Kunming's current 'sunshine government', headed by party secretary Qiu He (仇和) and mayor Zhang Zulin (张祖林), has had its hands full addressing the city's infrastructure, health care, education and environmental problems over the past two years, but that may just be the beginning.

According to a Kunming Info Hub report, 'evil' is the next target:


What exactly is being referred to by the word 'evil'? Leading contenders probably include official corruption (a favorite target of Qiu's when he was an official in Jiangsu), organized crime or illegal drugs.

Given Qiu's recent statement that official corruption is a primary factor behind Kunming's high housing prices, it wouldn't be a surprise if some high-profile corruption cases emerge in the coming months.

High-end hotel and spa developer Banyan Tree Holdings signed a cooperation agreement with Kunming Urban Construction Real Estate Development Co on Monday to build the luxury Angsana Hotel and Banyan Tree Villa in north Kunming's Platinum Avenue Business District, according to local media reports.

The double hotel development will make Kunming the third project location for Singapore-based Banyan Tree, which already has hotel and spa facilities in Lijiang and Ringha, near Shangri-la.

In addition to entering the Kunming market, Banyan Tree is also reportedly planning to build hotel and spa facilities in Dali, Chengjiang and Yuanyang, all of which will be built in conjunction with Kunming Urban Construction.

The Kunming Angsana Hotel and Banyan Tree Villa (see above image) will be 10 stories high and will feature eight restaurants and bars plus spa and meeting facilities. The Banyan Tree Villa will have 150 guest rooms and the Angsana Hotel will have 285 guest rooms.

Kunming Mayor Zhang Zulin, who spoke at Monday's signing ceremony, noted that the completion of the Angsana Hotel and Banyan Tree Villa will have a positive impact on Kunming's northern area, helping to solidify its position as a central business district and also raising property values in the area.

Image: shxb.net

In what has seemingly become a yearly ritual, Kunming's municipal government announced yesterday that it will allocate one billion yuan (US$146 million) to clean up Dianchi Lake.

The announcement of big government initiatives to clean up Dianchi Lake and the 35 heavily polluted rivers that flow into it is nothing new – what is new is the relative frankness of yesterday's announcement by Kunming mayor Zhang Zulin (张祖林) during an interview with China Daily in which he referred to the lake as an "eyesore" and said that cleaning the lake has been "one of the most difficult problems for the country".

At present, the lake is covered with a slimy layer of green algae and a heavy smell of human waste, which is attributable to most of the city's domestic sewage being pumped directly into the lake, according to Yunnan Normal University professor Li Kangli, as cited by China Daily.

Zhang said that cleaning up Dianchi is at the top of Kunming's agenda for 2009, but making even mild progress on the lake's cleanup will require a massive effort. Since the 1990s there have been several highly publicized attempts by the municipal government to clean up the lake, none of them yielding any substantial results.

Some government cleanup work has actually worsened the situation – in October 2006 a dredge that was supposed to be cleaning Dianchi was actually discharging used oil into the lake, creating an 18,200 square meter oil slick on the lake, which was once the source of Kunming's drinking water.

Mayor Zhang said that the Kunming government would be working on "controlling sources of pollution, dredging, diverting other water sources and the ecological restoration of the lake". Each of the 35 polluted rivers flowing into the lake have had an official assigned to oversee treatment.

Heavy emphasis is being placed on the Panlong River (盘龙江), which according to city statistics is responsible for more than 40 percent of the pollution flowing into Dianchi in recent years.

By 2020, 100 billion yuan in funds will have been spent on cleaning up the lake, according to unnamed government sources cited in the China Daily report.

Note: The above photo of a child swimming in Dianchi Lake was taken in July 2008 and won the bronze prize in the China News Photography Institute's annual 'Golden Lens' news photograph competition earlier this month.

Image: news.sina.com

ADB, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise to focus on Kunming projects
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kunming municipal government on Monday to cooperate on infrastructure improvements in Kunming, according to Singapore media reports.

Focusing on building 'commercially viable infrastructure projects', ADB and SCE will advise the Kunming government on how to attract investment in areas such as water supply, wastewater management and transport management. SCE's involvement suggests that more Singaporean firms are likely to take an interest in investment projects in Kunming.

Yunnan coffee to be sold at Starbucks outside of China
Starbucks announced that it will market coffee drinks made with beans grown in Yunnan in markets outside of China, the first time that Chinese-grown beans will get major exposure beyond the mainland.

"We are proud to offer our customers the opportunity to experience a truly world-class coffee from China," Starbucks Coffee International president Martin Coles, said in a statement on the company's website.

The while business in markets including the US is suffering, Starbucks is enjoying the beginning of what is expected to be a prolonged period of expansion in mainland China, where it currently operates 350 outlets.

The Yunnan blend – no international launch date has been given so far – will be marketed as 'South of the Clouds Blend', and will incorporate beans from Latin American and Asia Pacific farms. It will be available on a trial basis in Greater Chinese Starbucks locations from January 11 to February 19 of this year.

Despite enjoying a generally positive domestic reputation, Yunnan beans will face a major challenge in overcoming international concerns about the safety of food products sourced in China. Starbucks said it intends to work closely with farmers from Baoshan to meet company sourcing standards and eventually develop a 'superpremium' Yunnan blend.

