Kunming Tour with Golf

Welcome to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Kunming is acclaimed as “Spring City” because the climate is always pleasant and the flowers blossom all year round. This city has a history of more than 2,400 years and is the center of politics, economics, and culture. In addition, it is famous for its large number of ethnic minorities and its splendid landscapes.

Playing golf is an essential activity of a golf tour, so you will go to the Kunming Sunshine Golf Club on the first day. In the morning, the guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel, and then they will drive northeast for about 30 minutes to the club, 14 kilometers away from the center of Kunming. This club was designed by a famous American golf course design company which is called Robert Trent Jones Jr. It is an 18-hole urban mountain golf course that meets the standard of the international tournament. The course has a total length of 7,217 yards (1 yard equals 0.9144 meters), and par for the course is 72. The course and the supporting facilities cover about 1.6 square kilometers. In addition, the course preserves the natural landscape with natural rocks, flowers, pine forests, and lakes. While you are playing golf here, you may see wild animals, like rabbits and squirrels running through forests, ducks flocking together on the lake, and geese chasing each other. Besides, the course is made of high-quality Bentgrass, and its fairways undulate with the terrain. If this golf club is not available, we will switch to another golf club with the same level. After playing golf, the guide will take you back to the hotel, and you can freely plan your time.

Option:

In the evening, you can choose to enjoy the Yunnan Impression Show, a magnificent and unique dancing and singing show. The show depicts the life of ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province and tells us something about the universe, nature, and culture. The show lasts about 100 minutes and consists of six scenes. And Yunnan Impression Show is directed by Ms. Liping Yang, a renowned and excellent dancer in China. She spent one year watching and recording types of folk dances in the villages of Yunnan Province. Then, she added her understanding and created her dances based on these folk dances. Seventy percent of the performances are about the local ethnic minorities living in nearby villages. They will wear traditional costumes and bring you a wonderful show. You will be amazed by the unique costume, excellent dancers, and beautiful songs.  

Kunming Sunshine Golf Club

Kunming Sunshine Golf Club

This morning, we will drive southeast for about 1.5 hours to the Stone Forest, about 80 kilometers away from downtown Kunming. It is home to the most unique karst landform in the world. The Stone Forest is famous for its long history, large area, and abundant categories. The Stone Forest started to form 270 million years ago. The whole scenic area covers a total area of 1,100 square meters. The Stone Forest is divided into 8 parts, and four of them are opened at present, namely Naigu Stone Forest Scenic Area, Chang Lake Forest Scenic Area, and Stone Forest Scenic Area. And the Stone Forest Scenic Area is the most famous area of them. There are many representative attractions in the Stone Forest Scenic Area, such as Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest, and Eternal Mushroom. Major Stone Forest is composed of dense grey stone pillars with smooth lines. The highest stone pillar can is over 40 meters. Compared with Major Stone Forest, the Minor Stone Forest is less dense but more delicate. The most famous attraction here is Ashima Stone and there is a legend about it. It is said that Ashima is a beautiful and brave Yi girl (Yi is a Chinese ethnic minority). She took endless efforts to fight against the forces of evil for female’s freedom. At last, she succeeded. Before she died, she turned into a stone, which was called Ashima Stone. Today, our guide will lead you to see this Ashima Stone.  

After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant, you will head to the Yuantong Temple, one of the grandest and most important Buddhist temples in Yunnan. The temple was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with a rich history of more than 1,400 years. In China, most temples are built in an area with an ascending terrain, but Yuantong Temple is different. When you enter Yuantong Temple, you need to walk downwards along the central axis, and the Main Shrine Hall is located at the lowest point of the temple. The Main Shrine Hall is known as the “Hall on the Water” because it is surrounded by a large area of pond. Between the Yuantong Temple entrance and the Main Shrine Hall, there stands a delicate stone bridge. In the center of the bridge, there is a quaint octagonal pavilion. Walking through the bridge and stepping into the hall, you can find statues of Shakyamuni, Amitabha, and the Medicine Buddha, all of which are from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Besides, there are two 10-meter high pillars from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and each of them is engraved with a dragon. After visiting the Yuantong Temple, you will be taken back to the hotel. Your 2-day golf tour comes to an end! Hoping you have a good time!

Stone Forest

Yuantong Temple

Author: Yibo Zhang

Proofreader: Yan Liu