It's really not abroad—Jianshui, Yunnan actually hides a "Little California"

A seriously underrated niche travel destination in Yunnan✈️ If you, like me, love food, ancient architecture, and slow-paced travel, you definitely shouldn't miss this small town in southern Yunnan called Jianshui❗️ Feel free to save this travel guide! 🚘Transportation 1️⃣ Land in Kunming, drive to Jianshui, about 2 hours by car; 2️⃣ Land in Kunming, take the high-speed train to Jianshui Station, about 2-3 hours. 🎪Things to do ✅ Wuhu Park: Free admission🎫❗️ Friends, head straight to Foyin Lotus Island 🪷, it’s basically Jianshui’s "Little California"❗️ Lucky visitors might even see a rainbow 🌈 after the rain, and the sunset in the evening is stunning 🌄🌴 Coconut groves, 🌵 cacti, and the lake make you feel like you’ve traveled to California. Missing this would be a real shame❗️ ✅ Check out the macaron-colored Ant Workshop (designed by the same designer as Dongfeng Yun), the colorful castle is perfect for photos! ⚠️ Note: Be sure to go on a sunny day! The sky looks dull on cloudy days, there’s no light and shadow, and the building colors aren’t as bright, so photos really turn out very differently. Tickets🎫 1️⃣ Half-price: Jianshui locals/students/seniors 20 RMB/person (does not include art gallery or leg manor) 2️⃣ Full-price: 40 RMB/person (does not include art gallery or leg manor) 3️⃣ Pass: 50 RMB/person, includes 3 Ant Workshop ceramic coins that can be used for purchases in the scenic area ✅ Visit the Zitao Street Night Market in the evening and eat until you’re full! Flower market: 15 RMB for any two bouquets, don’t forget to buy some~ Stay🏨 ✅ We stayed at Liuxia Homestay on Zitao Street. In the afternoon, the owner chatted with us while roasting Jianshui tofu all afternoon—so delicious 🤤. Just downstairs you can stroll the night market and enjoy the food 🍜. Very convenient transportation, about 10 minutes by car to Ant Workshop and Wuhu Park. 🚥 (The night market is really worth visiting, with a wide variety of food stalls and even more craft stalls! Lots of pottery, some expensive, some cheap, depending on your taste. There are definitely many great value items!) 🚥 I personally bought two very 🥰 cute tile cats (symbolizing wealth and warding off evil). Eat🍝 For breakfast, we had the homestay owner’s homemade grass sprout braised beef rice noodles, homemade rose vinegar 🌹, and herbal tea jelly—all absolutely amazing 👍❗️ Even better than outside (so good it made me cry😭). 🥘 Grass sprout rice noodles, Lei Laoliu Guoqiao rice noodles (super tasty), Yao’s BBQ (I even vacuum-packed eight bags of their pork liver to send to friends), Xiao Bo BBQ, Tu Wa Fang, Shangke Old Duck Brother’s marinated products (the chili is super fragrant❗️ As a Chongqing native, I ate it mildly spicy, and even carried some back home for family), and the five-flavor tea from the traditional Chinese medicine shop (I really want to open one in Chongqing, very herbal flavor) 👍 Jianshui❗️ It’s really fun and delicious❗️❗️ Next up: Jianshui Ancient Town and the little train 🚂