Kunming government outlines 2009 goals
Kunming mayor Zhang Zulin (张祖林) announced the municipal government's short-term goals on Tuesday at the fifth session of the 12th Kunming People's Congress, according to local media reports.

According to government plans, economic development will be the primary goal, with emphasis on expanding demand via growth in investment and consumption. Improving the city's traffic infrastructure is near the top of the list, followed by several social programs including strengthening social security, improving the city's medical and education hardware and software and encouraging new hiring through preferential policies.

Kunming's government is continuing to move toward increased transparency with the recent announcement that a new online platform dubbed the Kunming Information Hub (KIH) will be developed this year, according to a China Daily report.

The project was made public at a conference in Beijing on Monday, during which Kunming mayor Zhang Zulin (张祖林) presented the blueprint for KIH, which will integrate more than 100 municipal government and news websites. Administrative information such as municipal budgets and expenditures plus government procurement costs will be featured on the site.

In addition to making local government more transparent, KIH will serve as a platform for Kunming residents to register complaints and provide feedback to different governmental departments and offices. Aside from serving resident needs, KIH also aims to facilitate investment in Kunming and local business development.

The project blueprint, which has already been ratified, includes teams which will handle online complaints and petitions. Government departments will reportedly be issued yellow or red warning cards if they are slow to respond to complaints from Kunming residents and offices will be "graded by the public on a feedback sheet" as part of a new administrative accountability system.

China Daily will also assist Kunming in building a basic English-language version of KIH in order to increase the Kunming government's transparency in the eyes of current and potential foreign investors, the report said.

The announcement of the pending launch of KIH comes several months after Kunming media released a list of all municipal government officials including contact information and their work responsibilities.

The first ever completely solar-powered vehicle to attempt an overland journey around the world drove into Kunming yesterday, on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

The Solartaxi – with its space age exterior and bumper car-like interior - stopped to meet with the head of Kunming's Environmental Protection Bureau before heading off for an official reception by Kunming Mayor Zhang Zulin at the World Horticulture Expo Garden.

The Solartaxi set off from its birthplace of Lucerne, Switzerland on its round-the-world trip on July 3, 2007, coinciding with the European Sustainable Energy Forum. Without using a drop of petrol it has so far travelled 26,231 km (16,300 miles) through 19 European cities, the Middle East, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Laos.

Having visited events such as the Bali Climate Change Conference last December, as well as institutions and inventors working to develop renewable energy solutions, the Solartaxi will stop at Yunnan Normal University's Solar Energy Research Institute this afternoon for a presentation before departing for the Shanghai New Energy Expo on May 9.

The Solartaxi world tour initiator, Louis Palmer, cycled across Africa and crossed the USA and South America by ultra-light plane before deciding to use a solar car to demonstrate that everyone can take a step towards preserving the planet.

"As a regular citizen I cannot change the world," Palmer said, "But I can demonstrate to the world just how dire the global climate situation has become and how many sophisticated solutions to lower the greenhouse gases already exist - which bring with them many other advantages."

The Solartaxi took three years to build with the assistance of over 200 assistants, including The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and three Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences.

The car pulls a trailer equipped with high-efficiency solar panels from main sponsor, Q-Cells. This generates roughly half of the electricity needed to run the car. The other half is generated through solar panels on top of the headquarters of sponsor Swisscom and reaches the solartaxi through the grid – the solar taxi recharges its batteries at Swiss embassies, whenever possible. The grid works like a bank, from where Palmer can withdraw his earlier deposits when travelling by night or on a cloudy day. The Solartaxi can travel 400 km on one charge, reaching a top speed of 90km/h.

"I had no money and no knowledge about how to make this car," Palmer said. "But I met people along the way who were willing to help. Now the Swiss government is supporting me and every country I go to I'm in the newspapers. It is really amazing!"

GoKunming joined Palmer for a ride in the Solartaxi, during which time he shared some of his stories on the road. Since leaving Switzerland, Palmer has ridden with Jordanian princes in the passenger seat, crossed 3,000 km of Saudi Arabian desert in scorching 51 degrees Celsius (132 degrees Fahrenheit) heat unable to drink water because it was Ramadan and driven through Syria accompanied by a VIP-style motorcade provided by the transport minister.

"Something weird happens everyday," said Thomas Gottschalk, Solartaxi mechanic and one of the two permanent crew members. Though Gottschalk says that the perpetual road-tripping experience and constant media spotlight can get a bit intense, with new crew members floating on and off over the ever-changing landscape, the tour has provided him with a unique opportunity to connect with the world.

"I love that through this I can get in contact with local people. Get inside their life; see how life is on Earth," Gottschalk said.

While Palmer hopes to change the world by "rekindl[ing] hope and a zest for life, set[ting] an example to counteract resignation and stimulate reflection," he also gives due credit to tightening pursestrings for surprisingly helping his cause.

"It's great because now people are thinking about the energy and cost of driving because petrol prices are rising."

The Solartaxi tour is the fulfilment of a childhood dream for Palmer. Drawings from when he was 14 years old show the first design for a solar-powered car with which to travel the world. But Palmer puts it down to coincidence.

"What I dreamed when I was a child just happens to be what I am doing now. I think it's amazing that no one has done this kind of thing yet. I don't want to be part of the [climate] problem; I want to be part of the solution. Everyone's just got to do a little bit."

Louis Palmer and the Solartaxi will be at Yunnan Normal University's Solar Energy Research Institute from 2:30 pm today for a presentation.

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