Dragon Gate Grotto, Taoist rock-cut grotto complex in Xishan District, Kunming, China

Dragon Gate Grotto is Yunnan's largest Taoist grotto, cut into the Luohan cliff of the Western Hills above Dianchi Lake. It has three parts: the Old Stone Chamber, a rectangular cave 3.14 m wide, 2.72 m deep and 2.7 m high with eight inscriptions and a phoenix relief; the Ciyun Cave, 5.22 m wide, 3.14 m deep and 2.8 m high, holding a 0.82 m Guanyin; and the Datian Pavilion, with a 2.83 m gate and a 4.2 m cave containing carvings of Kuixing, Wenchang and Guansheng.

The grotto was first cut in the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty, when the Old Stone Chamber was hollowed out of the Luohan cliff on Xishan. The Ciyun Cave followed under the Qianlong emperor of the Qing, and the Datian Pavilion with its gate arch completed the present layout. In 1961 it was listed as a municipal protected site and in 1993 as a provincial one.

The name Longmen, "Dragon Gate", comes from the gatehouse of Datiange, which stands 2.83 m high and 1.55 m wide on the cliff at over 2,300 m. Inside Datiange, three figures are cut from the living rock: Kuixing, the god of examinations, Wenchang Dijun and Lord Guan. In the earlier Jiushi Shi cave, a phoenix-and-imperial-writing relief above the entrance refers to the legend of the Yellow Emperor receiving the River Chart and the phoenix's book.

The site sits at 2,300 meters elevation with views of Dianchi Lake and Kunming city from multiple observation platforms. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for uneven terrain and stairs that wind through the rock formations.

The Old Stone Chamber's outer lintel carries a phoenix-and-imperial-writing relief, drawn from the legend of the Yellow Emperor receiving the map from the river and the book from the phoenix. Eight votive inscriptions and poems are cut into its walls, records left by donors and visitors rather than medical texts.