Western Hills Dragon Gate

The Longmen grottoes on the Western Hills were begun in 1781 by a Daoist monk, Wu Laiqing, who spent years cutting a path, chambers and shrines into the vertical rock above Dianchi lake with hand tools, and successors continued the work for some seventy years. The result is a narrow gallery along the cliff with rooms, carved figures, inscriptions and a stone gate, all hewn in place rather than built, with a drop of several hundred metres to the water below. The hills also hold Huating and Taihua temples on the wooded slopes, and paths and a chairlift connect the levels.

What you actually see

• The cut gallery - a passage carved by hand along the cliff face.
• The stone shrines - chambers and figures hewn in place in the rock.
• The Dianchi view - the lake and Kunming spread out far below.
• The hill temples - Huating and Taihua on the wooded slopes.

When to go

Year-round; Kunming's climate is mild in every season, which is its reputation. Haze over the lake is common. Weekends and holidays queue badly on the narrow cliff passage.

Honest expectations

The passage is narrow and one-way, and moves slowly when busy. Entry plus chairlift or cable car adds up. Dianchi lake below has long-standing pollution and looks better from a distance.

Nearby

Kunming lies northeast; the Stone Forest is east.