Yuantong Temple

Yuantong is an unusual temple: you descend into it, and the main hall sits on a pier in a lotus-covered lake, reached by bridges that curve like the dragon guarding the entrance. It has been a site of worship for over 1,200 years.

Come in the morning for incense and the resident cats, then climb the hill behind for a view over the red roofs. The stone grottoes beside the hall are the oldest Buddhist carvings in Kunming.