The results are in for the annual ranking of China's top universities by 21st Century HR Report (21世纪人才报) and once again Yunnan's top universities lag behind much of the rest of the country.

For the third year in a row, Beijing's Peking University topped the list, followed by Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai. The top five were rounded out by Zhejiang University in Hangzhou and Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Yunnan, China's ninth-largest province in terms of population, only had two universities make the top 100 this year. Yunnan University slipped two places from its 2009 ranking to number 64 this year and Kunming University of Science and Technology barely made it in at the 100 spot.

Compared to its neighbors in southwest China, Yunnan fared better than Guizhou and Guangxi, who had one university each, with Guizhou University placing 89th and Guangxi University 95th.

Sichuan and Chongqing had much stronger showings, with Sichuan University ranking 12th and Chongqing University 31st. Sichuan was represented by an additional three universities in the top 100 and Chongqing's Southwest University ranked 50th.

The comparatively high quality of university graduates in both Chengdu and Chongqing is one of the main reasons that the two cities have eclipsed the rest of southwest Chinese cities in the race for domestic and foreign investment.

Yunnan University Party Secretary Liu Shaohuai (刘绍怀) told local media that slight ranking fluctuations were a normal phenomenon.

Liu said that one organization's rankings shouldn't be the basis for assessing an academic institution, adding that Yunnan University would do everything it can to be in the top 50 within a decade.

Despite its reputation elsewhere in China as one of the most beautiful cities in the country, Kunming has no shortage of eyesores, one of the main examples being the metal anti-burglar cages (防盗笼) on the outside of apartment windows.

If the city government has its way, most of these cages will be gone by the end of 2010.

Kunming media has been abuzz in recent days with the decision by municipal authorities to get rid of the ubiquitous and unsightly cages that protect the windows of residences throughout the city.

In an apparent attempt to improve the city's appearance, cages or bars protruding from windows on buildings should be removed by the end of next year, according to officials from relevant departments interviewed by Dushi Shibao.

Government sources said windows with inlaid bars or bars flush against their windows are not in violation of the new rule. No information has been given regarding the penalties for noncompliance.

As for compensation for the cost of cage/bar removal, a Xinhua report says that each of Kunming's district governments will decide how much to compensate occupants required to take action.

According to Xinhua, Kunming's anti-cage initiative is modeled after a similar rule in the city of Hangzhou.

The local government has decided to apply the new anti-cage rule to itself first, with Xishan district government offices being held up as an example after commencing the removal of all cages and bars protruding from windows. Afterward the campaign is expected to be gradually extended to the rest of the city.

A feasibility study is underway for a new high-speed rail line between Shanghai and Kunming, construction of which is expected to begin in 2009, according to Kunming media reports.

The new rail line, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015 – around the same time that the rail network linking Kunming and Singapore is hoped to be completed – will shorten the travel time between Shanghai and Kunming from 37 hours to less than nine hours.

The Shanghai-Kunming passenger line (沪昆客运专线) will connect Shanghai and Kunming via the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, passing through the major cities of Hangzhou, Nanchang and Changsha. Its target speed is reportedly 350 km/hr – compare to France's TGV and Japan's Shinkansen aka 'Bullet Train' which currently operate at 320 and 300 km/hr, respectively.

The cross-country line is part of a nationwide rail upgrade that has allocated 500 million yuan (US$73.2 million) in funds for Yunnan province alone.

According to China Rail Ministry plans, Yunnan will not only be on the receiving end of improved rail connectivity with central and eastern China over the next six to seven years, it will also improve its regional and internal rail network. Kunming Rail Ministry officials told local media that the following projects have also been approved:

• Lijiang to Shangri-la (Zhongdian): schedule yet to be made public

• Yunnan to Guilin – construction to start next year and finish in 2015

• A rail line around Dianchi Lake: scheduled for completion in 2010

• Guangtong to Dali: schedule yet to be made public

• Kunming to Yuxi: construction to start next year and finish in 2015

Kunming Airlines (昆明航空公司) announced that it will launch its first flights in January of next year, according to Kunming media reports.

