The largest minority group in Kunming is the Yi Minority Group, and there are several villages right outside the city that you can visit. We visited a village called Damoyu (大墨雨) that was not quite yet “discovered” (i.e. less touristy and crowded) yet was already being renovated and inhabited by more and more younger people wanting to live the village lifestyle.
Damoyu has a 600+ year history of being a Yi village. Currently, Damoyu has a mix of local Yi people selling their traditional foods as well as younger “imports“ who are opening up trendy coffee shops within the village.
It makes for an interesting vibe, not unlike the more famous (touristy and crowded) ethnic minority villages in Lijiang and Dali.
Hiking to a Secluded Reservoir
Damoyu Village is adjacent to Qipanshan National Forest Park 棋盘山国家森林公园 and Moyu Reservoir 墨雨水库. After parking our car and looking around the main village area, we took a short hike "up the hill" to a very pretty and secluded reservoir area.
Hiking up the hill . . . .
Looking back towards the village.
It's only a short climb before reaching this secluded and quiet reservoir.
We found a perfect little "peninsula" at which to sit down, hang out, and enjoy the scenery. It was amazing because we had it all to ourselves (despite the fact that we came on a Saturday late morning!).
You can hike around the lake. I would recommend wearing long pants because there are some less-maintained portions of the trail where the vegetation has gotten quite long (and could come into contact with bare legs if you're wearing shorts).
After sitting on the lovely grass for about 20-30 minutes, we walked back to the entrance to eat at the local village restaurant.
Lunch at the Yi Village Restaurant
Wandering Around the Yi Village
After dinner we wandered around the village and encountered so many interesting looking buildings. Honestly, the village feels like a traditional village in the middle of a transformation. We saw certain beautiful buildings that were right in the midst of renovations. We saw a new building coming up that looked like it would be the new, modern welcome center (or perhaps museum?) for the village.
There were several signs up advertising the availability to rent certain traditional looking houses, perhaps either as businesses (coffee shop anyone?) or as a place to stay.
For us, it felt like a hidden, not-quite-yet fully discovered gem of a village where we could walk around freely and explore.
We relaxed in the afternoon at a local coffee shop, and spend some time wandering the streets of the village.
One person mentioned how it feels like Lijiang, but much less crowded and less commercial. I can imagine this place being really pleasant when all the preparations are done. Right now, there are still a lot of places being renovated and built up, so it doesn't "quite" feel done. Still, we had a lovely time exploring this quite place, and it was indeed relaxing to get away from the crowds and feel like we had the village (almost) to ourselves.
Damoyu Village大墨雨村
雲南省昆明市西山區雨花村
