West of Kunming, just right next to Dianchi Lake the Western Hills rise above the city. They are also called 'Sleeping Buddha Hills'. For looked at from a distance, they have the appearance of a giant sleeping Buddha. They have also been given another name - 'Sleeping Beauty Hills' as the hills, when looked at as a total, look like a beautiful young lady laying beside Dianchi Lake with her face upward and her hair trailling into water. You can see the outline of her face, chest, and legs clearly.
Western Hills boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery.
Wonderful scenic spots can be visited there, such as Huating and Taihua Temple, Sanqing Pavilion and Dragon Gate. Huating Temple is one of the largest Buddhist temples in Yunnan Province.It had been destroyed and rebuilt several times most recently in 1923. Daxiong Baodian Hall, Tianwang Hall and Kwan-yin Hall are some of the features in the temple.You can see three golden Buddha figures with their friendly faces, 500 life-like arhat statues which seem vivid just like real people; golden figures of Laughing Buddha. Furthermore, there are abundant colored clay figures depicting vividly various images of mythical animals.
Taihua Temple gained its name for it is located on Taihua Hill. Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368), the temple is the oldest one in Western Hills. Daxiong Baodian Hall, Piaomiao Pavilion, Sizhao Hall can be found in this temple. The temple is famous for the beautiful rare flowers on the grounds. It is also a good place to watch the rising sun spectacle.
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