Many people choose Yunnan tourism to transit in Kunming during the Spring Festival, but the transit time of half a day is wasted without visiting, and there is not enough time to have an in-depth experience. Today, I would like to introduce to you one of the most suitable tourist destinations for transit in Kunming, which is the Golden Temple.

Hotel: Since it is a transfer, of course it must be closer to the airport. I recommend Howard Johnson International Hotel here. It is a five-star hotel close to the airport. It only costs more than 300 per night and is quite affordable. The most important thing is that it has free shuttle service and is close to recommended attractions. Moreover, the hotel also has its own small scenic spot, which is free to enter when staying in the hotel, which is equivalent to an additional scenic spot.

Next is the most important scenic spot. Speaking of which, there are many golden halls in China, but there are not many of them with history and scale. The four most famous golden halls are: the Jinding Golden Hall, built in the 14th year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1416), Hubei Province, weighing more than 400 tons; the Xiantong Golden Hall, built in the 36th year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1608), weighing 500 tons; The 250-ton Golden Hall of Taihe Palace in Mingfeng Mountain in Kunming was built in the early Qing Dynasty by Wu Sangui, King of Pingxi, imitating the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty; the 207-ton Baoyuntu Golden Hall was built in the 20th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1755) in the West of the Foxiang Pavilion on Wanshou Mountain in the Summer Palace in Beijing.

If you enter from the north gate, you will cross Yingxian Bridge and pass the First Gate. However, we usually enter from the 'Mingfeng Shengjing' archway at the west gate, and you can't see the first Gate. There are four big characters on the wall opposite the entrance: 'Parrot Spring Deep'. The reason is that this mountain was once called Parrot Mountain. In ancient times, birds flocked here, especially parrots, and they were called Parrot Mountain. In the Ming Dynasty, many peacocks flew in the mountains and forests here. People thought it was a phoenix, so this place was also called 'Mingfeng Mountain'. Climbing up the stair-like stone steps, you will reach the Second Heaven Gate and the Third Heaven Gate. Climbing the Heaven Gate, you will see the simple and solemn gate of the "Taihe Palace". You Lianyun: "Painting buildings and clouds only occupy three acres of green mountains; Zhu buildings reflect the sun, don't open a green field to the sky," which is very appropriate. After entering the temple gate, you will see the majestic "Lingxing Gate".

There stands tall on the central axis in front of us, about hundreds of feet long. The city walls, city gates, battlements, and tower towers have everything you want. The bricks of the city walls are of different sizes. The big bricks are from the Ming Dynasty, and the small bricks are from the Qing Dynasty. After the renovation, there is Kuixing Pavilion on the tower. It is said that this city is the smallest Forbidden City in China. Walking along the steps into the "city", you will find the central building of Taihe Palace on the high steps facing you. It is a brass-cast "Zhenwu Hall", commonly known as the Jade-Step Golden Hall. Under the sunshine, it shines in all directions, reflecting the green valley and the forest. The golden hall is brilliant, so it is named. What is interesting is that the front plaque reads "There is no Infinite Longevity Buddha in the South" and the back plaque reads "Black Sky in the North Pole." This prestigious Golden Hall is part of Taihe Palace, with a total weight of 250 tons. It is a square building with a double-eaves flying pavilion imitation wood structure. The hall is 6.7 meters high, 6.2 meters wide and 6.2 meters deep. It includes pillars and arches, corrugated roof eaves, statues, tables and bottles, plaques and couplets, and even the left and right waiting pavilions at the base of the platform, flagpoles, and seven-star flags, all of which are cast or forged with copper. The edge of the base of the hall is surrounded by marble carvings, with steps, royal roads and floors; in front of the hall are two crape myrtle trees and a camellia tree planted in the Ming Dynasty.

The Golden Hall on Mingfeng Mountain was now rebuilt by Wu Sangui, King of Pingxi, in the tenth year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1671). The beams of the Golden Hall are engraved with the inscription "The tenth year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the year is Xinhai, the month of Dalu, and the tenth month is six days of auspicious, built in honor by Wu Sangui, King of Pingxi." During Wu Sangui's rule of Yunnan, only Liu Jian's "Tingwen Lu" records were recorded: "Pingxi Guanzhuang's chess cloth, and the Zhuang's members were all wolves, killing people and seizing goods without fear." This shows Wu Sangui's harsh rule over the people of Yunnan. According to Zhang Jiuyue's "Journey to Tongwa Temple", because Wu Sangui "sought to kill, ignored human life, and feared punishment from heaven, he fled to the teachings of Buddha and Lao Tzu, cut mountains and made caves, and built gold as elephants."

Next is the part of the China Golden Hall Expo Garden, which displays precious cultural relics since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including bronzes, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings. The most important thing is the main hall 'Wu Sangui's Big Knife and Zhenwu Seven Star Sword Exhibition Hall' facing east and west. On the left hand side of the entry, there is a wood-handled broadsword weighing 12 kilograms. According to legend, it is a sword used by Wu Sangui. On the right hand side, there is a seven-star sword weighing more than 20 kilograms. There is seven copper stars inlaid on both sides. It is regarded as Zhenwu's mountain magic weapon to suppress demons and make monsters. This is also Wu Sangui's masterpiece.

When it comes to Wu Sangui, everyone will think of Chen Yuanyuan, but in fact, the Golden Hall has nothing to do with Chen Yuanyuan. Although Chen Yuanyuan's statue and Yuan Yuan Song are set up in the scenic area, there is no record of the Golden Hall in the "Yuan Yuan Song". Other poets and literati have also recorded rumors about it, or recited poems to praise or pay tribute to it. There is no record of the relationship between Chen Yuanyuan and the Golden Hall.

From the Golden Hall to the Bell Tower is the "Bronze Cultural Corridor". On both sides of the road are imitations of national treasure-level cultural relics unearthed in Yunnan in recent years. Increase the cultural atmosphere of the Golden Hall. To the east of the bell tower is the "Kunming Botanical Garden", where camellia, rhododendrons, roses, etc. are widely planted. The Azalea Festival is also held every year. There are many kinds of tropical plants in greenhouses.

After visiting the Golden Temple, you can almost start the next journey. Moreover, staying at Howard Johnson International Hotel in the City of Flowers, you can also check for a boarding pass directly at the hotel, which is super convenient. Overall, the Golden Hall is a good choice as a transit destination in Kunming.