Black Dragon Pond Park

Black Dragon Pond Park is located on Longquan Mountain, about 10 kilometers north of Panlong District of Kunming, next to the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences of Kunming and the Kunming Botanical Garden.

Legend About Black Dragon Pond

There is a very interesting legend about the pond. It is said that a long time ago there were ten evil dragons that caused a lot of destruction and did a lot of harm to people. One day, one of the Eight Immortals of Chinese legend Lv Dongbin subdued nine of the dragons and imprisoned them in a tower. Finally, only the youngest black dragon remained, charged with protecting and benefiting the people as the price of their freedom. This dragon is believed to live in the pond to this day. The pond is divided into two parts by a bridge, covering a total area of 600 square meters. Although the water is connected, the two sides are a different color, one clear and the other murky, at the same time and the fish on each side never swim towards the opposite part of the pond, creating a unique natural spectacle. Furthermore, for hundreds of years, this wonderful pond has never dried up, even in drought years.

History of Black Dragon Pond

Near the Black Dragon Pond is the Black Dragon Palace, built in 1394, in the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), and rebuilt in 1454, in the reign of Emperor Jingtai of the Ming Dynasty. The entire palace consists of three halls and two courtyards, and in the main hall there is a stone plaque written by the governor of Yunnan in the Qing Dynasty to praise the picturesque views of the pond. The Black Dragon Palace is also called the Lower Temple, because walking along the stone steps leads directly to the Upper Temple, the Dragon Spring Temple, which is hidden between ancient trees. This 570-year-old temple includes the Hall of the Thunder Deity, the North Pole Hall, the Sanqing Hall, the Jade Emperor Hall, and other halls where the deities of Taoism are worshiped.

In addition to the Black Dragon Pond, the park is famous for its four very ancient trees, known as the Four Wonders: Tang Dynasty plum, Song Dynasty cypress, Yuan Dynasty cedar, and Ming Dynasty tea. One of the highlights of the park is the Sea of Flowers. The plum tree attracts many visitors in winter to see its flowering. In 1997, to commemorate the return of Hong Kong to China, the Return of Hong Kong Memorial Forest was created in the park. Covering 2 hectares, the forest is adorned with more than 2,000 red maples and features a stone memorial. Every autumn, the red leaves on the mountain sway in the wind, very impressive. Next to the plum area, the Rhododendron Valley occupies 8 hectares and is home to more than 100,000 rhododendrons. At the time of the Qingming Festival, the valleys and hills burn with the vibrant colors of rhododendron flowers, creating a stunning sea of flowers.