hi there

I've lived in SHanghai for ten years and am contemplating a move to Kunming. I'd like to live in a neighborhood somewhat akin to the French concession in Shanghai—and by that analogy i mean don't mean the same, just a place that has a lot of good bars and restaurants, cafes, etc where young or middle aged people tend to congregate. I've been to downtown kunming and the university area, but haven;t stayed long enough to how to whittle down my search. I'm Chinese-American, I would prefer to be within a reasonable taxi range of western amenities—groceries, restaurants as mentioned before, bars.

thanks for any pointers you might have. also, if you have a handle

on the price difference in rent from the central/expensive areas and the areas farther away, let me know. I'd want to know if the premium for living more centrally is worth it or not.

You won't find many big old houses like the French Concession. But Green Lake (Cui Hu) is moving in that direction. Accomodation around the lake and just south of it varies from crappy concrete to modern apartments of about 120-180 sqm. The larger modern apts are about 5-8000 rmb/month, some have a view of the lake. I have also seen nice loft accommodation come up.

Most of the bars and restaurants haunted by expats are on WenHua Xiang and WenLin Jie. The accommodation in this area is pretty basic concrete and small. This is about 1km north of Green Lake. Close to Yunnan uni.

Also, from S of Green Lake, it is a 2-3km walk to the city centre, and a whole new bar and restaurant area has sprung up on route.