High-speed rail accessible | 4 slow-paced towns, a 3-day stay is so healing
Escape the crowds of Dali and Lijiang 🙋♀️ The hidden gem of Shiping in southern Yunnan is the ultimate place to unwind!
No noisy bars, no cookie-cutter influencer shops.
This is an ancient town where locals truly live.
Old alleys, plateau lakes, pristine ancient villages, and endless tofu delicacies.
No need to wake up early to rush to attractions, sleep in, take walks, daydream, cycle around the lake, and enjoy a peaceful 3-day stay. You'll feel completely healed 🌿
📍📍Shiping County, Honghe, Yunnan
🚞Transportation | A lazy traveler's guide
Shiping doesn't have a high-speed rail station, so here are the transfer options:
▪️High-speed rail: Take it to Jianshui Station, reachable in 1.5 hours from Kunming South. Upon arrival, you can carpool for CNY 30/person, which takes 40 minutes to reach Shiping Ancient Town; a private taxi costs about CNY 80.
▪️Driving: About 2.5 hours on the expressway from Kunming. Parking in the county is convenient, offering the most freedom. This is the best choice if you want to visit surrounding ancient villages or cycle around the lake.
▪️Bus: Direct buses from Kunming South Bus Station to Shiping, taking 3.5 hours.
🚲Getting around town
The ancient town is small, and it's very comfortable to explore the Confucian Temple and old streets on foot.
I highly recommend renting an e-scooter for CNY 25–30 a day. Riding around Yilong Lake and visiting Zhengying Ancient Village, stopping whenever you like, creates a perfect vibe. Short-distance ride-hailing starts at CNY 6, making travel very convenient.
🏡How to choose accommodation | Pick based on your needs
Prioritize staying around Shiping Ancient Town; you'll be right next to old street snacks and immersed in local life.
▪️Affordable courtyard homestays | For trips with besties or friends ✅
CNY 120–180/night. Most are renovated old-style courtyard houses. The courtyards are quiet, and you'll find various local snacks right downstairs.
▪️Yilong Lake view homestays | For those seeking to relax and unwind ✅
CNY 220–320/night. Floor-to-ceiling windows face the lake. Open the window in the morning to see the mist over the lake. The sunrise and sunset are stunning, and it's far from the city noise.
▪️Budget hotels in the county | First choice for limited budgets
CNY 80–130/night. Basic amenities are complete, and dining and shopping are convenient.
💡Tip: Rooms are in high demand during holidays, so be sure to book in advance. Many old courtyard homestays don't have elevators, so remember to check the floor if you have a lot of luggage.
💰3-day, 2-night budget reference
For two people staying for three days, CNY 800–1,400 is enough for a comfortable trip ✅
Local prices are very friendly. The ancient town, wetland park, and ancient villages are all free to enter.
Street snacks cost just a few RMB, and a proper meal at a restaurant costs about CNY 40–60 per person.
There are no hidden costs, and expenses for accommodation and dining are low, allowing you to enjoy a slow-paced vacation on a budget.
🍜Food | A tofu lover's dream
✅Shiping grilled tofu with filling 🔥
A must-eat in Shiping! This intangible cultural heritage tofu is made with well water, grilled over charcoal until puffy, and served with a soul-satisfying dipping sauce. They count corn kernels to tally the bill, and the street stalls are very authentic.
✅Eight-sided fried fish: A specialty of Yilong Lake. The fish meat and bones are crispy, salty, savory, and slightly sour. You must try it.
✅Tofu feast: Pocket tofu, tofu balls, and many other varieties. Tofu lovers, go for it.
✅Cold rolled rice noodles, cold spoon rice noodles: Topped with mint and peanuts, they are sour, spicy, and appetizing—perfect for summer.
✅Soy milk sticky rice: A daily breakfast for locals. Sticky rice soaked in soy milk—carb lovers can't resist.
