Atlas of China
Jianshui Ancient Town 建水古城Jiànshuǐ Gǔchéng
A Ming gate tower, a great Confucian temple and grilled tofu on the way to Yuanyang
- Best time
- Oct–Apr
- Time needed
- 1–2 days
- Days to budget
- 1½ days
- Stay in
- Jianshui
- Region
- Yunnan
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- 4A scenic area, National heritage site
Why go to Jianshui Ancient Town
Jianshui is an old garrison town in southern Yunnan, entered through Chaoyang Tower, a massive Ming gate tower of 1389, and laced with lanes of courtyard houses and old stone wells. In town, the highlights are a Confucian Temple that ranks among China's largest and the Zhu Family Garden, a late-Qing merchant mansion of 214 rooms and 42 courtyards. A vintage tourist train runs west to the 17-arch Double Dragon Bridge and the mansion village of Tuanshan.
The story
Jianshui, once called Lin'an, became a centre of Confucian learning on Yunnan's southern frontier: its Confucian Temple was founded in 1285, and its great pond, Xuehai or the 'Sea of Learning', fills about half the grounds. In the late Qing, fortunes made from the tin mines of nearby Gejiu paid for the Zhu Family Garden, the Zhang clan's mansions at Tuanshan and the private railway the tourist train still uses.
What to see at Jianshui Ancient Town
- Chaoyang Tower 朝阳楼: The old east gate of the walled town, a three-storey tower of 1389 with a brick-and-stone base and a timber hall above. It anchors the old town and is a good place to start.
- Confucian Temple 建水文庙: A temple compound of about 76,000 sq m, first built in 1285 and enlarged under the Ming and Qing; zh Wikipedia calls it the best-preserved and largest Confucian temple in south-west China. A pond called Xuehai fills about half the grounds.
- Zhu Family Garden 朱家花园: A late-Qing merchant mansion of courtyards, halls and a small garden, showing how Jianshui's wealthy families lived.
- Double Dragon Bridge 双龙桥: A 17-arch stone bridge at the meeting of two rivers, extended to its present size in 1839 and one of the largest old stone bridges in Yunnan. The tourist train stops nearby.
- Tuanshan village 团山村: A village about 13 km west of town, built by the Zhang clan, who grew rich on Gejiu tin; it keeps courtyard houses and an ancestral hall.
How to visit Jianshui Ancient Town
Walk the old town first: Chaoyang Tower, the Confucian Temple and Zhu Family Garden can all be reached on foot or by short taxi ride, in about a day. Out-of-town sights are best done by the tourist train, which runs west to Double Dragon Bridge and Tuanshan. With half a day, pick the tower, the temple and a grilled-tofu stop.
How to get to Jianshui Ancient Town
Trains from Kunming and Kunming South reach Jianshui station in about 1¾–2 hours; the station is about 6 km north-east of the old town, a short taxi or bus ride. Yuanyang's rice terraces are roughly 2–2.5 hours' drive further south.
Where to stay
Stay in the old town in a courtyard inn near the main lanes and Chaoyang Tower. It is walkable in the evening, and you can reach the outlying sights by taxi or the tourist train.
What to eat
- Grilled tofu 烤豆腐: Cubes of tofu grilled over charcoal until they puff up, then dipped in a chilli sauce, a Jianshui street food.
- Steam-pot chicken 汽锅鸡: Chicken steamed in a pot of local Jianshui purple pottery, giving a clear soup even without added water. The dish was born in Jianshui.
Tips for visiting Jianshui Ancient Town
- The tourist train runs about 13 km from Lin'an station, near Chaoyang Tower, past Double Dragon Bridge to Tuanshan at a gentle 25 km/h, usually with a morning and an afternoon departure; book ahead for weekends and holidays through its WeChat mini-program or at the station.
- Pull up a stool at a charcoal grill for Jianshui's grilled tofu, puffy cubes made with water from the old Daban Well by the west gate and dipped in chilli; cooks often keep count of your pieces with kernels of corn.
- Stay a night in a courtyard inn in the old town to see the lanes after the day-trippers leave; Jianshui also makes an easy overnight stop on the way to the Yuanyang terraces.
Nearby
- Yuanyang Rice Terraces 元阳梯田 60 km
Thousands of flooded paddies mirroring the sunrise across southern Yunnan's hills - Chengjiang Fossil Site & Fuxian Lake 澄江化石地与抚仙湖 110 km
Half-billion-year-old fossils of early animals beside one of China's deepest lakes
Also within 30 km: Shuanglong Bridge 双龙桥 (under 10 km), Tuanshan Village 团山村 (under 10 km), Swallow Cave (Yanzidong), Jianshui 建水燕子洞 (20 km), Yilong Lake 异龙湖 (30 km).
On the map
Open Jianshui Ancient Town on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.
Open Jianshui Ancient Town on the map