Butterfly Spring

Chinese name: 蝴蝶泉（Hu Die Quan）
Location: south of Dali City, Yunnan Province
Ticket:Entrance ticket CNY40.00
Estimated time of tour: 1-2 hours
Recommended time of visit: Mar to May
Nearby attractions: Dali ancient town, Erhai Lake, Three Pagodas, Dali Ancient Towm, etc.

Butterfly spring, or hudiequan in mandarin Chinese, is a scenic spot in Dali City, Yunnan Province. As its name suggests, the uniqueness of this site is the gathering of butterfly at certain time of a year around a relatively small pool. So much butterflies gather on 15th of April in Chinese lunar calender(around late May), locals call these annual events Butterfly Carnival.  

Butterfly Spring where thousands of butterflies flutter among the branches and blossoms and over the spring forming an amazing ‘ Kingdom of Butterflies’. Above the pool there are ancient trees known by the local as the Butterfly Trees, its their fragrant blossom at certain time of the year (normally in May) attracts thousands of butterflies in the short period of time. These colorful creatures fly around the pool and settle on the tree in great clusters as they sip the nectar from the blossoms. This spectacular sight has given rise to a local festival when ethnic Bai people gather around the tree on 15 April for the Butterfly Meet. Then the youth will seek to engage with their loved ones. The Bai also refer to the Butterfly Spring as the ‘Allegiance Spring’ as it is here that true and lasting love may be found.

The nearby Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake not only provide a majestic scene for tourists, but also an idea breeding habitat for insects, especially butterflies. Their congregation are at peak in May. As for the spring itself, it is a result of underground water erosion leading to the creation of caves and crevices. Such unique spectacle was witnessed and recorded by the well known Ming Dynasty traveller and geologist Xu Xiake. He wrote down during his visit: “There are thousands of butterflies, many of them may even connect with each other by head and tail and hang from the Silktree to the water’s surface. The sight is so magnificent and wonderful.”

In recent year, the park has witnessed a withdraw of water level causing the withering of trees, in turn reduced the numbers of butterflies. As counter measures, the waters have been stored up in three pools by park managers. The park of Butterfly Spring also contains a Butterfly Museum which keeps species of butterflies which are commonly found near the pool.