"I Love Sports" is 800 yuan/year, never packed and on the lower end of Kunming gyms in terms of upkeep - bathroom and changing area is a little malodorous and there are no showers. That said, their weights are as heavy as any other gyms and they have a nice little green area with a good view of Kunming where you can stretch and relax. Not bad if you're into cheap/no-frills.
I've been also been to Powerhouse and Impulse, both of which are part of international gym chains. Both are cleaner and more pleasing to the eye than I Love Sports, and both of them cost a little more... can't remember off the top of my head exactly how much for a year. Tianhao is along the same lines but rather small.
What area do you mean when you say 'northwest part of town'? Kunming's big enough that most of the gyms listed could be considered in the city's northwest. The most northwestern gym listed would be the Kunming Municipal Gymnasium Fitness Center on Huancheng Xi Lu near Jiaoling Lu. Hope that helps.
I don't know if Kunming can be compared to Shanghai very easily... if you're looking for nice green surroundings, chances are you'll want to check out the Cuihu/Green Lake area or Beichen in the north. Younger foreigners tend to favor around Cuihu and families tend to live in Beichen, but more families are beginning to move the Cuihu area.
Dongfeng Lu, Renmin Lu and Beijing Lu are slightly similar to Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu in that they're developing into Kunming's CBDs. These streets will add more amenities and conveniences in the coming months/years and are already better than most other parts of the city in terms of transportation. Newer residential developments on these streets tend to have more green spaces than the average Kunming xiaoqu.
Congratulations to Francesco LaMacchia, who knew that Red Light Revolution's Chinese name was a riff on Hongloumeng (红楼梦), aka Dream of the Red Chamber, A Dream of Red Mansions or The Story of the Stone.
Regarding the 'offensive' portion of the soundtrack, it may make more sense or even be amusing to some if viewed in its original context, which happens to be the video for the song 'Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin:
My favorite Tengchong-style restaurant in Kunming. Their ersi and erkuai are trucked over from Tengchong and are the real deal — Kunming ersi and erkuai do not compare.
The restaurant itself is a bit jumbled, but there are a couple of tables outside in the courtyard that are nice to sit at when the weather's pleasant.
Don't believe them when they say they don't have lufu.
Cycling along Yunnan's old narrow gauge line
发布者@bosnianXCII: You can throw your bike on a bus to Hekou from the south bus station, or riding there is an option.
www.gokunming.com/[...]
www.gokunming.com/[...]
Ticket Giveaway: Red Light Revolution
发布者Congratulations to Francesco LaMacchia, who knew that Red Light Revolution's Chinese name was a riff on Hongloumeng (红楼梦), aka Dream of the Red Chamber, A Dream of Red Mansions or The Story of the Stone.
Best of Kunming 2011 reader nominations
发布者Thank you to all the readers who sent in additional nominations - the nominating period is now closed. Voting will begin on December 5.
Interview: Xiang Rong
发布者There's a map point for A Ling Crafts here:
www.gokunming.com/en/listings/item/ali_31600/a_ling_crafts
Xiang Rong, Tingting and the others at Heart to Heart are some of the more inspiring and community-minded people I've met in Kunming. 连心加油!
Video: The Dangsters
发布者Regarding the 'offensive' portion of the soundtrack, it may make more sense or even be amusing to some if viewed in its original context, which happens to be the video for the song 'Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin:
www.tudou.com/programs/view/Y80eYzrxNMU/
I find it reassuring to see young people in Kunming actually following their dreams instead of doing what society is telling them to do. 加油!