[2025 Kunming Attraction] Travel Guide for Huating Temple (Updated Jan)

Huating Temple is located in Kunming's Xishan Forest Park and is a famous local Buddhist temple. It was built in the Yuan Dynasty by the eloquent monk, and was originally called Yuanjue Temple. It was rebuilt and expanded many times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and finally became the magnificent structure it is today. 🌟Highlights: The temple is built on a mountain, facing east, and cleverly integrates traditional palace-style architecture with Confucian rational beauty. The red walls and yellow tiles are solemn and solemn under the green trees. When you step into the temple, the first thing you see is the release pool, where the koi fish play. Along the central axis, there are the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Sutra Pavilion and other main buildings. The statues of the Four Heavenly Kings in the Hall of Heavenly Kings are lifelike, and the Mahavira Hall is dedicated to the statues of the Three Buddhas, which are solemn and solemn, making people feel awe. The Sutra Pavilion houses many Buddhist scriptures, exuding a strong cultural atmosphere. 🗓Tour route: Visitors can start from the release pool, first admire the lively fish in the pool, then enter the Hall of Heavenly Kings to feel the majesty; then move to the Mahavira Hall to appreciate the sacredness of the Buddha statues; finally climb the Sutra Pavilion and immerse themselves in the profound Buddhist culture. 📍Location: Huating Temple is located in the middle of Huating Mountain in Xishan, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, in the center of Xishan Scenic Area, with Taihua Mountain to the south, Biyu Mountain to the north, and Dianchi Lake to the east. 🚉Transportation: Huating Temple Station is one of the stops for the scenic sightseeing bus

At this time of year, Everyone will think of Huating Temple in Xishan Look at the plum blossoms blooming there; The red plum blossoms in the ancient temple have a unique artistic conception. Entering the temple gate far away I saw a 300-year-old plum blossom blooming dazzlingly. There is also a century-old tree Magnolia flowers bloom one after another, What’s even more addictive is that The subtle fragrance of plum blossoms floats, Stroll into the Sutra Library in the back mountain The ancient plum blossoms are blooming like fire and snow, The red wall is printed with snow, The auspicious clouds are lingering, Sit down quietly, Make a pot of tea, smell the flowers, Enjoy the fragrance of tea, The mind is as calm as water!

The pond at Huating Temple (华亭寺) in the Western Hills of Kunming exudes a truly serene and peaceful atmosphere. The clear sky and the reflection of the pagoda on the pond are so beautiful that it feels like transcending time. The traditional temple buildings surrounding the release pond create a perfect backdrop for photography. Across the pond, you can see 13 pagodas arranged in a semicircle, with the He Yun Pagoda standing tall, adding to the temple's tranquil charm. Capturing the scenery reflected in the pond with the pagoda in the background is a perfect spot for a memorable shot. The clear and calm water surrounding the pagodas, combined with the lush green trees, makes the pond feel like a scene from an oriental painting. For travelers who love photography, capturing the scenery where nature and history blend together is an opportunity not to be missed. Take a moment to rest in front of the pond, feel the peaceful atmosphere of the temple, and take emotional photos with the gentle waves as the background.

Huating Temple, located on the Western Hills of Kunming, is renowned for its serene and tranquil atmosphere. It offers a sense of detachment from the bustling world, nestled within the green mountains, making it a perfect place to experience peace. The temple was originally established during the Dali Kingdom period. According to records, the temple's origin dates back to the Yuan Dynasty when the eminent monk Xianfeng built a hut here to practice. Most of the structures we see today were rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty, and the temple is divided into three courtyards. Upon entering the temple, the first thing you see is a large pond for releasing animals. Across the pond, 13 monk stupas are arranged in a semicircle, the most famous of which is the 'Heyun Stupa,' standing about 3 meters tall. This stupa is an iconic structure of the temple, enhancing the ancient ambiance of Huating Temple.

