The scenic area has been well known in Yunnan and received touristsever since the beginning of the Ming dynasty. Regarded as an ideal land for taking a closer touch to the nature, it is now full of the cloud-capped ancient trees, the sea of forest that covers the sun, the towering crags, the strangely-formed rocks, the beautiful flowers such as peony, the attractive landscapes and the sweet spring. The relics and the legends about the Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty who shaved his own hair to become a reclusive monk in the Mt. Lion make the resort even more interesting. The ancient Zhengxu Temple shows features of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and the imperial palace, teeming with monument inscriptions and poems and couplets which add interests to tourists. The meditation Master Zhikong’s feat of constructing the Zhengxu Meditation Temple made it the sacred place for worship among the Buddhists of South Korea.

Since 1986, the Mt. Lion has been restored, developed and constructed with a total investment of over 27 million yuan and its landscapes have been greatly improved. The large-scale Peony Garden sends forth scent to the southwest China and the Zhengxu Meditation Temple resumes a highlighted spot and becomes a multi-functional scenic resort for travelling, summering, spending holidays and scientific investigation.It receives 200 thousand people annually from home and abroad. It is also established as the base for teaching and scientific investigation of the Geological Department of the Kunming Technical Institute and the Geographical Department of the Yunnan Normal University. Experts attending the “Fourth International Conference on Fishes during the Devonian” came here and making investigation and academic exchanges. In 1988, it was listed in the first group of the scenic resorts of Yunnan Province. Then, upon the approval of the Provincial People’s Government, it was reported for being granted the title of the national scenic resort.