Situated in the southwest of Kunming, on the northeast shore of Dian Lake (Dianchi Lake), Daguan Park, or Grand View Park, is one of the famous parks of Kunming City. The park used to be a garden owned by the noble Mu family. The scenery of the park includes flowers, trees, ponds, causeways, pavilions and halls. It is a fantastic place in which to enjoy beautiful scenery and get close to nature and is also an excellent spot for an alfresco barbeque.

The name of Daguan Park is derived from Daguan Pavilion (Grand View Pavilion) which is a three- three-storey wood structure and has been honored as one of the “Top 10 Pavilions in China”. Originally built in 1828, the pavilion has undergone several renovations and re-constructions and was listed in 1983 as a key cultural relic unit under state protection. The pavilion is a good place to enjoy the grand view of Dian Lake. When standing on the pavilion, visitors can overlook the sight of the park, hence the name. What makes the Grand View Pavilion enjoy a nationwide and even international fame is the long couplet by Mr. Sun Ranweng (1685-1774), a poor civilian scholar in the Qing Dynasty. The couplet in all is composed of 180 words thus is deemed “the Longest Couplet in China”.

The Grand View Park consists of scenic areas such as Jinhuapu, the West Garden (Xi Yuan) and the South Garden (Nan Yuan). The park can be regarded as “a living history of over 300 years” for the garden development in Kunming area, because one can experience in the garden the architectures of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Meanwhile, the park also embodies the development of the history and culture of landscape gardens in both ancient and modern times of Kunming. Additionally, the Park also functions as an ideal place for Kunming citizens and tourists to enjoy the luring landscapes of the Western Mountains and Dian Lake. In wintertime, it’s a good place in Kunming to watch sea gulls.    

Best time to visit

The daytime is the best time to visit the park, but if you want to see Huadeng (traditional Kunming local opera), you’d better visit the park in the evening.

How to get

The Grand View Park is only 3 km from downtown area of Kunming City, you can join in our tour packages that incorporated in the park or hail a taxi, or take public Bus Nos. 4, 22, 54, 52, 100, 104 to get there.