[2025 Jianshui Attraction] Travel Guide for Zitaoli (Updated Jun)

Jianshui Purple Clay is one of China's four famous pottery types, renowned for its unique "unglazed polishing" technique and rich cultural heritage. If you're planning to visit Jianshui to experience purple clay culture, here's a detailed travel guide covering must-visit attractions, experiences, food recommendations, and transportation information. --- ### **I. Must-Visit Attractions and Purple Clay Cultural Experiences** 1. **Wanyao Village** - **Key Highlights**: This is the birthplace of Jianshui purple clay pottery with over 700 years of pottery-making history. The village is filled with ancient kiln sites and modern purple clay workshops. - **Experiences**: Visit dragon kiln ruins, observe traditional wheel-throwing techniques, create your own purple clay pieces (wheel-throwing, carving, clay filling, etc.). - **Recommended Workshops**: Beishan Pottery Manor, Chongwen Tongchuang Intangible Heritage Workshop (offering complete purple clay making experiences). 2. **Purple Clay Street** - **Features**: Converted from an old pottery factory, it's a shopping and DIY experience zone by day and transforms into a vibrant food night market in the evening. - **Recommended Activities**: Shop for purple clay tea sets and vases, taste Jianshui's specialties like grilled tofu and grass sprout rice noodles. 3. **Purple Clay Museum** - **Exhibition Content**: Showcases the history of Jianshui purple clay, evolution of techniques, and works by famous artists - perfect for an in-depth understanding of purple clay culture. 4. **Ant Workshop** - **Art Space**: Designed by artist Luo Xu, it combines modern art with purple clay elements. Great for photos and pottery creation experiences. 5. **Ancient Kiln Sites** - **Recommended Location**: Yuan Dynasty dragon kiln ruins behind Wanyao Village, where you can feel the thousand-year heritage of kiln firing. --- ### **II. Special Food Recommendations** 1. **Jianshui Grilled Tofu** - Chess piece-sized tofu grilled over charcoal, crispy outside and tender inside, eaten with chili powder. Featured in "A Bite of China." 2. **Steam Pot Chicken** - Steamed in purple clay pots, with delicious broth and tender meat. Recommended at Xiyuan Hotel. 3. **Grass Sprout Rice Noodles** - Jianshui's unique aquatic plant "grass sprouts" added to fresh, sweet rice noodles. 4. **Lion Cake and Bird's Nest Pastry** - Traditional sweet treats with crispy textures, perfect as souvenirs. --- ### **III. Transportation and Accommodation** - **Transportation**: - Jianshui is about 214 km from Kunming. You can take a high-speed train (about 2 hours) or bus (about 3.5 hours) from Kunming. - Within the county, you can take taxis or rent electric vehicles to tour around. Purple Clay Street, Wanyao Village, and other attractions are relatively close to each other. - **Accommodation**: - **Purple Clay-themed Guesthouses**: Such as artistic guesthouses in Purple Clay Town, decorated with purple clay elements for an immersive pottery culture experience. - **Xiyuan Hotel**: Close to Purple Clay Street, convenient for tasting local cuisine. --- ### **IV. Suggested Itinerary (2-3 days)** - **Day 1**: Wanyao Village (pottery-making experience) → Purple Clay Museum → Purple Clay Street Night Market - **Day 2**: Ant Workshop → Ancient Kiln Sites → Chongwen Tongchuang Intangible Heritage Workshop (in-depth purple clay making experience) - **Day 3**: Jianshui Confucian Temple/Zhu Family Garden (optional) → Return journey --- ### **V. Shopping Guide** - **Recommended Purple Clay Products**: Tea sets (ideal for Pu'er tea), vases, stationery items, with prices ranging from tens to thousands of yuan. - **Where to Buy**: Purple Clay Street, Wanyao Village workshops (prices negotiable). For high-end collectibles, it's advisable to purchase from the museum or master craftsmen's studios. A journey to experience Jianshui purple clay not only allows you to appreciate the charm of traditional craftsmanship but also experience the slow-paced lifestyle of southern Yunnan. If you have more time, you can include Jianshui Ancient Town, Swallow Cave, and other attractions to enrich your trip!

