The Ancient Villages and Towns around Kunming
Zijun Village（子君村）
Zijun Village sits at Guyi Village on the east shore of Lake Dian. “Zijun (子君)” is a subbranch of Yi ethnic group, which is considered to be the first settlers in Kunming.
Address: Yiliu Township, Guandu District, Kunming
Transport: Take bus No. 149 special line, No. 162, C12, A6, No. 170 or No. 209 at North Caiyun Road.
Local specialty: wild rice stem, water chestnut, ramie, Erkuai (rice cake)
Tuanjiexiang Village（团结乡）
Tuanjiexiang Village lies in the back of Qinlongtan, which has an area of 60mu lake. It enjoys tranquil environment and lush greenery.
Address: At the upper area of the western suburb of Kunming
Transport: bus No. 80→No.93; bus No. 185→No. 93
Local specialty: pepper chicken, apple feast, ham
Biji Township（碧鸡镇）
Biji Township boasts a long history, with an area of 88.74sqm. It is said that once the locals didn’t know the wild peacocks living within the area. But they thought the animal was some sort of roosters, therefore they named the big bird “green rooster”. Hence Biji Township (or the township of green roosters) came into being.
Address: Biji Street, Xishan District
Transport: bus No. C73(Line Jia) or No. C73(Line Yi)
Xiaobanqiao Village （小板桥村）
Linzexu was the first person to promote Xiaobanqiao Village. And he praised the temples here as “charming architectures” and the gardens as “stunning”.
Address: North Caiyun Road, Guandu District
Transport: but No. 174 or No. C12
Dahei Village （打黑村）
First built around Yuan Dynasty, Dahei village is considered to be one of the Yi ethnic traditional compounds in Yunnan Province. Nowadays, Dahei village is also a major Yi ethnic protection zone in Kunming.
Address: Dahei Village, Xiyang Township, Jinning County
Transport: drive from Kunming – Anning Highway or Anning – Chuxiong Highway to Anfengying (安丰营), and to turn to the Provincial Road S213, after Yimen County (易门县) and then to reach to Dashibanhe (大石板河) and continue drive to Muzhacun (木鲊村).
Muzhacun Village（木鲊村）
It is said that the first settlers of Muzhacun Village were those who came from Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasty, Han people moved to the Dianchi (Lake Dian) area, and their ancestor migrated from Dianchi area to mountainous area between Jinning, Yuxi and Yimen.
Address: Muzhacun Village, Xiyang Township, Jinning County
Transport: drive from Kunming – Anning Highway or Anning – Chuxiong Highway to Anfengying (安丰营), and to turn to the Provincial Road S213, after Yimen County (易门县) and then to reach to Dashibanhe (大石板河) and continue drive to Muzhacun (木鲊村).
Jincheng Old Town（晋城古镇）
Being the oldest place in Yunnan Province, Jincheng Old Town is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and Binhu Plain on the other. It is the centre of the Dian culture with lovely scenery.
Address: Jincheng Town, Jinning County, Southeastern shore of Lake Dian, Kunming
Local specialty: baked cake, crunchy rice candy, crystal sugar cake, steamed rice roll, braised tofu with vegetables.
