| |
 Just 21 miles southwest of Kunming on the old Burma Road, 5 miles north of Anning City is the wonderful hot spring and spa town of Anning Hot Springs. Walking around, you will find stone-bottomed hot springs, mud-bottomed hot springs, a hot springs hospital and even a hot springs Communist Party office. Anning’s fame as a bathing spot dates back almost 2000 years to the Han Dynasty. The odorless mineral rich water temperature ranges between 105 - 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
The surrounding area is as much of an attraction as the hot springs themselves. Beautiful hillsides, forests and a peaceful ambience that will make you want to check twice that you are really in China.
Two Buddhist sites not to be missed while in Anning are Caoxi Temple and Fahu Temple. Caoxi Temple is just over a mile south of the hot springs. It is the last Song Dynasty structure in the Kunming area. The Temple is famous for its Buddha statue said to possess mystical powers. Every 60 years on the evening of the 15th day of the 8th month (according to the Chinese calendar) a ray of moonlight passes through a small  window and falls on the middle of the Buddha's brow, forming a point of light there; as the moon slowly rises up in the sky, the point of light moves further and further down, until finally it reaches the navel of the sculpture and disappears.
The FahuTemple sits on the cliffs behind Xiao Taohua Cun village 3 miles east of Anning City. Carvings dating back to the 13th century depict scenes from the Buddha’s previous incarnations. There is also a 14-foot reclining Buddha and other statues of accomplished Bodhisattva.
Even more wonderful than the above sites is the Yunnan Buddhist Academy (that’s a rough translation of the Chinese name). You need to wind your way up into the hills on the other side of the river (on the left) a few hundred meters before entering the spa town. They have a beautiful teahouse, temples and walking paths for contemplation that attracts devotees from all around Asia.
The easiest way to get to Anning from Kunming is take a No. 18 bus or small van from the station at Renmin Xilu and Xiao Ximen. The No. 18 goes directly to the spa area. If you care to take a detour before the hot springs Bus No 15 and 35 go to Anning City, from there you can catch a taxi for about 30 Yuan.
 The Jinfang Senlin Wenquan (Golden Forest Hot Springs) on Wenquan Zhenlong Xi Lu is open from 10am-2am daily (Phone: 0871-8631588). We also recommend “The Number One Hot Springs In The World” before Jingfan Senlin on the same road on your immediate right as you veer into town. Hot tub rooms start at 40 Yuan and go up to 100 Yuan. Of course their number one ranking does not include Calistoga, Santa Fe, Conundrum Colorado, Iceland or Europe, but it is still a nice place for some deep relaxation.
Dining of any kind is rather limited in the spa portion of town you may want to bring some snacks along.
|
|
