please refer to thread: want to start a creative collective in kunming

Hi you still looking for a creative collective in Kunming
I am ready to go!
Brice:136 4888 3357

Observations only.
What you might call studio space, if you want to exhibit, would be prohibitively expensive downtown. Any descent areas they would probably not allow dual use (incl habitation).

You might find cheap space near the art college. Cheap commercial units allow dual use. But your visitors will be students mostly, looking for ideas for their own projects.

You could rent an undecorated house or apartment in Chenggong. Chengong would be a potential area as middle class families will move in. There may also be some cheap to rent (unlikely) commercial units that have 2 floors.

A large apartment or house will have many rooms upstairs, few interior walls sownstairs, water, electric, minimal lighting and probably one wall socket in each room. But you could easily put in a toilet, shower, kitchen sink for about 1000rmb. No one will care if you get paint on the floor as they are bare concrete.
Undecorated houses ban be rented cheaply, but you may have to relocate after a year. However there is no shortage of undecorated places in Chenggong.

Just some thoughts

Another thing is if the landlord see that you are successful, expect them to jack up the price of the rental. They think foreigners are made of money.