The only traditional village featuring well-preserved Yunnan characteristics and Dianchi fishery culture, Haiyan Village is located along the eastern shore of Dianchi Lake.
In 2016, the village was listed as the first historical village in Kunming. The buildings are very simple and preserve residential characteristics dating back to the Qing Dynasty.
On both sides of the streets, you will find well-preserved old adobe or brick houses. The distribution of dwellings in Haiyan Village is a little complicated, and there are many trails. Generally, it has a “fishbone” distribution on the edge of the Dianchi Lake.
People living in Haiyan Village lived off fishing for generations. Every year in the open lake season of Dianchi Lake, villagers are busy again. They take small fishing boats to the lake to salvage fish and shrimp, before selling them at market.
In order to protect the ecological environment of Dianchi Lake, Kunming has strict controls in place over the fishing season. Haiyan people often have to wait for a long 11 months before they can enjoy a short month of lake opening.
There is an old pier, which is a good place to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dianchi Lake. Because of being opposite Xishan Hill, it also a great spot to take in the sunset.