Yunnan: A Dual Feast for the Palate and the Lens

When winter break arrived, I had originally planned to haul my camera to Lake Baikal in pursuit of blue ice. But the rushed preparations left me uneasy about that frozen wasteland. A friend's casual suggestion—"Go to Yunnan, it's flawless"—became the starting point of this trip. I thought to myself: How could the blooming splendor of China's Spring City be any less captivating than Siberia's vast ice fields? And so, we embarked on this journey that would dazzle both our taste buds and our lenses.

A few previews: From Beijing's biting winds to Luoping's flower seas, from Lijiang to Lugu Lake, then on to Dali and Kunming—the itinerary was as tight as a flash mob, but every stop left memories that couldn't be replicated. Next time, I'll slow down and savor its beauty properly.

Pre-Trip Prep: A Food Map and Itinerary Planning

For this trip, my partner Joy wasn't initially keen on Yunnan. If the stunning landscape photos drew me in, what tempted him was probably only the Dali raw pork skin (sheng pi) from the documentary Once Upon a Bite—he's a carnivore with an obsession for raw food. Still, he cooperated in making detailed plans, especially for the food. Our itinerary was divided into four stops: Beijing, Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali, with a few carefully chosen restaurants at each:

• Beijing: 卤煮 (luzhu, braised pork offal in soy sauce), 炙子烤肉 (zhizi kaorou, griddle-roasted lamb), 爆肚 (baodu, quick-boiled tripe)
• Kunming: 过桥米线 (guoqiao mixian, crossing-the-bridge rice noodles), 破酥包 (posu bao, flaky steamed buns), 烤豆腐 (kao doufu, grilled tofu)
• Lijiang: Not deeply explored yet, but time set aside for Lugu Lake
• Dali: 生皮 (sheng pi, raw pork skin), 乳扇 (rushan, goat milk cheese fan)

Armed with this food map, we set off.

Beijing: A Warm-Up Feast in the Cold Wind

To catch our flight, we arrived in Beijing a day early. The train rolled into Beijing Station at 5 PM. The bustling crowd made us completely forget it was Spring Festival—where was the supposed quiet? When I queued to buy subway tickets, I was stunned: the manual counter only accepted cash. I ran back to ask Joy for money, and he shot me a look of disdain. I silently took it.

Checking Out the Hype at Sanlitun

After checking into a simple but decent budget hotel, we headed straight to Taikoo Li Sanlitun. The famous "dirty buns" at OUR Bakery were already sold out, so we settled for the plain and Earl Grey canelés. These French pastries have a crispy exterior and a soft, moist interior—an intriguing texture. The next-door Heytea had a line stretching forever, so we grabbed a number and killed time at the supermarket, sampling the bamboo-tube ice cream from Aoyama Kenkyujo—jasmine flavor, refreshing and a thumbs-up. Heytea's ingredients were fresh, but the drinks were too sweet. Next time, I'll remember to ask for less sugar.

Luzhu and Griddle-Roasted Lamb: The Soul of Old Beijing

The next morning, I planned to get up early to shoot "empty" photos at the Forbidden City, but the senior tour groups beat us there. I gave up and switched to Beihai Park instead. Red walls, green tiles, sturdy pines, and mandarin ducks—in the biting wind, we chased after the ducks snapping photos, only to be stunned when we discovered a massive "duck army" on the water near the north gate.

Lunch finally brought something warm—luzhu at Xiaochang Chen. The pork offal was braised until tender and fragrant, the flatbread at the bottom soaked up all the broth, and with a dash of chili, it was so good that Joy was beaming. The fried stuffed sausage (zha guanchang) disappointed me: it was clearly just slices of starch paste, tricking carnivore Joy. The mustard cabbage knot (jiemo dunzi), however, was a highlight—intensely mustardy, and we both couldn't get enough.

In the afternoon, we went to Houweiju for griddle-roasted lamb. The sour-pickled cabbage with lamb was tender and juicy, the egg tofu fragrant, and the stir-fried noodles chewy. The waiter enthusiastically taught me how to prevent burning, but Joy was napping through most of it, leaving me scrambling on my own. Sadly, the Forbidden City didn't work out—we ran over, but they had already stopped admitting visitors. We just snapped a few shots of the red walls and green tiles and promised to return next time.

Baodu and Douzhi: An Old Beijing Obsession

In the evening, we went to Baodu Jin Shenglong, tucked in a hutong with red lanterns glowing warmly—though the sign reading "寿喜锅鳗鱼 (sukiyaki hot pot with eel)" felt out of place. The place was packed, and while we waited for a table, I slipped over to Huguosi Snack Shop, but their douzhi (fermented mung bean drink) was only served at breakfast. I grabbed some xian dou gao (immortal bean cakes) instead—chocolate, matcha, and purple sweet potato mochi fillings, soft and not too sweet. Back at Jin Shenglong, we ordered tripe tips, beef tripe, and lamb tripe. The tips were crunchy and tender, the beef tripe chewy, and the lamb tripe tough. The owner bustled around, muttering about his secret sesame sauce, his Beijing accent dripping with devotion to baodu.

After our last meal, we headed straight to the airport. On the subway, we felt the northern wind and fantasized about how, in just a few hours, we'd be in the warm, humid air of the south.

