Forums > Living in Kunming > Kids and Kunming Bamboo Temple for the carvings, quiet surroundings and vegetarian food.
Golden Temple for the walk and the succulent glasshouses around the back, but might need to keep them out of the tower (could be a dangerous climb for kids that young).
Jiaoye Gongyuan for a random wander in artificially landscaped nature with the squirrels.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Good parks in Kunming Chenggong wildlife, indeed!
THE SICHUAN REN: Moved to Chenggong with his wife after business failed in their native second-tier Sichuan city. Now runs a supermarket stocked with cheap alcohol and cigarettes. Chain smokes most of the profits.
THE ZHAOTONG REN: Statistically disposed to running hotpot or small trade operations, no longer has to return to Zhaotong as family died in a collapsing building in the last major earthquake.
THE LAOWAI TEACHER: Signed up for a GREAT JOB with HOUSING INCLUDED straight out of their own country. Top negotiator: scored the job despite not being a FOREIGN EXPERT! Never been to China. Enjoying learning all about shao erkuai for breakfast and mixian for dinner. Considers self a China expert. Can be spotted with student girlfriend.
THE LAOWAI STUDENT: From a developing country, where they scored a Chinese government scholarship based on corrupt family political connections. Studying Nuclear Engineering at one of the far southern campuses. Hangs around with peers from own country, rarely comes to town on account of lack of spending money.
THE VENDOR: Once visited Shenzhen and decided the one true occupation in life was retailing plumbing sprockets. Promptly returned to open a store in Luosiwan. Business is actually not bad; proudly wears a 'Xishuangbanna' tourist trophy cowboy hat after their recent holiday. Not so proudly sports a brand new STD.
THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: Drives bitterly to Chenggong daily from their house in Kunming proper. Bought an investment property in Chenggong as it was offered at a discount when their danwei was forced to move. Hasn't yet managed to rent it out, as they overestimated the acceptable rent and are too proud to drop it. Banquets multiple times per week. Simply the best person to know if you need to achieve <insert petty bureaucratic process>. Goals in life include upgrading their iPhone and visiting Thailand to keep up with the Wangs, who reckon they have awesome Chinese seafood hotpot down there.
THE LOCAL: Formerly a farmer, scored bigtime on offloading real estate to a developer about 5-10 years back. Now drives a shiny BMW, lives in an apartment, and spends maximum percentage of waking hours investigating the best local restaurants to get authentic old-style peasant food. Goes to Guandu at least once a weak for a cultural fix. Hobbies include honking at and cutting off cyclists and ebike riders.
... any others?
Forums > Living in Kunming > Good parks in Kunming Definitely underrated, never explored by most and interesting is Tanhua Si Gongyuan (Tanhua Temple Park) in the east. However, it's not very big and is getting very crowded these days.
In the north, the mountain dividing north-east and north-west Kunming, Changchongshan is the place to be, though closed until May 1 for fire season, you can sneak up if you put some effort in.
In the northwest, Jiaoye Gongyuan but also the forest between Jiaoye Gongyuan's eastern entrance and the Yu'anshan Cemetary. I go there daily by bicycle, it's so nice.
Moving south, there are nice walks or rides in the mountains between Bamboo Temple and the road to Anning, though they can be hard to access without time.
Xishan offers a lot more than what people normally do (the main road) ... try the road to Maomaoqing Village, turning right up the hill and passing over the saddle to the rear (western) side of the mountain just before the carpark. Many trails, some for walking only, some OK for cycling, also a road so you can drive up.
In the southeast, there is a point accessible from the road to Chengjiang at the top of Fuxian Lake in Yuxi prefecture (avoiding the newly upgraded highway/tunnel system which means it's now only one hour to get there) whereby you can climb a dirt track to a super high position and see all three lakes (Dianchi, Yangzonghai and Fuxianhu) from one spot. High wind. Offroad wheels needed.
In the northeast, the back of the Golden Temple Park in the northeast is good, offering some pretty impressive botanical glasshouses and garden features as well as more natural areas and some history. Beyond there are trails for horseriding and BMX bike riding.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Rainmaking magick Are Spirit Tribe and their Summoning magicks responsible for the unseasonal weather?
Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
Forums > Travel Yunnan > Cycle Xinjiang Haha, man those are some killer mountains ... 3000+ meter passes ... one after the other .. with nothing to eat but Tibetan yak-butter tea (urgh) ...
Wandering through the Ruili countryside
发布者It would have been interesting to get a closer look at some of the older, local Dai writing if any is still available to view as the script used in this region is historically significantly distinct from that used further east in Yunnan, for example in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, which adjoins the Shan States of Burma.
Those interested can see my summary of a book on this subject, Sai Kham Mong's 'The Shan Script' at pratyeka.org/scripts.png
I also have a collection of Dai Theravada images from 10 years ago shot primarily in Jinggu region of Simao (now Pu'er) Prefecture at picasaweb.google.com/106883718971909092529/DaiTheravada (VPN required)
Widow gives two million yuan to rural Yunnan school
发布者Funding for rote literacy. Important, but you'd think the government would cover it, particularly in an area so close to multiple foreign borders and armies where the promotion of Han literacy serves a strong political purpose.
We're number 2! China releases "livable cities" index
发布者Disagree. Having lived in both Kunming and Qingdao, I would say Qingdao sux because of the winter freezing and windy climate, the crappy transit system, the lack of walkable areas, and the over development of the waterfront, which by the way is so dirty the last time I swam there (10 years ago) I had to get out when the second used condom floated past in the first 5 minutes.
Rainy season arrives in Yunnan with a vengeance
发布者Last night at the Future of Dianchi forum the government said that one challenge here is that there are very steep slopes and that rain typically results in flash flooding. The current policy is to gradually change Kunming in to a 'sponge city' capable of absorbing rapid rainfall before gradual dissipation, beginning with a 15 square kilometer pilot location.
Lijiang vendors strike, protesting old town entry fee
发布者Local government does battle with entrenched Dongbei Mafia?