Butterfly
Spring, 25 kilometers
north of Dali, has
ancient camphor trees
beside it. By hiking
under the last of Mt.
Cangshan’s 19 peaks and
exploring the northern
end of Erhai Lake, a
visit here can be turned
to good advantage. In
spring, when the trees
put forth fragrant
flowers, thousands of
butterflies’ flutter
among the branches and
over the spring water
forms a dazzling
"Kingdom of
Butterflies". The
spectacle has become a
real wonder known far
and wide. The inevitable
legend associated with
the spring is that two
lovers committed suicide
here to escape a cruel
king. After jumping into
the bottomless pond,
they turned into two of
the butterflies which
gather here each year
during May.
The spring, in a shady
grove on the lower
slopes of the Mt.
Cangshan, was
justifiable famous for
centuries because of a
breathtaking convergence
every springtime of tens
of thousands of
butterflies at this
spot. The phenomenon was
documented many times. |