 600 years. Along the road we will stop at the Double Dragon Bridge and the Xianghui Bridge where you can go off the train for a break and walk around to enjoy the beautiful landscapes. The final destination is Tuanshang Village. Grand houses with courtyards were built by villagers who earned money from trade made possible by the Yunnan-Vietnam railroad.

In the afternoon, we will take the train back to Jianshui to visit the Purple Pottery street and learn how to make Purple Pottery. For centuries, Jianshui has been the center of pottery industry in Yunnan and has a pottery history for over 3500 years. This kind of purple pottery is one of the four famous pottery styles in China and originated in the Song dynasty more than 900 years ago.

 Day 3: Jianshui (B, L)

After breakfast we will go to see a Tofu Workshop where locals make the famous Shipin Tofu, one of the most popular snacks among locals. See how they still produce this local product the traditional way, from sweet water from an old well, you can even try to make some by yourself. Then you will visit the second largest Confucius Temple in China, which is the origin of Chinese culture. After lunch we will drive back to Kunming.