🌟Preparation - Documents: Bring your ID card and other potentially necessary documents such as student ID, senior citizen card, etc. - Clothing: Pack light and comfortable clothes according to the season. Apply sunscreen in summer, dress warmly in winter, and bring a comfortable pair of shoes. - Items: Sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses, fill light, mosquito repellent, power bank, etc. 🚗Transportation Guide - Self-driving: From Kunming, it takes about 2.5 hours to reach Jianshui Purple Pottery Town. - High-speed rail: Take the high-speed train to Jianshui Station, then a 15-minute taxi ride to Purple Pottery Town. Set your destination to "Purple Pottery Town Commercial Street." ☑️Attractions - Yunqi Lake Hotel "Pink Flower Waterfall": The hotel exterior features a nearly 200-meter bougainvillea wall. Best for photos in the soft light of early morning or evening. Pair with a plain-colored long dress. - Purple Pottery Town Park "Fairy Tale Kingdom": Features 5-meter-tall straw men, hobbit houses and windmill fields. Best light after 4 PM. Bring props like straw bags for interactive photos. There's also a dinosaur team area perfect for family photos. - Evening Special "Chinese-style Lantern Shadows": From 18:30 when the lights come on, the lakeside lantern street transforms into an ancient Chinese scene. Hanfu enthusiasts can rent traditional costumes to take silhouette photos by the stone arch bridge and covered boats. - Purple Pottery Museum: After 21:00 when crowds thin out, take a walk with a traditional lantern to experience the mysterious atmosphere of the firewood kiln ruins under the starry sky. 😍Food Recommendations - Market Food: Granny's Purple Pottery Grilled Tofu (crispy outside, bursting inside); Jasmine Iced Soy Milk (refreshing); also try Cool Biscuit Action's layered pastries, rose jelly, and special wooden bucket rice. - Restaurant Recommendations: Steam Pot Chicken at Purple Pottery Lakeside Restaurant (sweet chicken soup); Grilled Chicken Tendons at Earthen Tile House (sweet and spicy); Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles and traditional banquet dishes at Baoxing Building; Tan Duck Blood Hot Pot, Jiushi BBQ, and Shanghu Spring Creative Chinese Restaurant are also worth trying. 🏭Accommodation Options - Yunqi Lake Hotel: Priced at 600-1,200 yuan per night, some rooms offer views of the flower sea, includes complimentary breakfast for two and purple pottery making experience vouchers. - Surrounding Guesthouses: Such as "Taolu," priced at 200-400 yuan per night, featuring private firewood kilns where you can experience opening kiln "blind boxes."

📍Detailed address: Southwest side of Qingshan Road, Jianshui County 🚉Transportation strategy: Take bus route 21 or take a taxi or drive yourself Tickets🎫 Free ❤Recommended reason: Jianshui is famous for producing Zitao, and just by hearing the name Zitao Street, you know it's closely related to the ancient city. Friends who are interested in Zitao must come and take a look. Of course, you can also come just to eat and stroll around, after all, this is a night market, offering a one-stop experience for food, drinks, and entertainment. Snack recommendations include grilled tofu and Liangshao powder. There will also be some Chinese style performances in Zitao Li, and for friends who like Hanfu, every brick, tile, and wall here will be a spot for you to check in.

Jianshui is not a very famous tourist destination in Yunnan, but that does not prevent it from being an excellent leisurely tourist destination. 🚄I took the high-speed train from Guangxi to Jianshui, first to Kunming and then to Jianshui Station. 🚌Buses and taxis are very convenient in Jianshui City. I travel in the city by walking, bus and taxi. 🏩As for the hotel, I stayed in the ancient city on my first night. Although the room was quite small, it was clean and comfortable. If you want to experience the rich atmosphere of the ancient city, I still recommend living in the ancient city. For the other two nights, I stayed near Zitao Street, which was also quite convenient. 🏘As for attractions, I went to the ancient city, Purple Pottery Street, Purple Pottery Village, Purple Pottery Museum, Buddha Reflection Lotus Island, and Ant Workshop. (It’s a bit of a pity that I didn’t buy the ticket for the train, so everyone must buy it in advance) 🥢Food you can’t miss in Jianshui: grass sprout rice noodles, Yang Er eel rice noodles, grilled tofu, pork liver, steamed chicken, barbecue... ☕️You can go into the self-owned coffee shops in the ancient city and have a drink. There aren’t many coffees brewed in Yunnan that are this good.