Among many cities in Yunnan, Kunming, Yuxi and Dali have one thing in common. What is this common point? Everyone make a guess!

Why start with this question? That's because this answer is related to the theme of this article.

The common feature of the three cities is that each city has a plateau lake. Kunming has Dianchi Lake, Yuxi has Fuxian Lake, and Dali has Erhai Lake. Water is today's theme.

The water source composition of the Erhai Lake in Dali is very complex. One of the water sources is Shiba River. Cangshan Mountain is huge, lush with trees and abundant water.

Cangshan has a total of 19 peaks, and a creek is formed between every two peaks. These streams are surface water and flow into the Erhai Lake along the terrain. A small part of the water also encounters low-lying terrain and forms small streams on the top of the mountain, mountainside, and foot.

From south to north, Cangshan Mountain has the famous clear springs in Sitan, Qingbi River between Shengying Peak and Malong Peak, Qilongnu Pond between Malong Peak and Yuju Peak; Xima Pond on Yuju Peak; and Butterfly Spring under Yunnong Peak. These spring ponds are popular tourist attractions.

Cangshan Mountain is full of water before rainy season to winter, so these water-filled spring ponds are very beautiful and the most suitable for visiting!

Qingbi River is located in the Cangshan Grand Canyon between Shengying Peak and Malong Peak in Cangshan. You need to take the "Gantong Cableway" to reach it.

Every rainy season, the amount of water increases sharply, and the amount of water in every spring pool of Qingbi River increases sharply. Qingbi River, like other streams, also welcomes the best viewing period.

There are a total of three spring ponds in Qingbi River, arranged from low to high. The area is not large but the scenery is very good. Although the three spring ponds are almost in the same location, the scenery is very different.

The lower pool has the largest area and is sandwiched between two cliffs. The creek pool is relatively gentle and the water is not deep. The most remarkable feature is that there is a statue of Guanyin in the water. The water in the pool is crystal clear and even the small stones on the bottom can be seen. Close to the cliff The deeper places are "blue-green" and the water is very cold.

The Zhongtan is small in area, but the creek pool is very deep. There is water all year round, showing a stronger blue-green color. The mountains are narrower, which also forms a relatively flat cliff. During the wet season, waterfalls will appear on the cliff, and the water in the creek pool will overflow and flow to the next pool.

Shangtan is the hardest to see because it is covered by trees and can only be seen from above the Cangshan Grand Canyon viewing platform. The whole picture cannot be seen clearly. Only a corner can be vaguely seen through the trees.

Qilongnvchi is located between Malong Peak and Yuju Peak in Cangshan Mountain. Take the "Cangshan Ximatan Cableway" to the Central Station (Qilongnvchi Station) and walk down to it. You can also reach Qilongnvchi by walking 4.5 kilometers from Qingbi River. You can also reach Qilongnvchi, or take the "Zhonghe Cableway" and walk 7 kilometers from Zhonghe Temple.

Speaking of the name of Qilongnu Pond, one has to mention the legend of Qilongnu Pond and the jade belt cloud.

In Dali, the most well-known saying about the Qilongnu Pond is that the seven dragon daughters came to the world and passed by Cangshan Mountain. They saw the murmuring of the streams deep in the dense forest on Cangshan Mountain, forming a natural spring pool. Therefore, they came here to bathe, and later generations called these seven spring pools "Qilongnu Pond".

When they take a bath here, a white cloud belt will appear halfway up Cangshan Mountain, called the Jade Belt Cloud.

There are a total of seven spring ponds in Qilongnu Pond. Each spring pond is named after a number. From high to low, it is Qilongchi and Yilongchi. The seven spring ponds are all in different shapes. Some are narrow and deep, while some are open and shallow.

There are seven spring ponds, the most impressive ones are Wulong Pond, Liulong Pond and Qilong Pond.

Wulong Chi is located in a "small canyon" formed by two huge rocks. It is a typical creek pool whose shape is unseen and whose sound is heard first. It is narrow and small in area, but the spring pool is very deep, and the waterfall formed is very beautiful. It contrasts sharply with the surrounding moss and rocks.

Liulong Chi is above Wulong Chi. The terrain is open. The spring pool is formed on the rock. The stream flows down along the rock, circles in the spring pool, and then spreads out again, quickly flowing out of the spring pool.

Qilong Lake is at the highest point, and the scenery is very beautiful. You can't see it up close and can only look into the distance. From a distance, it looks like a white ribbon hanging on the cliff.

Zoom in on the camera and you can see some details through the lens. You can also see that under the loose branches, the stream is flowing rapidly. The branches are approaching the water and hanging above the stream.

Ximatan is located at Yuju Peak. Take the [Cangshan Ximatan Cableway] to the upper station [Ximatan Station] and get out of the station. You can see it by walking along the plank road.

Ximatan is a lake on Cangshan Mountain. It was a water conservancy project during the Nanzhao period. It has a relatively high altitude of about 3920 meters.

There is also a very mysterious legend about Ximatan. It is said that during the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan marched south to Dali and stationed here to wash horses, so it is now called Ximatan.

Xima Tan is surrounded by azalea trees and various unknown vegetation. It can only be viewed from a distance, not close. From a distance, the area is not large, but it is actually very large. The lake surface is calm and the depth of the water is unknown.

All year round, except for winter and spring, Ximatan is covered with heavy snow and is invisible. In other seasons, water is filled with water. The only difference is the rainy season in Cangshan. The amount of water in Ximatan increases, overflows, and flows to lower places.

Butterfly Spring is located in Butterfly Spring Park under Yunnong Peak and is a representative attraction in the park.

Butterfly Spring is constantly flowing all year round, and the water volume does not change much. The spring pool is very deep and crystal clear, and the water in the pool is "blue-green".

Directly in front of Butterfly Spring, a stone tablet with the three words "Butterfly Spring" written by Mr. Guo Moruo is embedded under the railing, and thick branches hang from the water. This is the acacia tree.

In terms of scenery alone, Butterfly Spring is the most peculiar except when the acacia flowers bloom and butterflies fly. At other times, Butterfly Spring is just a pool of water. However, anyone who knows Butterfly Spring knows that Butterfly Spring represents something deeper. It symbolizes "love", which represents Dali's folk culture and Dali people's spirit of fighting against destiny.

Qingbixi, Qilongnu Pond, Xima Tan and Huadi Spring are all famous spring ponds in Dali. The scenery around the spring ponds is very beautiful. Each spring pond has its own characteristics and is very suitable for a visit.

[Editor] Reading Yunnan Yijing

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