[2025 Mengzi Attraction] Travel Guide for Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park (Updated Apr)

With warm sunshine, gentle breezes, and blooming flowers, Mengzi in March is the perfect time for a getaway. This charming southern Yunnan town holds countless wonders. Follow this guide to embark on a spring adventure in Mengzi🎈 📍Location Mengzi City is located in the southeast of Yunnan Province. It is the capital of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture and sits on a low-latitude plateau, with the Tropic of Cancer running through it. Its unique geographical location endows it with distinct natural scenery and cultural charm. 🚗Getting There • By air: Fly to Honghe Mengzi Airport. Many routes are currently available, with direct flights from cities such as Kunming, Chongqing, and Hangzhou. The airport is close to the city center, about a 20-minute taxi ride costing around CNY 30. • By train: Mengzi has Mengzi Station and Mengzi North Station. There are many bullet trains from Kunming to Mengzi, with a journey time of about 2 hours and fares around CNY 75. Transportation is very convenient. • By bus: From surrounding cities, you can take a long-distance bus to Mengzi. Buses are available from various passenger stations. Travel time and fares vary depending on the departure point. 🗺Suggested Itinerary Day 1: Bisezhai Dian-Yue Railway Theme Park → Mengzi Cross-Bridge Rice Noodle Town Morning: Visit the French-style Bisezhai Dian-Yue Railway Theme Park, experience the historical charm, and take photos. Lunch: Enjoy local snacks near Bisezhai. Afternoon: Go to Mengzi Cross-Bridge Rice Noodle Town, learn about the culture of cross-bridge rice noodles, and savor authentic dishes. Evening: Stroll around the town and enjoy the night view. Day 2: Mengzi Nanhu Park → Yuhuang Pavilion → Nisu Town Morning: Take a walk in Nanhu Park, admire the lake and mountains, and experience the laid-back local lifestyle. Late Morning: Visit the historically and culturally significant Yuhuang Pavilion. Lunch: Enjoy Mengzi rice cakes, thin bean powder, and other local delicacies in the city center. Afternoon: Go to Nisu Town, experience the Yi ethnic customs, and admire the unique architecture. 🌟Must-See Attractions • Bisezhai Dian-Yue Railway Theme Park ◦ Address: Bisezhai Village, Caoba Town, Mengzi City ◦ Admission: Free ◦ Opening hours: All day ◦ Highlights: The filming location of the movie Youth, the French architecture complements the Dian-Yue Railway, creating an artistic atmosphere. Here, you can see the century-old train station, water tower, and railway tracks, as if traveling back in time. It's a great place for taking photos📷 • Mengzi Nanhu Park ◦ Address: Nanhu South Road, Wenlan Town, Mengzi City ◦ Admission: Free ◦ Opening hours: All day ◦ Highlights: A landmark attraction in Mengzi, with clear lake water, pavilions, and lush vegetation. Enjoy a leisurely stroll along the lake in the morning or evening. You can also see locals exercising and playing chess by the lake, experiencing the vibrant local life. • Yuhuang Pavilion ◦ Address: Cheng'en Street, Mengzi City ◦ Admission: Free ◦ Opening hours: 09:00 - 17:00 ◦ Highlights: Built in the Ming Dynasty, it blends Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist architectural styles. With exquisite craftsmanship, brackets, cornices, carved beams, and painted rafters, it is an important resource for studying ancient architecture and religious culture. • Nisu Town ◦ Address: Xin'an Town, Mengzi City ◦ Admission: Free ◦ Opening hours: All day ◦ Highlights: A characteristic town with rich Yi ethnic customs, featuring white-walled and gray-tiled Yi dwellings, unique ethnic cultural displays, various folk activities, and handicraft shops. Here, you can gain a deeper understanding of Yi culture and customs and taste Yi delicacies. • Mengzi Cross-Bridge Rice Noodle Town ◦ Address: Intersection of Beijing Road Extension and Honghe Avenue, Mengzi City ◦ Admission: Free ◦ Opening hours: All day (business hours vary for some shops) ◦ Highlights: Integrates cross-bridge rice noodle cultural experiences, food tasting, and leisure activities. The town has numerous rice noodle restaurants where you can taste the most authentic cross-bridge rice noodles, watch the noodle-making process, and learn about the cultural stories behind it. 🍜Must-Try Foods • Cross-bridge rice noodles: Mengzi's signature dish, with delicious soup and rich ingredients. Recommended restaurants: Qiaoxiangyuan, Juhuacun Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles. Be sure to try the most traditional large bowl of cross-bridge rice noodles and experience the magical process of the boiling chicken soup instantly cooking the raw meat and vegetables. • Mengzi rice cakes: Made with glutinous rice, brown sugar, and other ingredients. They are soft, glutinous, and sweet but not greasy. Available in various flavors such as original and rose, they can be steamed, fried, or baked. You can find them in pastry shops on the streets. • Thin bean powder: Made from pea flour and boiled into a paste. Served with fried dough sticks, baba, and other foods. It has a smooth texture and a fragrant aroma. It is a favorite breakfast among Mengzi locals and is sold at many breakfast stalls. • Sour pomegranate juice: Mengzi's pomegranates are famous. The juice squeezed from fresh sour pomegranates is sweet and sour, rich in vitamin C, and can be found at stalls throughout the streets and alleys. • Grilled tofu: Tofu grilled over charcoal until golden brown, served with a special dipping sauce. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it is full of bean flavor. You can find it at night markets or snack streets. 🏠Accommodation • City center: Recommended to stay near Nanhu Park, which offers convenient transportation and is close to many restaurants and shopping areas. For example, Honghe Guanfang Hotel, a four-star hotel with comfortable surroundings and prices ranging from CNY 400 to CNY 800. There are also budget hotels and guesthouses available, with prices ranging from CNY 150 to CNY 300, offering great value for money. • Around Cross-Bridge Rice Noodle Town: If you want to easily enjoy the food and experience the town's atmosphere, you can choose to stay in guesthouses near the town, with prices ranging from CNY 200 to CNY 500. Some guesthouses also have charming courtyards, providing a pleasant living experience. 📌Tips • The sun is strong in Mengzi in March, so remember to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sun hat. • When tasting cross-bridge rice noodles, be careful of the high temperature of the soup to avoid burns. First, put the raw meat and vegetables into the soup and mix well. Wait a moment before eating. • For taking photos in Bisezhai, it is recommended to wear retro-style clothing to better blend in with the scene. • When visiting Nisu Town, respect local ethnic customs and habits to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. • When buying local products, choose reputable merchants, carefully check the quality, and avoid buying inferior products. I hope this guide will help you have a wonderful spring time in Mengzi and enjoy the unique charm of this small town💖