Sichuan Airlines: Lucky Business Class and Laoganma

At Beijing Airport, we were unexpectedly upgraded to business class! The flight attendant first asked for drink orders, then brought peanuts, orange juice, and red date ginger tea. The highlight was the meal served in white porcelain bowls—small dishes, fruit, noodles, plus fermented rice dumplings in sweet soup (laozao tangyuan), white congee, and Laoganma chili sauce! Mixing the noodles with Laoganma was spicy and fragrant; the tangyuan were sweet but not cloying. After finishing, the flight attendant asked if we wanted sesame paste. I nodded and downed two bowls of tangyuan plus half a bowl of sesame paste, nearly throwing up on the plane—but "getting sick from eating on Sichuan Airlines" is a badge of honor.

Luoping: A Visual Feast of Rapeseed Flower Fields

At 1 AM, we arrived at Kunming Airport. We caught the last bus and stayed near the train station. In the morning, we almost overslept and missed the group meeting time, but luckily our hotel was close to the meeting point. After a four-hour-plus drive, we reached Luositian (Snail Field) at noon. The terraced fields were spectacular, with old ladies by the roadside selling flower crowns made of rapeseed blooms. I picked one and put it on.

Golden Rooster Peak Cluster: A Battle of Telephoto Lenses and Sunscreen

The group lunch was hearty, with the stir-fried pork being especially tasty. Afterward, we headed to the Golden Rooster Peak Cluster. Karst peaks rose above the vast expanse of rapeseed flowers, and we chose to walk. The path through the flower sea stretched to the horizon, and I couldn't stop clicking the shutter. The highest viewing platform required a long climb, but the view was stunning. A girl even pulled out a face mask to take a selfie—I admired her dedication. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, and the blue-yellow contrast was surreal.

On the way down, the wind was so strong it blew my flower crown away. I snapped a few shots with my telephoto lens, but regretted not bringing a wide-angle. Seeing foreigners setting up tripods for sunset shots, we exchanged glances: next time, we'd plan for two days to capture both sunset and sunrise. Final reminder: apply sunscreen everywhere! My chest peeled for a month from sunburn—a hard lesson learned.

Kunming: Seagulls at Green Lake and Dianchi Lake

We returned to Kunming from Luoping late at night. The next day, we slept until noon, checked out, and headed to Cuihu Huixiang Xilou (Green Lake Huixiang Restaurant). The top floor had only one table left, right overlooking Green Lake Park. We ordered a 98-yuan rice noodle set, which included ten side dishes, a mini steam pot chicken, and crossing-the-bridge rice noodles. The cold pine needles had an overpowering pine flavor, and the fried goat milk cheese fan was too milky, but the honey walnuts and a few unrecognizable dishes hit the spot.

The star of the show was the luxurious crossing-the-bridge rice noodles. The waiter brought a soup bowl as big as a washbasin and added 17 different toppings one by one—chicken, fish, snail meat, ham slices, black truffle slices... each spoonful was a surprise. The broth was so delicious that we ended up finishing every drop. We ordered a sweet flaky steamed bun to go—ham filling with peanut sugar, amazing! Later on our return trip, I bought the savory version with pickled mustard greens and pork, equally fantastic.

Green Lake and Dianchi Lake: Two Sides of Seagull Personality

Crossing the street into Green Lake Park, the seagulls floated lazily on the water. I couldn't stop shooting: "Hey, stop stealing my food!" Their red feet paddled through the clear water—a healing scene. We took a cute mini-bus to Dianchi Haigeng Park, and the elderly man sitting next to us enthusiastically helped plan our route, sharing stories about his childhood in Yunnan. Dianchi was windy, with seagulls swooping up and down—a completely different vibe from the laid-back gulls at Green Lake.

Outside the park, I bought some san kuai yi shi (three pieces for ten yuan) grilled tofu. The outside was firm and chewy, while the inside exploded with softness. Dipped in a sour-spicy sauce, it was addictive. On the bus back, I ate one plain and one spicy, thoroughly enjoying myself.

Dali: An Adventurous Taste of Raw Pork Skin and Goat Milk Cheese

For dinner, we originally wanted to try Dai cuisine, but the restaurant was too crowded, so we switched to Duanshi Xiaoguo (Duan's Small Pot). We ordered stir-fried rice noodles (chao ersi) and eel rice noodles—both were just average. But the real highlights were Dali's raw pork skin and grilled goat milk cheese fan. The raw pork skin, sliced thin and dipped in sauce, was crunchy and tender but had a noticeable gamey smell. The grilled cheese fan was so intensely milky that it felt like I couldn't breathe. Carnivore Joy loved the raw pork skin, while I kept my distance from the cheese fan.

Conclusion: Yunnan, a Place Worth Taking Slowly

On this trip, we ate luzhu, baodu, crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, flaky steamed buns, grilled tofu, raw pork skin, goat milk cheese fan... every stop left a taste memory. But what I miss most are the golden rapeseed fields of Luoping, the leisurely seagulls of Green Lake, and the Laoganma chili sauce on Sichuan Airlines' business class.

Practical Tips: - Sun Protection: Luoping has strong UV rays—protect every inch of skin. - Itinerary: Yunnan deserves a slow pace; allow at least a week. - Food: Huixiang's crossing-the-bridge rice noodles and flaky steamed buns are must-tries; don't miss the san kuai yi shi grilled tofu. - Transport: Beijing subway requires cash; Kunming's mini-buses are adorable.

Yunnan is a dual feast for the palate and the lens. Next time, I'll slow down and truly savor its beauty.