Lying 15 km west of Kunming City, the Longmen(Dragon Gate) in the Western Hills is close to the west shore of the Dianchi Lake. With an elevation of 2,500 meters, it is the highest temple of Taoism on the hill.
A Chinese saying goes: 'Once you ascend Longmen, you would receive a sudden boost in your prestige.'
Longmen (Dragon Gate) is a certain gorge on a river flanked by precipices and with a natural dam. If carps swimming upstream could jump over the dam, they would become dragons. The houses of powerful dignitaries were often compared to dragon gates; if a man could manage to be a guest in these houses, his future would be ensured.
Longmen is the general name for 'Three Purity Tower and Longmen Cave'.
Three Purity Tower is a cluster of buildings made up of 11 pavilions laid out in nine tiers, including Sanqing Realm, Lingguan Hall and Zhenwu Hall.
The Longmen Cave includes Lake Viewing Platform, Ciyun Cave, Yunhua Cave and Datian Pavilion. It is the biggest and most exquisitely built stone cave of Taoism. In 1781, a necessitous Daoist monk named Wu Laiqing, motivated by devotion, began chipping his way up the cliff with hammer and chisel. After his death, two devoted gentlemen, aided by villagers from the foot of the mountain, continued his project. After years' hard work, they finally inched the route precariously upward to a natural cliff-top platform, completing Wu Laiqing' visionary plan in 1853. It is in the list of relics for top priority protection in Yunnan Province.
The precipitous Arhat Cliff links with the sky above and faces the Dianchi Lake below. Viewed from afar, the protruding rock is like the face of an Arhat, hence its name. There is a couplet posted on both sides of the main entrance, reading: 'It is like a divine path leading from the clouds down to the ground; when night falls, it is resounded with booming bells.' It depicts the sight of a fairyland by presenting the scene in the morning and in the evening and by looking and hearing. It also serves as a guide to tourists.
On March 3, every lunar year, hundreds of Kunming people crowd up to the hills for celebrating their traditional distinguished gathering called 'Spring Touring', dancing and singing on the green western hills.