Many people believe Yunnan's short name "Dian" was named after Dainchi Lake, China's sixth largest fresh water lake. Dianchi Lake has long been regarded as one of most popular places for sightseeing, entertaining and vacations. There are numerous tourist spots around the Lake— Western Mountains Forest Park, Grand View Park, Yunnan Ethnic Village, National Sports Training Base, among others. The lake is regarded as the center of the Kunming Scenic Region. It was listed as Kunming Dianchi Lake National Resort Region as one the twelve National Resort Regions. Dianchi is the only one of this kind in China’s inland provinces.

The lake is about 5 KM south of downtown Kunming, right at the foot of the Western Mountains which are also nicknamed “Plateau Pearl”. The lake was believed to be named after a large ethnic group called the Dian people around the 1st Century. They established the ancient Dian kingdom in this region dating back to the Han Dynasty.   

People come to the shores of Dianchi Lake for sightseeing and recreational purposes. From November through March of each year, a great number of sea gulls migrate from Siberia to this area because of the warmer weather.