Kunming Airlines CEO Wang Qingmin (王清民) told reporters that Kunming Airlines is receiving investment from Shenzhen Airlines and will also draw support from the airline's management and IT systems.

Kunming is building what is expected to be China's fourth-largest airport which is expected to drive the city's emergence as the main air hub between China, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Wang said Kunming Airlines has a 15-year development plan it calls its '3-5-7 Plan', which involves three stages of strategic development. In the airline's first three years (2008-2010) the airline will assemble a fleet of 30-40 planes and establish an extensive flight network throughout Yunnan. During this stage the airline will also establish routes to China's provincial capitals and economically developed cities on the mainland, eventually connecting these cities with major Southeast Asian destinations.

In the following five years (2010-2015) the airline plans on upgrading its fleet to 80-100 planes and establish hubs in Xi'an and Guangzhou while strengthening its trunk and branch routes.

During the seven years after that (2015-2022) Kunming Airlines will expand its fleet to 150-200 planes and establish hubs in Tianjin and Hangzhou and will focus on developing its international reach.

Shenzhen Airline's involvement in Kunming Airlines brings needed credibility to the new airline, which was formally established in 2005. Established in 1993, Shenzhen Airlines has been profitable for the last 14 years and is China's largest privately held airline. Specific terms of Shenzhen Airlines' investment in Kunming Airlines have not been released.

Related articles:

Kunming to get new airline

Kunming to build China's 4th-largest airport

Kunming-Singapore rail link, Yunnan Airport Group seeking investment

Hong Kong-listed Shui On Land announced that it will invest 5 billion yuan (US$695.8 million) in a tourism-focused development project based in the travel hotspot of Shangri-la, located in northwest Yunnan's Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

According to Chinese financial media reports, Shui On has signed an agreement with the Diqing government to develop a plot of land with a total area of 17.73 million square meters – 9.96 million square meters of which it is designating 'protected areas' – into a 'holiday and leisure area'.

The development project, which currently has a planned building area of 760,000 square meters, will be surrounded by a ring of 3.49 million square meters of undeveloped land as a buffer between it and the outside world.

Shui On, known best for its high-end office, residential and commercial projects in Shanghai, Hangzhou and other mainland cities, has been making steady inroads into the Yunnan market.

In September of 2007, the company co-signed an agreement with the Yunnan government in which the two parties vowed to work together to develop Yunnan's bountiful tourism resources. The developer has already signed agreements for major developments on Dianchi's north shore in Kunming as well as in Dali's Haidong New District. In addition to Shangri-la, Shui On has also expressed interest in development projects in Lijiang.

Related articles:

Property giant Shui On moving into Yunnan

HK Developer sets sights on Kunming

China's national real estate market experienced strong growth in August with property prices in 70 large and medium-sized cities rising 8.2 percent over August 2006, according to a report released by China's National Bureau of Statistics and National Development and Reform Commission. The year-on-year price jump was 0.7 percentage points higher than July and is the fastest increase recorded this year.

The report also noted that Yunnan province is home to two of the fastest growing new residential property markets in the country - Dali and Kunming - in terms of month-to-month price increases. The cities of Hangzhou and Urumqi recorded the fastest growth in new residential prices at 4.7 and 4.0 percent respectively, with the scenic town of Dali coming in third at 2.8 percent. Kunming came in fifth at 1.7 percent, just ahead of Shanghai's 1.6 percent growth.

There are several new residential developments recently completed or currently underway in Dali, especially to the west and north of the old town and at the southern end of Erhai Lake. New residential properties in Kunming are concentrated in the city's north and also in the south, as the city builds two new urban districts south of the Xishan and Guandu districts and prepares to absorb several million more residents in the next few years.