Sunshine for Ten Thousand Miles: An Eight-Day Poetic Journey Through Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang

"I stood up, pushed open the window, and gained a clarity." The sunlight described by Gu Qingsheng falls quietly, carrying a purity beyond poetry and music. And I think the sunshine of Yunnan must be just like that—it arrives unhurriedly, with a scorching warmth that tans your skin a glossy bronze and illuminates the shadows in your heart.

Eight days—not too long, not too short. Just enough time to take a deep breath in the land of colorful clouds, just enough to let the highland winds scatter a fog of troubled thoughts. When round-trip flights from Zhengzhou to Kunming cost only 1,000 yuan ($140), I knew it was time to go.

Kunming: The City That Wakes Up with Flowers

The Morning Market's Earthly Elegance

Kunming's mornings begin with flowers. In the market, dewdrop-kissed buds sit side by side with fresh greens, blending the mundane with the ethereal. This city has a wonderfully lazy rhythm—shops close by nine in the evening, stay shut on holidays, and if a rainstorm makes it a bit chilly, that's reason enough to take the day off. No wonder the black-headed gulls return here every winter—who wouldn't long for such a leisurely way of life?

By late March, the gulls had already flown away. Green Lake Park, stripped of its lively white visitors, looked like an ordinary city park. I decided to skip Dianchi Lake and instead explore Kunming's campuses.

Southwest Associated University: An Unfinished Song

Yunnan University was my first choice when I applied for college, yet it took me eight years to finally set foot on its grounds. The ginkgo-lined path must be breathtaking in autumn. Right next door is Yunnan Normal University, which sits on the historic site of the legendary Southwest Associated University.

Mention that name, and the stars come out: Liang Sicheng, Jin Yuelin, Lin Huiyin, Feng Youlan, Shen Congwen, Zhu Ziqing, Qian Zhongshu, Wen Yiduo, Zhu Guangqian… Imagine those war-torn years, when books fluttered amidst the smoke of gunfire, and students—"brilliant in their writings, sincere in their souls"—held up the backbone of a nation.

Beside the martyrs' graves of the university, every memorial tree represents a lost youth. In the shadowy corridors, you can almost hear the echoes of reading aloud. Lu Qiao's novel The Unfinished Song seemed to unfold in the shifting light and shadow. At that moment, I wanted to braid my hair into two pigtails, put on a blue blouse, black skirt, and white socks, and leave behind an image straight out of the Republican era.

Guanghua Street's Old Houses and the "One Seal" Architecture

The old houses on Guanghua Street look like they're about to collapse, yet they've stood for decades. Thatched grass grows on the roofs, and the wooden walls—who knows how much longer they can hold on? Kunming's most distinctive architectural style is called the "One Seal" (yī kē yìn)—a square courtyard house with a main hall, side rooms, and a gate wall, all arranged around a central open-air courtyard, shaped like a seal stamp.

The best-preserved "One Seal" house is now a restaurant, tucked away in a corner of the bustling flower-and-bird market. This is the Jingxing Flower and Bird Market, a favorite of old-school Kunming locals. Kunming's climate is so pleasant that flowers bloom with wild abandon—if you tried to bring them back to the central plains, they'd never survive.

Potatoes, Barbecue, and Little Chili Peppers

Kunming people love to grill. In every alley, you'll find a basin of charcoal with a wire rack on top, ready to cook just about anything. The most common item is grilled potatoes—roasted until soft, split open, slathered with seasoning and little chili peppers (xiǎo mǐ là), and you've got yourself a treat.

Yunnan cuisine is bold—"spicy" and "salty" are the main themes. Luckily, dairy products provide some relief. "Drinking milk is like drinking wine, walking is like dancing, and talking is like singing"—these words capture the old Yunnan spirit. Rice jelly with syrup (mǐ liáng xiā) is a sweet, refreshing dessert, while milk rice pudding (niú nǎi mǐ bù) is a thick, creamy concoction that amazed me—a northerner—with its ingenuity.

The writer Wang Zengqi once said that Kunming's "steam pot chicken" (qì guō jī) deserved a gold medal in a chicken-cooking competition. Unfortunately, every restaurant serves crossing-the-bridge noodles (guò qiáo mǐ xiàn) and steam pot chicken, so the flavors blend together and lose their distinctiveness.

Farewell at Wenlin Street

Wenlin Street is Kunming's cultural hub. I stopped by "Guangzong No. 3," a café run by photographer Bu Chuan, sipped a cup of osmanthus wine on the rooftop terrace, and bid farewell to the city.

"A cup of wine as noon passes, the fragrance of gardenia damp in the rain." Kunming leaves its mark on you, soft and lingering.

Dali: A Backpacker's World of Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight

The Ancient Town at Five in the Morning

An overnight train from Kunming to Dali arrived punctually at 5 a.m. The sky was still dark, and the bus to the ancient town wouldn't run until 7:30. Shivering in the cold, stomach growling, I wandered through the empty streets for over two hours, passing only the occasional local resident or stray dog.

It wasn't pleasant, but the solitude was magical. Walking on the cobblestone path, I looked up at the sky—clouds pressed down over the town like a heavy blanket, swirling and shifting. The Cangshan Mountains gathered their mist like dragons, as if delivering an oracle.

Grilled Rice Cakes on Foreigner Street

Finally, an elderly woman set up her stall. Rice cakes (ěr kuài), made from sticky rice, wrapped around a fried dough stick, with both sweet and savory sauces to choose from. I couldn't get used to the sour, cheesy grilled milk fan (kǎo rǔ shàn), but I fell in love with this grilled rice cake, which reminded me of northern Chinese flavors.

Dali is said to have "water in every home, flowers at every door." In the early morning, along the canal on Fuxing Road, an old man set up a flower stall. The fragrance drifted away with the flowing water, making me wish I could bottle such a fresh morning.

