Black Dragon pool lijiang china — *Though the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is covered in clouds, the view is still beautiful*

While you’re in Lijiang, China, or to be honest any part of Yunnan, China, you’ll see looming Yulong mountain ranges with the center focus being the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It is said that the best place to view this natural beauty is right here at the Black Dragon Pool, a small park in the city of Lijiang.

Come with me as I show you around the Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang, China, said to be one of the best scenic views in all of China! And I’m not making that up, it’s actually known as that.

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The Black Dragon Pool Park

You can find the Black Dragon Pool a short distance north of the Lijiang Old Town at the base of the Xiangshan Mountain.

I recently went on a trip to Yunnan, China and the Black Dragon Pool was definitely a highlight of the Lijiang portion of my holiday, that and exploring the Lijiang Old Town, but that’s for another blog post. Basically, you can’t miss this attraction especially when it’s within walking distance to the Lijiang Old Town!

Anyways, the real reason people like you and I visit the Black Dragon Pool is because it provides the best views of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, another highly famous attraction in Yunnan.

While the tourists are here for the views, the Black Dragon Pool is also a lovely park where the locals come to relax or do those group yoga sessions that old Chinese people like to do.

Although I do think that with the large number of tourists, the Black Dragon Pool is no longer a “park” as all the tourists are surely disturbing the locals going about their lives…

Exploring the Black Dragon Pool

black dragon pool gate — *Even the entrance to the Black Dragon Pool is extravagant*

Before even entering the Black Dragon Pool, the gates to the park are already an attraction in of itself, beautifully decorated with statues, flowers, and traditional architecture. The entrance to the Black Dragon Pool is 15 RMB for adults, while children get to entry for free!

Within the Black Dragon Pool there are actually many points of interests such as various temples, pagodas, and even a museum.

The Actual Pools of the Black Dragon Pool Park

Let’s start off with exploring the namesake of the park, the actual pools themselves.

There are 2 pools within the Black Dragon Pool Park those being the the Deep Clear Pool and the Shallow (or Turbid) Pool.

As the name suggests the waters of the clear pool is… clear, which gives the overall environment a very pristine feeling as well as making it great for you to to take pictures capturing the reflections of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain that is looming above. The pool is also about 15 meters deep and covers an area of about 600 square meters.

The second pool, the Turbid Pool is larger covering an area 2600 square meters, however it is wayyy more shallow being only 0.5 meters deep. The name is due to the yellowish color that the water has.

These 2 pools are divided by the arched white marble bridge.

Black Dragon Palace (Xiaguan Scenic Area)

Another point of interest is a group of buildings near the edge of the Black Dragon Pool known as the Black Dragon Palace, or the Xiaguan Scenic Area. This palace was first constructed in 1394 and is dedicated to the Dragon King which is a deity worshipped by the local Naxi tribes.

If you come to the Black Dragon Pool, you’ll need to walk to this part of the park, it’s the main highlight (aside from the view).

Five-Phoenix Tower

The Five Phoenix Tower was built during the Ming Dynasty and it was originally a residential building for the Mu family as well as serving its purpose as a family temple.

One interesting fact is that the Five Phoenix Tower was actually built 30km further west from the park at Fuguo Temple, however in 1979, the tower was moved to the Black Dragon Pool Park.

Nowadays the tower sits high above the Black Dragon Pools surrounded by lush trees.

Moon Embracing Pavilion

Aside from having a cool name, the Moon Embracing Pavilion is a 3 story structure that you can see at the end of the marble bridge. Though the Moon Embracing Pavilion was originally built during the late Ming Dynasty, the current pavilion that you see at the Black Dragon Pool is a reconstructed version built in 1963 after a fire had burned down the original one in 1950.

Dongba Culture Research Institute and Museum

dongba museum — *I don’t know what the Mandarin says but I can only assume it’s something about preserving knowledge*

One last point of interest I would like to show you at the Black Dragon Pool is the Dongba Culture Research Institute and Museum.

This museum is dedicated to preserving the culture and artifacts of the local Naxi people. The Naxi are essentially an ethnic minority group in Yunnan, China whose history spans hundreds of years. Their culture is very much unique and currently, there are only about 300,000 Naxi people left.

If you’re a history buff or just like to learn more about the world and it’s people, the Dongba Museum is a very interesting place to learn more about the beautiful culture and history of the Naxi people. Totally recommend.

Details About the Black Dragon Pool

The Black Dragon Pool is a park located in Lijiang, China near the Lijiang Old Town. The park is known to be one of the best places to view the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Though this is a “park” it has now become more of a full on tourist attraction, so expect a lot of tourists and crowds here.

Phone: 868885188041

Location: 1 Minzhu Rd, Gucheng District, Lijiang, Yunnan, China, 674100

Opening Hours: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM | Mon - Sun

Entrance Fee: Adults: 15 RMB, Children: Free

How to get to Black Dragon Pool

The Black Dragon Pool is located within walking distance from Lijiang Old Town, you can easily reach this attraction by car or taxi.

Although if you plan to come here by train that is a bit difficult as the nearest train station is the Lijiang Railway Station and the Lijiang East Railway Station with both being 8 and 7km away respectively.

Looking for Things to Do in Yunnan, China?

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