Dianzhong Sapphire Hiking Travel Guide

Today, let's dive into an underrated sapphire in central Yunnan—Xingyun Lake! 📍Located in Jiangchuan District, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, about a 1.5-hour drive from Kunming, it is the "sister lake" of Fuxian Lake but with a very different temperament: unlike the deep and mysterious Fuxian, it breathes gently with shallow wetland ecology and a thousand-year-old fishing and farming civilization. The lake surface is at an altitude of 1,722 meters, with an average depth of only 7 meters, allowing sunlight to reach the bottom where aquatic plants sway; the most enchanting feature is its "light and shadow illusion"—in the early morning, mist floats like gauze over the water, reflecting the solitary mountain on the north shore like ink and the layered Bijiashan Mountain on the south shore. Every March to April, tens of thousands of acres of rapeseed fields around the lake meet the water, with yellow waves pushing to the shore, creating the spectacular "sea of flowers by the mirror." Even more remarkable is the lake’s "living fossil"—the Kanglang fish, a national first-class protected animal found only in this lake. Its flesh is tender like tofu; during the Qing Dynasty, it was a tribute item, and today fishermen still catch it using the ancient "tang net" method, with silver scales sparkling like scattered stars under the spring sun. Itinerary: 1 day of slow life by the lake with fishing activities｜boating + tang net fishing + flower fields + lake fresh feast Total budget: under 400 RMB (about 398 RMB per person) Transportation｜¥55 Take a bus from Kunming East Bus Station to Jiangchuan (1.5h) ¥45｜Taxi from Jiangchuan Bus Station to Xingyun Lake West Bank fishing village (15 minutes) ¥10 Admission｜¥0 ✅ The entire lake is open for free｜No scenic area fences｜Only the fishing village pier has convenience service points (hot water ¥2/cup) Highlights｜Be a Xingyun Lake fishing guardian for a day! ✅ Morning boating to find the "Kanglang shadow": rent a hand-rowed wooden boat (¥30/hour), gently drift into the lake center with an old fisherman, watch the underwater "forest" swaying (seaweed + goldfish moss), and spot the silver flash of the Kanglang fish 🐟 ✅ Noon tang net experience: at Chenjiawan on the west bank, learn to step on the bamboo frame of the tang net and pull the net to catch fish; if lucky, get 2–3 freshly caught Kanglang fish of the day (ice bags provided on site for freshness) 🌿 ✅ Afternoon flower field stroll: walk along the lakeside road to the "Xiaoshizhai Flower Sea Viewing Platform," take overhead shots of rapeseed flowers and lake reflections in the same frame, and pick three wild peas to place in a small bottle at the boat’s bow ✅ Evening lakeside tea session: set up on the reed beach, use Kanglang fish bones to simmer a broth for brewing Cangshan snow bud tea, paired with grilled milk fan cheese, pickled garlic sauce, and wild garlic cakes by the lake, quietly waiting for the sunset’s golden glow to melt over the silhouette of the solitary mountain. Dining｜¥343 Lunch: Fisherman’s Courtyard—Kanglang fish tofu soup + brown rice + wild garlic cake by the lake + snow bud broth tea ¥76 Afternoon tea: Mobile stall on the reed beach—pickled garlic rose drink + seaweed flower pastry + Xiaoshizhai honey ¥32 Dinner lake fresh feast: same as above (included)｜Additional Jiangchuan copper pot rice noodles ¥18｜Dried amaranth mixed noodles ¥14｜Handmade pickled garlic sauce ¥16｜Kanglang fish dried gift box ¥22｜Snow bud tea cake ¥20｜Wild garlic cake ¥12｜Lakeside dandelion preserves ¥11｜Reed woven small fish ornament ¥10｜Pickled garlic rose candy ¥12 ✅ Total cost breakdown: Transportation ¥55 + Boat fee ¥30 + Dining ¥343 = ¥398 (remaining ¥2 can be exchanged for a Xingyun Lake waterprint bookmark) Best time: mid-March to early April｜peak rapeseed bloom｜choose weekday mornings｜avoid weekend afternoon boating crowds Essentials: non-slip cloth shoes (lake shore is slippery), thermos (must bring broth tea), sun hat + sunglasses, cash (only cash accepted lakewide) Niche activity: bring a copy of "Yunnan Fish Species" excerpts to identify Kanglang fish features at the boat’s bow—body length 15–20 cm, black spot behind dorsal fin, slender tail stalk like a shuttle. When the oar parts a pool of spring water, I suddenly see— The millennia-old Xingyun Lake gently holding the entire sky between its lips.