Meeting a Spiritual Idol

Dali is a gathering place for backpacker elites. Along Renmin Road, travelers set up stalls to earn money for their next destination. The most memorable was a Spaniard named "Lou David" who played guitar and sang Xu Wei's songs—his Mandarin was better than most locals'.

Another true spiritual idol: an Argentine family on a round-the-world cycling trip. They started in 2007. Diego, the father, is a painter; Anna, the mother, a photographer; their son Myer was born in India. They simply added a seat to their bike and kept going. In a quiet corner of Dali, they set up a stall with no advertising or promotion.

I wonder if I'll ever have such an amazing journey in my life.

Erhai Lake: The Legend of the Cloud-Watching Wife

When I was a child, the first novel I read by Qiong Yao was The Cloud-Watching Cliff, which gave me my first impression of Dali. Between the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake, the legend of the "Cloud-Watching Wife" (wàng fū yún) weaves a tale of undying love. Erhai Lake has a soul—when the clouds gather and part, every ripple carries an immortal story.

How could I ever forget that shade of blue?

Xizhou and Shuanglang

Xizhou Ancient Town is a showcase of Bai ethnic architecture: three corridors and one screen wall, four courtyards and five open-air patios. The dark tiles and white walls are more romantic than the traditional Hui-style houses of Anhui. I tried the famous crispy pastry (pò sū bā bā), buying a savory one—true to Yunnan's bold flavors, it was a bit bitter.

Shuanglang is a驿站 (post station) culture by the lake. I had imagined large windows overlooking the water, sunlight streaming in—but the reality was a bit disappointing. Many inns were under renovation, dust swirling in the air. Still, the row of houses facing the lake was a sight to behold. After all, isn't Shuanglang all about the inns?

Lijiang: Under the Watch of the Three Gods

"Three gods above, white clouds and a red sun." The Three Gods (sān duǒ shén) are the Naxi people's warrior and protector deities, also the embodiment of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. A people blessed by gods must have a particularly peaceful soul.

Dayan Ancient Town: The Wildness of Fate

The ancient town is filled with people living freely: guitarists in bars, daydreamers in cafés, hand-drummers playing the ubiquitous tune A Moment. Shop signs are written in Chinese, English, and Dongba script. Beneath the noise and commercialism, the wildness of fate unfolds here. Naxi people, Han Chinese, and people of all ethnicities live together, while Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stands silent and watchful.

Impression Lijiang

If you don't see Impression Lijiang, you've wasted your trip to Yunnan. With Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as the backdrop, the performance tells ancient legends against the sky and earth. Ancient caravan trails, heaven and earth, toasts to the snow mountain, drum dances and sacrificial rituals—it's breathtaking.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

The day before we climbed, someone jumped off the mountain, and the cable car was closed. Lijiang's culture of lovers' suicides is heart-wrenching—legend has it that up to eight couples once jumped together. In that otherworldly realm, white deer serve as mounts, and red tigers pull plows.

When I reached the top of Glacier Park at 4,680 meters, I felt clear-headed and light. My body didn't struggle with the mild altitude sickness. At that moment, I wanted to fly across the sky.

Lugu Lake: The Mosuo Kingdom of Women

The Mosuo people's world of flower houses is most touching in its honesty. The greatest respect for the maternal body is expressed in the most dazzling display of feminine grace. The cycle of life and death, the coming-of-age ceremony at 13, the shared wooden pillar that honors women without diminishing men, the "walking marriage" (zǒu hūn) where love is free—life takes many forms, just like Lugu Lake's boundless waters and the silent sacred mountains.

Lige Peninsula is the liveliest part of Lugu Lake, and the scenery is stunning. The rocks and pebbles along the shore make you feel like you're at the seaside. Gulls dot the water, sails return in the distance—it's a scene you want to step into.

The water of Lugu Lake is incredibly clear, a blue so pure it makes you forget time.

Blue Moon Valley: Rivaling Jiuzhaigou

Our last stop was Blue Moon Valley (lán yuè gǔ). The water shimmered in shades of green, rivaling Jiuzhaigou. With the snow-capped mountains in the background and yaks wandering by, it felt even more otherworldly.

Epilogue: Unfinished Business

Eight days, from Kunming to Dali, from Dali to Lijiang, from Lijiang to Lugu Lake. The land of colorful clouds, bathed in glorious sunshine.

There are regrets—I didn't make it to Dongchuan's Red Land, Yuanyang's Rice Terraces, or Tengchong's Ginkgo Village. But that's Yunnan for you: too much beauty, too little time. Let these unfinished wishes be fulfilled on the next journey.

Sunshine for ten thousand miles, I take away a tanned complexion and a heart that has been illuminated.

Travel Tips: - Best Season: March–April, when the weather is pleasant and flowers are in full bloom - Transportation: Round-trip flights from Zhengzhou to Kunming, including tax, for 1,000 yuan ($140) if booked 3 months in advance - Camera: Nikon D90 with 18–105mm kit lens (ordinary equipment can still capture great shots) - Must-Try Experiences: Kunming flower market, Dali's Erhai Lake cycling tour, Lijiang's Impression Lijiang performance, Lugu Lake's Lige Peninsula - Food Recommendations: Grilled potatoes (kǎo yáng yù), steam pot chicken (qì guō jī), cold chicken rice noodles (liáng jī mǐ xiàn), braised meat with rice noodles (pá ròu ěr sī), crispy pastry (pò sū bā bā) - Important Notes: Shops in Dali's ancient town don't open until 8 a.m., so be prepared if arriving early; watch for altitude sickness on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

The land of colorful clouds, bathed in glorious sunshine. May the unfinished wishes be fulfilled on the next journey.