Kunming's Soulful Backyard Garden — Green Lake Park

Kunming's most "audacious" park, free admission and even lets seagulls be the bosses? Locals secretly laugh! Can you believe it? In the heart of Kunming city, there’s a park wilder than any trendy tourist spot — Green Lake. It’s free to enter, has no visitor limits, and every winter, thousands of red-billed gulls fly all the way from Siberia to "work" here! They circle over the lake, perch on shoulders, as if they are the true owners of this place! Sounds unbelievable, right? You think it’s just an ordinary city park? Wrong! This is a "natural oxygen bar" with spring-like weather all year round, the soulful backyard garden of old Kunming residents, and a "green runway" for young people to take photos and check in! In spring, cherry blossoms explode onto the streets, pink waves rolling; in summer, lotus leaves stretch to the sky, dragonflies skim the water; in autumn, ginkgo trees shower gold, fallen leaves become poetry; in winter, seagulls fly in flocks, people and birds dance together... Every month of the year is wallpaper-worthy scenery! But do you really know how to enjoy Green Lake? Don’t just foolishly walk around and leave! Locals know: Green Lake at 6 a.m. is the most spirited, with elderly people practicing Tai Chi like heroes in a martial arts film; at 7 p.m., the lakeside path is the most romantic, couples holding hands, elders feeding gulls, even the air feels sweet! Want to shoot a masterpiece? Remember: from the main gate of Yunnan University to the Lakeside Pavilion, every step you take is a like-magnet for your social feed! Even better, the surrounding food is ridiculously abundant! Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, grilled rice cakes, rose flower cakes... just a few steps away are time-honored brands, a meal costs only a dozen yuan, your wallet smiles, and so does your stomach! Wait, you ask if it’s crowded now? Hey, the magic of Green Lake is right here — even though it’s packed with visitors every day, it never feels crowded. With eight hectares of lake surface plus winding secluded paths, just turn a corner and you can hide in a quiet spot. Travel tips! 📍Address: No. 67, South Cuihu Road, Wuhua District, Kunming 🚇Transport: Metro Line 3 to "Pan Jia Wan Station" or "City Sports Center Station," then a 10-minute walk 🎫Admission: Free! Open all year round! 📅Best time: Winter (November to March) to see the seagulls; Spring (February to March) to enjoy cherry blossoms 🦢Must try: Buy a bag of gull feed and take photos interacting with the seagulls (remember not to feed them snacks!) 🍜Nearby eats: Wenlin Street, Wenhua Alley, a cluster of snacks, recommended "Xiangqun Potstickers" and "Yingfeng Grilled Rice Cakes" So, still planning to squeeze into Dali or Lijiang? Why not come to Green Lake, watch the seagulls frolic, listen to elders play the erhu, and sit on a bench daydreaming all day. This is Kunming, this is life. How long has it been since you slowed down for yourself?