Huating Temple, located on the waist of Huating Mountain in Xishan, Kunming, Yunnan Province. Ascending the path from Bijian Jing She to the south, up to Huating Mountain, where bamboo covers the sky and pine shades the road, in the vast forest, a pavilion decorated with danqing is hidden among the pines and cypresses, this is the famous gate of Huating Temple - the bell tower, the clear bell sound echoes in the mountains. Huating Temple, gives people the feeling of 'finding an ancient temple and sitting down to collect all the clear'. Origin of the temple name: The name Huating can be traced back to the Dali Kingdom era. It is said that Gao Zhisheng, the Marquis of Shanchan, built a villa here in 1063 AD. By the time of his descendant Gao Xian, he named this mountain Huating, and since then it has always been a place for the Gao family to feast. Architectural style: Huating Temple is divided into three levels, with a grand scale and strict layout, leaning on the left against the reclining Buddha and Taihua Peak, right against the jade case and Bijian Peaks, and facing Dianchi Lake. Standing in front of the temple and looking far away, the surrounding mountains are all under the eyes; whenever the sky is clear, the water and the sky are the same color, and the lake of ten thousand acres reflects the peaks by the lake even more majestic and beautiful. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Shengan left a pair of popular couplets at the request of the temple monk Delin, 'One water embraces the city to the west, the smoke is vague, the monk returns to the vast outside with a stick; the peaks face the pavilion below, the rain is clear and thick, and the man leaning on the railing is in the painting.' Recently, Song Hezhang extended the couplet into two quatrains, one of them 'One water surrounds the west and embraces the city, the smoke is vague and born by the stream. In the depths of the white clouds, the vast outside, sometimes see the monk return with a stick.' The second 'Flowing Dan Pavilion faces the peaks, one rain and one clear are different. It should be in the chest of the rice family, the man leaning on the railing is in the painting.' Although Huating Temple is located in the middle of the mountain, the terrain is flat, with lush forests and bamboo, green bamboo and pine, winding paths leading to seclusion, very elegant, outside the gate of the temple, there is also such a couplet. 'Around the tree, a thousand chapters, pine green and bamboo green; out of the door, a smile, the sea is wide and the sky is high.' Huating Temple is an ancient forest giant temple, and there are many inscriptions by predecessors. Among them, a five-character ancient style 'Tour of Huating Temple' by Xu Shu of the Qing Dynasty once became famous in the poetry world: 'Ten years of cherishing the tour, this morning I went alone. I took my clothes over the high ridge, and the forest and mountains believed in the vine stick. The sound of ten thousand gullies is rustling, and the autumn wind sends strange sounds. The pines and cedars block the sunlight, and one path enters the forest cool. The rising sun shines golden and green, and the essence is hidden deep and wide. Ten steps have already taken three rests, and the high climb is even more open. There are four or five old monks, wandering on the stone moss. Pointing and looking in the chaotic clouds, Diancheng is bigger than the palm. Looking down at Kunming Lake, it is crystal clear and solemn. Suddenly the field of vision is wide, and all things are in the mansion. There is nothing to obscure the blue sky, and the eyes are all vast.' Cultural inheritance: According to the 'Jieyunju Mountain Zhenru Temple Law Scroll', the Huating Temple inherits the Weiyang Sect. There are currently thirteen monk relics pagodas in the temple, the most famous of which is the 'Xuyun Relics Pagoda'; there is also a monk relic in the temple; there are ten inscriptions from the Ming, Qing, Republic of China, and modern times, and a collection of the 'Dragon Collection' bestowed by Emperor Qianlong. There are stone carvings of green lions and white elephants in the temple, which are auspicious signs of Buddhism, namely 'Green Lion Presents Auspiciousness, White Elephant Presents Auspiciousness'. Huating Temple is located in the center of Xishan Forest Park in Kunming. It lies on the south of Taihua, north of Biqiao, east of Dianchi Lake, with red walls and green tiles, hidden in the lush bamboo and forest. Huating Temple faces east to the west according to the mountain, which is different from the rule of temples in the mainland facing south to the north, which is one of the major features of Huating Temple. It covers an area of eighteen acres, the plan layout is rectangular, and it belongs to the type of symmetrical and enclosed courtyard in Buddhist architecture. Its architectural features are deeply influenced by the palace-style rules and the rational beauty in Confucian culture. Along the central axis, there are three-dimensional buildings, and there are release ponds, Heavenly King Hall, Eight Merit Pools, Daxiong Hall, and Sutra Tower on the vertical axis.

From Kunming's Xishan to Huating Temple to smell the fragrance and seek the plum blossoms!. The ginkgo trees in Huating Temple have just ended the autumn, and a few ancient plum trees have quietly bloomed. It was originally a place of morning bells and ancient times, quiet and effortless, but it attracted a lot of women. A few plum trees, white or red, emit their own faint fragrance, and they have bloomed a picture of being indifferent to the world and not competing with the world.

Take a taxi to the entrance of Xishan Scenic Area, and it's less than 3 kilometers to walk to Huating Temple, about 40 minutes. The mountain road is not steep and not very tiring. At the end of November, the 4 ancient ginkgo trees in Huating Temple are golden, and the leaves of the 2 trees in the courtyard have fallen more than half, covering the floor of the courtyard with a layer of golden carpet. The magnolia outside the main hall is blooming, and a few camellias in the courtyard are very bright. There are also 2 weeping begonias in the courtyard. At this time, the leaves have turned red, and only bare branches are left for the plum blossoms.