Fuxian Lake, part 1 of 5. All five notes.

After a month in Kunming, I was deciding where to live next. I had two places in mind: Jianshui Ancient Town and Fuxian Lake. I went to look at Fuxian Lake first.

One look was enough. I never went to see Jianshui; I wanted to stay here. I ended up living by the lake for two months in the summer of 2026.

The water made the decision

After a month of Dianchi’s green, rather murky water in Kunming, the clear water here was a shock. Then there was the space. The lake opened out so far that it almost felt like looking at the sea.

I like being near water, which is why I’d stayed by Dianchi in the first place. But this was something else, and it made the decision easy. I’d come to see whether I might want to live by this lake. I saw it and knew I did.

Blue sky and clouds above Fuxian Lake, with boats along the shore.
Blue sky and clouds above Fuxian Lake, with boats along the shore.
Clouds reflected on the lake beside a stony shore.
Clouds reflected on the lake beside a stony shore.

These photographs are from my first days there. Even the flowers along the shore had that broad stretch of water behind them.

A path through purple flowers beside Fuxian Lake.
A path through purple flowers beside Fuxian Lake.

A village room for RMB 1,200 a month

I found a place near Mafang Village (马房村), on the north side of the lake. The village was about two kilometres from the lakeside. I ended up staying for two months.

My room cost RMB 1,200 a month, including water, electricity and the use of a shared electric scooter. I had my own bathroom, and there were cooking facilities. I could have made my own meals, although most of the time I couldn’t be bothered and went out to eat.

The scooter was shared among the tenants. I later bought a bicycle as well, because I wanted to exercise and ride for fun. That is a story for the next note.

For that price, I thought it was very good value: somewhere to settle, a way to get about, and the lake a short ride away.

A window looking out over fields

Outside my window was a large field of newly planted chrysanthemums, with greenhouses, buildings and hills beyond. Just looking out over all that space was relaxing.

The view from my room, over a field of newly planted chrysanthemums.
The view from my room, over a field of newly planted chrysanthemums.

While I was there, the chrysanthemums were only just growing.

But… ta-da! Here’s the same field in full bloom, after I’d left.

Yellow chrysanthemums in full bloom, with village houses and hills beyond the field.
The chrysanthemum field in full bloom after I left.
Yellow chrysanthemums and a rainbow after my stay (8 seconds).

The sky I loved by the lake came right up to my window, too: bright white clouds one day, a dark bank of cloud with rain in the distance another.

Morning clouds above the fields near where I was staying.
Morning clouds above the fields near where I was staying.
Dark clouds above the fields near where I was staying.
Dark clouds above the fields near where I was staying.
One more view of the fields
Rows of crops in a field near where I was staying.
Rows of crops in a field near where I was staying.

The couple who had fallen for the same lake

My hosts were a child-free couple from northeastern China who had fallen for Fuxian Lake just as I had. They’d rented an entire building and turned it into a guesthouse.

On my second day, they showed me around town and took me to their favourite places to eat. That set the tone for the whole stay, and they get a note of their own at the end of this series.

A little background on Fuxian Lake

Fuxian Lake (抚仙湖) is a deep freshwater lake in Yuxi, Yunnan. Its basin mainly covers Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and Huaning, as set out in Yuxi’s Fuxian Lake protection regulations.

It is China’s largest deep freshwater lake by volume, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Its water is protected to China’s Class I surface-water standard. Its basin formed through faulting as the Yunnan Plateau rose, with hills around it; the Fuxian Lake research station explains that geological background.

Protecting the lake also came up in the news that year. Hua Chenyu’s planned lakeside concerts drew questions about the site and environmental protection. The shows were scheduled for May 2026, but his studio announced their postponement on 22 April, citing “force majeure”. My own guess is that concerns about the lake played a part.

None of that was on my mind when I arrived, though. I just saw clear water and an enormous view.

Five notes from two months

Two months is a lot to fit into one page, so I’ve split it into five notes:

  1. This note: choosing Fuxian Lake and finding a place to live.
  2. A bicycle, a hammock and everyday life — getting about, lotus ponds, waterbirds and meals for one.
  3. Clouds, sunsets and a night of meteors — different dates, different skies, and two hours watching the Perseids.
  4. Luchong, Taiyangshan and the S-bend — several outings along the lake.
  5. My hosts, Xiaoman and days together — the people, a little dog and a visit to Xingkong Town before I left.

Next: A bicycle, a hammock and everyday life by Fuxian Lake

About this note

This note draws on my own travels and photographs and videos.

Spotted a mistake? Let me know.