Kunming Golden Temple
The Kunming Golden Temple is located in the Mingfeng Mountain 7 km. (4 mi.) away from Kunming City, Yunnan Province. Covering an area of 1,773 hectare (4,381 ac.), It was built in 1602 and is the first copper palace in China. It is famous as a national forest park combining the beauty of natural scenes, cultural heritage, artificial gardens and Huaxia Adventurous city and it has been ratified as the national AAAAA scenic area.
As one part of the Taihe Temple, the Kunming Golden Temple is the largest copper temple in China. It got its name because of the golden palace here made of brass and when it is in the sun, it will shine brightly. The palace is the main architectural building of the temple, boasting a height of 6.7 m. (22 ft.) and a width of 6.2 m. (20 ft.). If you enter into it, you will find that the beam, column, windows and doors are all made of copper. There is a sitting statue of Zhenwu emperor, grand and vivid with maids and warriors standing by his sides. All of these statues are made of brass which will surely make you admire the workmanship of the ancient people.
Other attractions in the Golden Temple include:
- Taihe Palace Scenic Spot: The palace is ancient architectural building left from the ancient time, you can find there is Laojun Palace, Copper Flag, Tianshi Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall where some historical relics and some books about Taoism are kept. If you come here, you can not only savor the beauty of the unique architectural building but also learn something about Chinese Taoism.
- Bell tower: It is located at the top of Mingfeng Mountain at an altitude of 2,058 m. (6,752 ft.) and there is a big copper bell weighting 14 tons. It is the largest ancient bell in China and being protected as a cultural relics.
The Kunming Golden Temple has a long history and has been renovated for many times to its original beauty and grandness. Nowadays, it has attracted many people to come here for hiking and sight seeing. If you want to travel to Kunming, this place is surely one stop of your tour.
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