✅Papaya jelly, rice jelly noodles: A bowl after a meal is sweet, refreshing, and cuts through the grease.
Food tips: For authentic flavors, head straight to the small shops in the ancient town's old streets that locals frequent. Prices at lakeside farmhouses may rise slightly during holidays.
🌟Must-visit attractions | A relaxed 3-day itinerary
✅Shiping Ancient Town 🏘️
A living, turtle-shaped ancient town where the original inhabitants still live.
Bluestone alleys crisscross the town, with ancient wells and old-style residences everywhere. It's not overly commercialized.
Stroll slowly along Xizheng Street and Beizheng Street to experience the authentic local life.
👉Shiping Confucian Temple: Yuan Dynasty architecture, red walls, and ancient cypress trees. The reflection in the Pan Pool is perfect for photos, and sitting quietly for a while is very relaxing.
👉Yuping Academy (Shiping Museum): A former academy where you can learn about Shiping's history as a "land of literature and culture."
👉Former Residence of Yuan Jiagu: The only former residence of a top scholar (Zhuangyuan) in Yunnan. Experience the cultural heritage of southern Yunnan.
✅Shiping Meter-Gauge Railway Station 🚂
A French-style retro meter-gauge station with yellow walls and green windows, full of Republic of China-era vibes.
The old platforms and tracks are great for photos. You can experience the short-distance meter-gauge train, slowly passing through the countryside and fields, making time seem to slow down.
✅Yilong Lake National Wetland Park 🌊
One of the nine major plateau lakes in Yunnan and the soul of Shiping. The wetland park is open to the public for free.
Ride an e-scooter along the lake-loop greenway. Lotus ponds and reed boardwalks offer beautiful scenery at every turn.
Be sure to catch the sunset over the lake in the evening. With the gentle evening breeze, all your worries will vanish. In autumn and winter, you can also encounter flocks of black-headed gulls.
✅Zhengying Ancient Village | The No. 1 Village in Yunnan 🏡
A 20-minute drive from the county, this is a 600-year-old pristine ancient village.
It retains the complete Ming and Qing Dynasty layout of three streets and nine alleys, the Chen Family Ancestral Hall, and exquisite wood-carved old houses. There are very few tourists. Stroll through the ancient alleys and immerse yourself in the history of the ancient village. Admission is free.
✅Tofu Museum 🧈
If you're interested, you can stop by to learn about the traditional production process of Shiping tofu and buy some tofu souvenirs to take home.
💡Travel tips
1. The best time to visit is April–June and September–November. Bayberries ripen in May–June, so you can eat fresh local bayberries.
2. The temperature difference between day and night in Yunnan is large. Even in summer, it can be cool in the morning and evening, so carry a light jacket. The UV rays on the plateau are very strong, so don't be lazy about sun protection.
3. Pay attention to safety when cycling around Yilong Lake. The sun is scorching at noon, so try to avoid traveling during midday.
4. Please keep quiet when visiting the Confucian Temple and former residences of famous people, and respect local culture.
5. Check the battery level before renting an e-scooter. The trip to and from Zhengying Ancient Village is quite long, so make sure it's fully charged before you set off.
6. Don't pack your itinerary too full when coming to Shiping! Daydreaming and strolling around is the right way to experience this small town.
✨Travel musings
After seeing too many bustling and noisy influencer-famous ancient towns, my heart calmed down immediately upon arriving in Shiping.
No crowds, no over-marketing, just the hustle and bustle of old streets, lake breezes, sunsets, and endless tofu.
No need to rush to check in at attractions, sleep in, hunt for snacks in the old streets, and ride an e-scooter to the lakeside to wait for a sunset.
If you feel physically and mentally exhausted and want to find a place to quietly unwind, you must come to Shiping for a few days.
Temporarily cast aside the anxieties of life and immerse yourself in the slow-paced, down-to-earth life of this small southern Yunnan town ❤️