The beautiful spring is at the foot of Cangshan mountain. There is a romantic story about the spring that has continued to echo down for thousands of years.
The Butterfly Spring
According to legend, there once was a village called Yangjiao village located near the butterfly spring and the most beautiful girl in the village is Wengu. She is the lover of Xialang who is living in the summit of Yunnong peak of Cangshan mountain. Xialang is regarded as the most brave and kind young hunter in that area. They once were the happiest lovers in the world. But one day, the prince of the Kingdom passed by the village and fell in love with Wengu. He snatched Wengu into the palace regardless of her minds. That plunged Xialang into deep sorrow and anger. He decided to rescue Wengu so he sneaked into the palace one night. They successfully escaped from the palace but were unfortunately caught by the pursuers. Xialang fought with them very hard, but failed. He then held Wengu’s hand and jumped into the pool with her… After the pursuers leaving, there was a couple of butterflies flew out from the pool and attracted countless of butterflies gathered there. In order to commemorate the undying love between Wengu and Xialang, the local Bai people then renamed the pool Butterfly Spring.
Although nowadays we hardly to see such a huge amount of butterfly in the side of the spring, the famed Chinese traveler Xu Xiake once traveled to Dali and encountered the stunning scenery of millions of butterflies gathered to the side of the spring. He recorded his experiences on his travelogue and proved that the butterfly scenery is not just a legend.
Features:
Chinese Name: 蝴蝶泉
Location: About 3 kilometers away from Dali Old City.
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Travel Tips:
Best time for visiting: From March to May.
Opening Tim：08：30-17:00
Service Nember: 0872-2431433
Admission fee: Off-season around 20, peak season around 40 (sometimes free admission to the official release).
