Jiuxiang

The Jiuxiang Scenic Spot occupies an area of about 20 square kilometers. There are five attractions in the area: the Diehong Bridge, the Dasha Dam, the Sanjiao Cave, the Alu Long and the Mingyue Lake.

The Diehong Bridge is 5 kilometers southeast of the Jiuxiang Street; it is particularly famous for the karst caves, the twin waterfall and the huge natural stone dam cluster. The Dasha Dam has amazing karst caves and picturesque thick forest. The Alu Long is 6 kilometers west of Jiuxiang Street; and it is famous for the excavated cliff paintings of the Yi Ethnic group dated back to the Qin Dynasty from 221BC to 206BC and the Han dynasty from 206BC to 220AD. The Mingyue Lake has gained its name from its incredibly beautiful bright moon reflection at night.

Jiuxiang is known as the "Natural Museum of Karst Caves" claiming to have the largest, most wonderful and most number of Karst Caves in China. There are about a hundred caves naturally clustered into 4 groups: the Sanjiao Cave, the Dashang Cave, the Diehong Cave and the Dasha Dam Cave. Among them sixty-six caves have great commercial value and are suitable for exploitation. The caves in the area are extremely well-known for grotesquerie in shape and magnificence in its natural wonder.

Jiuxiang, home of the Yi ethnic group, has strong minority ethnic customs, a long and colorful history, and widely spread ancient myths and tales. There are the mysterious Hunting Festival, the Worship of the White Dragon Festival, the Love Song Contest, the Bullfighting, the Wrestling, the Sanxian Dance (which is a three-stringed plucked instrument), and the Rattle Stick Dance and so on. There are always too many to see, too much to experience and embrace in Jiuxiang.

Warm clothes shall be prepared before entering the area because you may get wet and cold in the boat trip visiting the karst caves and the gorges. The folk songs, dances and the local cuisine are also too special to miss. There are buses available at the gate of the Jiuxiang which is very convenient for tourists to visit any of the scenic spots.

How to Get There?

• Take a taxi from Kunming Airport or Kunming Southern Railway Station. The fare for a round trip: Xiali: 200-300 yuan; Santana: 300-400 yuan; and Santana 2000: 550-600 yuan.
• Tourists can also take minibuses near Kunming Southern Railway Station or Chayuan Hotel (located on Yongping Road, near the Railway Station) to get to the scenic spot. The price for a round trip is 30-40 yuan.
• Tourists can also take the regular buses at North Bus Station, Juhuacun Bus Station, and East Bus Station to get to Yiliang County first (the price is 8 yuan). Then they can change buses to Jiuxiang Scenic Spot (6 yuan).

Opening Hours

08:30 AM -17:30 PM

More Tips

• Tourists can buy some handicrafts of gold, silver and jade in the jeweler’s store in Jiuxing Scenic Spot. They can also buy some embroidery on which the scenes of Jiuxiang are made, for example, the gate, Yincui Gorge, Shentian, and the Twin Waterfalls. The embroidery sold here is of Suzhou (the city in eastern China which is known for the embroidery) handicraft, which is exquisite and bright, especially when inlaid in a wood frame.
• The price of the embroidery varies according to the size and the quality. Generally, it is 600-800 yuan.
• Tourists can also buy the boccaro incense burner made in Yixing ( a place in Jiangsu Province, famous for the production of teapots). The price is 80-100 yuan.
• In the small shop beside the square, there are some handicrafts and souvenirs on sale. A bargain is necessary if you want to buy things there.
• If you visit Jiuxiang in summer, you can taste the delicious dishes of mushrooms, which totals more than 10 kinds there.
• In winter, you can taste the delicious local food of salted meat, roasted meat, smoked meat, sausages and so on.
• The most typical local food is Yiliang Roasted Duck. The dish has had a history of more than 100 years and has been developed from Beijing Roasted Duck.