Location: Jianshui County
Top Things to do in Jianshui County
10 Things to Do in Jianshui County That You Shouldn't Miss
Jianshui County (Chinese: 建水县; pinyin: Jiànshuǐ Xiàn; Hani: Jeifsyu) is a city in Honghe prefecture, Yunnan province, China. It was historic center of the province and remains an important transportation crossroad. Previously, it has been known as Ling'an (Chinese: 临安); today, the name Lin'an Town is retained by Jianshui's county seat.
Restaurants in Jianshui County
1. Zhu's Family Garden (Zhu Jia Huayuan)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Reviewed By Ruth M - Wilmslow, United Kingdom
Lots of bonsai trees & other vegetation in the courtyards here. The house itself is interesting to wander around & was relatively quiet during our visit. The Gardens were undergoing some renovation when we went which was disappointing as they were off limits. But overall it's a nice place to wander around.
2. Jianshui Confucius Temple
Overall Ratings
4 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By RCHK - Hong Kong
Staying at the stunning guest house at its southern entrance, we got entrance tickets for free. Otherwise, at 60 yuan, this place doesn't seem worth it. No wonder it was so quiet, with few visitors. The upside is you can have a quiet walk around the lake.
Apparently, it was a place for study as well as a temple, as it is a "wen miao", literally a Literary temple, or in ancient times, synonymous with "Confucius Temple," since every scholar had to learn Confucius teachings.
If you are able to read Chinese, there may be something to learn about here, but if you don't, there's not much to see.
3. Chenzi Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Tantiko - Singapore, Singapore
Chengzi Village is an idyllic rural village built on a hill overlooking lush farmland with Mountains in the background. The mainly earthen houses are packed closely together and a distinctive feature is that each roof also functions as a courtyard where grain is processed, fowl kept and other rural activities are conducted. Narrow dirt and stone passageways wind around the hill like a maze, linking the homes and eventually leading to the top where a temple stands. Life appears to be simple and centered around farming and although there were plenty of lively children and older folk, there seems to be less young adults, who have probably decided to work in the cities. There is a serene sense of timelessness as villagers and their animals go about their work in the fields and wisps of cooking smoke hoover over the rooftops. Although the folk here do not seem to be short on food, it might be nice to bring some school material or small toys for the children there. Lovely village.
4. Jianshui Ancient City
Overall Ratings
4 based on 54 reviews
Reviewed By KodoDrummer - Yekaterinburg, Russia
Jianshui Tian'anmen (Chaoyanglou) and the ancient street have more than 1,200 years of history. The small town of Jianshui is one of China’s national key heritage sites and cultural towns.
It is said that Mengzi and Jianshui fought for the origin of the rice-line. There is a Chinese saying “To build water and eat rice noodles and baked tofu.” To come to Jianshui, you have to eat rice noodles.
To get a good appreciation of the town, it is best to get a tour from a Chinese speaking friend or an organized tour. Then there are voice and text translation apps which can be used to converse with the locals. Although it is an ancient town, like most Chinese, they are up to date on mobile phones and technology, and ahead of most North Americans when it comes to mobile banking and on the spot money transfers/payments.
5. Double Dragons Brige
Overall Ratings
4 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By RCHK - Hong Kong
It's a picturesque bridge, alright, and not too far from Jianshui, but not much to do here, except look at the bridge and take a photo.
6. Tuan Hill, Honghe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By ZhongguoKM - Kunming, China
This small ancient town is still relatively undiscovered, as nearby Jianshui continues to get bigger and more bustling. Tuan Shan Village is the place to go for a less crowded 古城 (Ancient Town) experience. It is located about 16 miles back in the hills west of Jianshui.
Not much about it on the English internet, so I'll include some nuts and bolts about getting there. Take a yellow van 面包车 from the lot catty-corner across from the Bank of China 中国银行 around the corner from the Lin An Hotel 临安酒店。
The car you want has a sign in the front window marking its destination as 黄龙寺 Yellow Dragon Temple. The fare is 5 Yuan and the trip takes about 30 minutes. You will pass by the entrance to Yellow Dragon Temple; do not get off there.
It leaves once an hour, approximately on the hour or earlier if it gets full. If you are in a hurry and want to hire the entire car, that will cost 30 to 40 Yuan, depending on the driver. An alternative is to hire a taxi to take you, wait, and deliver you back once you are done. I don't know the cost of that.
When you get out of the van at the Tuan Shan parking lot, walk uphill to the ticket office. (The route is well marked.) Ticket costs 50 Yuan. Suggest hiring a guide for an additional 40 Yuan, because otherwise it will be very hard to find your way around the winding streets.
Most of the village is 600 years old, built during the Qing. Original settlers moved here from JIangxi and many prosperous residents made fortunes in tin mining in nearby Gejiu returning here to enjoy their later years.
Many of the dwellings are still occupied today. Most of the area is well kept up and there are a few restaurants and places to enjoy a cup of tea. Took me about two hours to walk around and see all the main features.
My guide was a lady who was born and raised here, and she was very informative. I took the same yellow van back to Jianshui. It made a pleasant half-day outing.
So many people say they want to "get off the beaten path" but don't know how to do it. Visiting Tuanshan is one way. Unfortunately, little or no English is spoken so far as I could tell.
7. Swallow Cave
Overall Ratings
4 based on 29 reviews
Reviewed By Rolf S - Hamburg, Germany
as Europeans, you know well this kind of calc caves from the south of France...
BUT: once anyway travelling in YUNNAN, it is a great short 1 hours escape into a "cool fresh air" cave. Nicely done, every stone has for sure a Chinese signification ;-), you will walk 3 Km into the cave and ride back with a boat. In Automn, real SWALLOWS come to stay here, that is were the name comes from.
8. Zhaoyang Tower
Overall Ratings
4 based on 17 reviews
9. Zhangjia Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By mottibi - Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy
I liked it as a part of the whole scenic area. The old people's "parliament in the shade by the bank of the pond is very colorful even its dame humid & hot.
I liked very much to follow the local people dances, playing games in a most serious way ,working out Thai Chi & honoring with full respect the old generation
10. Zhilin Temple
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By ZhongguoKM - Kunming, China
This is a smaller temple, easily accessible from Lin An Road 临安路, which is one of the main streets that runs through the old part of town. Its easy enough to duck in here if you are walking between major scenic spots, such as the Confucius Temple, not far away.
Not sure I'd make a special point of visiting here unless you are in the area. I didn't find anything that made it unique, though it's attractive and well maintained. No admission was changed when I visited, during the week in mid May.
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