A small but historic Buddhist temple in the eastern part of central Kunming, Tanhua Si dates to the Ming dynasty and is locally famous for its tanhua tree — a night-blooming cactus, planted in the temple courtyard, that flowers very briefly once a year. The phrase "as rare as a tanhua flower" is proverbial in Chinese, and on flowering night the temple is open through to dawn for viewing.
The temple's halls are modest and the grounds compact. Out of flowering season, the site is a quiet corner of the city and an easy stop on the way to or from the Yunnan University area. Best in late summer or early autumn, when the tanhua is most likely to flower.