Butterfly Spring (蝴蝶泉), situated between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in Dali, covers an area of over 50 square meters, with a depth of 6 meters. The entire scenic area occupies 210,100 square meters. Surrounding the spring pool are marble railings, and on the western wall, there are three large characters “Butterfly Spring” carved in marble by Guo Moruo, with an ancient and elegant style, adding a cultural atmosphere to the Butterfly Spring. The Butterfly Tree by the pool resembles a green dragon lying across the spring pool, creating a beautiful picture against the clear spring water.
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Basic Information
| Estimated Length of Tour | 1 – 2 hours |
| Ticket Price | 40 RMB |
| Opening Hours | 8.30 – 18.00; Last admission: 17.30 |
| Telephone Number | 0086-0872-2431125 0086-0872-2431433 |
Location and Transportation
Butterfly Spring is located in Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It lies on the west side of National Highway 214, at the foot of Yunnong Peak of the Hengduan Mountains.
To get to Butterfly Spring, you can take a bus from Xiaguan Beizhan (North Station) directly to the Butterfly Spring Scenic Area. The journey takes approximately 1.5 hours. Alternatively, you can take a boat from Xiaguan Wharf or Dali Wharf directly to Taoyuan Wharf, and then transfer to a car to reach the Butterfly Spring Scenic Area.
Highlights of Butterfly Spring
Butterfly Gathering
The Butterfly Spring scenic area showcases the “Butterfly, Spring, Tree” as its main attractions, with the Butterfly Gathering being the most famous. It is said that on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month every year, thousands of butterflies fly from all directions to gather by the spring, forming a colorful spectacle. These butterflies, some as large as palms and others as small as coins, interlock their feet and antennae, hanging in clusters from the branches of the Butterfly Tree, creating a spectacular sight. The grandeur of the Butterfly Gathering not only attracts a large number of tourists but also has become a grand festival for the Bai people to celebrate love and happiness.
Love Legend
Moreover, Butterfly Spring is also associated with a beautiful love legend. Legend has it that long ago, in the Yangjiao Village under the Yunlong Peak of Cangshan Mountain, lived a beautiful Bai girl named Wengu and a brave and kind Bai young hunter named Xialang. They were a happy couple. However, the prince of the palace fell in love with Wengu and sent people to take her to the palace. One night, Xialang sneaked into the palace and rescued Wengu, but they were surrounded by pursuers when they reached the edge of the bottomless pool. In the end, Xialang and Wengu jumped into the pool together for love. After the soldiers retreated, a pair of colorful butterflies flew out of the bottomless pool, chasing each other and inseparable. To commemorate this couple, the bottomless pool was renamed Butterfly Spring, and their day of sacrifice was set as the Butterfly Gathering.
Butterfly Museum
Next to Butterfly Spring is the Butterfly Museum, which showcases butterfly specimens from all over the country. There are more than 11 families and over 400 species of butterflies, totaling more than 45,000 individual specimens. Among them are the Three-tailed Brown Wind Butterfly, which has been missing in China for more than half a century, and the Yin-Yang Butterfly, with its left wing as female and right wing as male, known as a living fossil specimen by entomologists worldwide.