Golden Temple

The Golden Temple (金殿) located on a hill of pines and cypress is a Taoist temple which is the reproduction of the principal pavilion of a first sanctuary. This Taoist Temple is founded in 1602 during the Ming dynasty, and transported in 1602 on Jizu Shan, a sacred mountain around Dali, before being rebuilt on the original spot.The access of Golden Temple is done by climbing successive steps to the length of which you will cross various majestic doors before starting the visit of the temple. There, you can see the Bronze pavilion sheltering a statue of the Pole Star God which is a symbol of the virtuous sovereign controlling according to the Taoist principle of the Wuwei (not to act). Nearby, in the garden, you will be able to admire a superb statue of the Guanyin goddess, the symbol of fecundity, standing on a lake.At the bottom of the park, a pavilion on floors shelters an imposing 14-ton-weighed bronze bell which is made in 1423. On top of the pavillon, you can spend your time to enjoy a splendid sight of Kunming. The visit of the park continues with various botanical gardens like the camellia park or various greenhouses of many world-wide vegetable species.The time to finish all the visits of Golden Temple can be up to 2 hours, if you have enough time to snoop around those gardens in the park. The visit of the Golden Temple can be done in the morning then to visit in the afternoon another must-see temple of Kunming, like the Bamboo Temple or the famous Western Hills.Entrance fee of GOLDEN TEMPLE: 25 RMB per personAccess: Public bus No.71 since the Nanping street or No.10 with the crossing of the Dongfeng and Baita streets for 1 RMB. You can also take a taxi which is the fastest and practical solution for approximately 100 RMB from downtown of Kunming.