Park of China
Overview
| Designation | National Park of China (third batch) |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Location | Southern Yunnan, southern edge of the eastern Yunnan plateau |
| Latitude, longitude | 23.6, 102.8 Google Maps |
| Nearby cities | Kunming |
| Highlights | Ancient architecture |
| Top sights | The Confucian Temple, Swallow Cave |
| Area | 115 km² |
| Nearby sites | Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces 58km, Chengjiang Fossil Site 118km, Dianchi Lake, Kunming 142km, Puzhehei 143km, Stone Forest of Lunan 144km Search nearby |
| Themes | City, Ancient Building, Ancient City, Tower, Culture, Cave, Bird, Temple, Confucian academies & temples, Old bridges, Old villages & vernacular houses |
About
The Jianshui scenic area in southern Yunnan, 115 km², has two parts: the old town of Jianshui and Swallow Cave.
The Jianshui Confucian Temple was founded in 1285 and enlarged repeatedly in the Ming and Qing on the plan of the temple at Qufu; inside the gate is a large pond called the Sea of Learning.
The Double Dragon Bridge west of the town is a 17-arch stone bridge about 148 m long with a three-storey pavilion at its centre; three arches were built under Qianlong and fourteen more under Daoguang.
It is in the third batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1994.
Travel tips
Getting there: Jianshui is in Honghe Prefecture, about 200 km from Kunming. Direct coaches from Kunming take about three hours; trains reach Jianshui or Kaiyuan, with a connection by road.
Old town: the main sights are the Chaoyang Tower, the Confucian temple, the Twin Dragon Bridge and the Zhu and Zhang family gardens. Most are in the old town and can be linked on foot and by short rides.
Confucian temple: second in size only to Qufu; the Lingxing Gate, the pool and the main hall are well kept.
Zhu family garden: a Qing-period courtyard house, a good example of local traditional housing.
Swallow Cave: about 28 km east of the town, home to swifts, most numerous in spring and summer; a boardwalk runs through the damp cave.
Tuanshan village: Tuanshan and other traditional villages near the old town make a half-day addition.
Time: a day for the old town and half a day for Swallow Cave, so about two days in all.
Season: mild climate and good all year; Swallow Cave is best in spring and summer; floors become slippery in the rainy season (June to October).
Where to stay: guesthouses stand inside the old town, where it is easy to try local dishes such as grilled tofu.
The old town
Jianshui is an important town of southern Yunnan with well-preserved old buildings, relics and customs, a Historic and Cultural City and a national park.
It has nearly a hundred Yuan, Ming and Qing buildings and nearly a hundred old temples in the county, seven temples and eight shrines in the town itself.
Its Confucian Temple is the second largest in China after Qufu in Shandong, with plaques in the hands of all twelve Qing emperors. Other gems are the 31 m Wenbi Pagoda, the Double Dragon Bridge, the Chaoyang Tower and more than a hundred old houses such as the Zhu and Zhang family gardens.
Swallow Cave
Swallow Cave, 28 km east of the town, is about 4 km long and over 40,000 m² in area, a dry cave and a water cave, named for the hundreds of thousands of swifts that gather here every spring and summer.
Photo credits: The Zhu Family Garden: 瑞丽江的河水 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces 58km, Chengjiang Fossil Site 118km, Stone Forest of Lunan 144km |
| National parks | Alu Caves 141km, Dianchi Lake, Kunming 142km, Puzhehei 143km, Jiuxiang 156km |
| AAAAA attractions | Kunming World Horticultural Expo Garden 162km |
| AAAA attractions | Jianshui Confucian Temple <1km, Zhu Family Garden <1km, Tuanshan Ancient Village 9km, Honghe Prefecture Shiping County Yilong Lake Wetland Park Scenic Area 26km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Stone Forest UNESCO Global Geopark 141km |
| Historic cities | Tonghai County 56km |
| Historical sites | Jianshui Educational Commissioner's Examination Shed <1km, Jianshui Yuhuang Pavilion and Chongwen Pagoda <1km, Shuanglong Bridge 3km, Tuanshan Dwelling Complex 9km |
| National geoparks | Chengjiang Fauna Paleontological National Geopark 117km, Luxi Alu National Geopark 140km |
| Nature reserves | Yuanjiang National Nature Reserve 84km, Daweishan National Nature Reserve 120km, Wenshan National Nature Reserve 144km |