Mengzi, the birthplace of Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles, is home to Bisezhai, situated on the gentle slopes of Libapo. In ancient times, it was an isolated mountain village with only a dozen households. In 1885, the Qing government signed the Treaty of Tientsin with France, and in 1887, Mengzi was forced to open for trade. In 1898, France seized the right to construct the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. In 1910, the 854-kilometer railway, boasting 117 stations and stretching from Haiphong in Vietnam to Kunming in China, was completed, costing countless Chinese laborers their lives. Bisezhai, due to its central location along the railway, became a bustling hub for merchants and freight. Its prosperity was tied to the railway, especially after the completion of the Gebishi Railway, which intersected and exchanged cargo with the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway at Bisezhai, making it an essential transshipment center and trading hub in Yunnan. Today, Bisezhai still preserves the meter-gauge railway built by the French and the Gebishi inch-gauge railway independently constructed by China. French-style buildings with red tiles, yellow walls, and wooden louvered windows remain, serving as filming locations for movies and TV series like *Forever Young*, *Soul Mate*, *Jade Goddess of Mercy*, and *Youth*. Currently, the local government is constructing the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park. Tourists flock here to take Trip Moments photos, savor authentic Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles, and reflect on the dramatic changes amidst the nostalgic and retro atmosphere.

After parking at the parking lot of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park, we took a shuttle bus to the main part of the cultural park: Bisezhai Railway Station. The shuttle bus winds along the mountain road, and it is amazing that this train station, which is over 100 years old, was not built on flat ground, but on a mountain. Bisezhai Station was built in 1909, the first year of the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of 115 years. At that time, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was laid to this point, and a station was built, initially named Bishizhai Station. Later, because it was built on a mountain and faced the water, with beautiful scenery, it was renamed "Bisezhai," a name full of romance. When the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was completed in 1910, Bisezhai Station became the core hub of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and one of the oldest train stations in China. In 1921, the Ge-Bi-Shi Railway, the first private railway in China and the first railway completely funded, built, and operated by Chinese people, was connected to Bisezhai, making it a very important railway hub in Yunnan, and it became prosperous for a time. Later, with the development of history, the old line of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was gradually replaced by a faster new line, and Bisezhai Station gradually withdrew from the stage of operation history and became a historical background. In recent years, with the filming of the movie "Youth," Bisezhai Station has re-entered people's view. In addition, as people's understanding of history continues to deepen, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park, with Bisezhai Station as the main body, began to be built. The current Bisezhai Station still retains the station building, tracks, barracks, company buildings, and even one of the earliest red clay tennis courts in China, all left by the French of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Company. Walking through it, it feels like walking into the early 20th century, or like walking to the south of France. This sense of time travel makes Bisezhai the latest check-in place in Yunnan.

After leaving Nanhu Park, we drove to the mountains of Mengzi and arrived at a place called Bisezhai. Bisezhai Railway Station is one of the earliest railway stations in modern China and has witnessed the development of China's early railways. It was once a stop on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and has now become a tourist attraction full of historical charm, with rich railway cultural relics and European style. The Yunnan-Vietnam Railway began construction in 1903 and was completed in 1910. It connected Kunming and Haiphong Port in Vietnam and was the first railway in southwest China. Mengzi is located in the middle of this railway, making it an important railway hub and quickly developing into a prosperous border trade city. In today's Yunnan-Vietnam Railway Historical and Cultural Park, visitors can visit many historical buildings, including Bisezhai Station on the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, Bisezhai Station on the Ge-Bi-Shi Railway, the former site of Datong Company, the locomotive depot of the Ge-Bi-Shi Railway, the Golus Hotel, and the former site of the Bisezhai Branch of Mengzi Customs. The scenic area is open all day, and the sightseeing bus ticket is CNY 20 per person. Please note that the parking lot is quite far from the scenic area and you have to climb a mountain, so the sightseeing bus is very necessary.