hi!

i want to know how can one protect himself against thief and pickpockets in kunming. please don't give general advices like "stay alert" or alike.
I'd like to know where to carry my cash (bag which is inside bag which is inside bag would help if one cuts it you think?)
where to keep my cell phone,
also documents and so on

advices highly appreciated

Carry something smaller than a bag if you can, such as a clutch purse.

Ballistic nylon is blade resistant.

Always keep and carry anything valuable in front of your body. By your side (as in a carry bag) or on your back is easy pickings.

Move around a lot when shopping - half turns so the store keeper can still see the wares in your hands, but so you can also see who's behind and beside you, jostling. Don't worry about the shopkeeper worrying you may abscond with their merchandise - foreigners aren't famous for casual shoplifting because of the harsh deportation rules and rather easy identification.

A front carried fanny pack made of ballistic nylon or something stronger and better is the choice for most seasoned travelers. Large enough to hold your wallet, cash, mobile phone, keys and some personal accessories (wet naps, lipstick, lip gloss, aerating facial water, and other emergency feminine items), without too much bulk.

Ballistic nylon is probably better known now as Kevlar - the primary material used in bulletproof (resistant?) vests. You can test whether it's real or fake by trying to cut the bag with a box cutter blade or small pocket knife. If the seller grimaces - it's probably regular nylon versus ballistic.

Most modern travel softcases are also now made from this material because of its durability (but it frays, is susceptible to degrade from UV, and isn't a lifetime material - probably will last about 1-5 years under normal daily use).

I have a wallet that has a chain attached to it with a clip that you attach to your pants (the belt hook part of your pants). Before I came here my sister bought it for me. If somebody tries to lift it, they would be taking me with them. Ha..ha. You can also get a pouch that goes around your neck to carry things like your I.D., money and cellphone depending how big your cell phone is. I take it you're a guy: "can one protect himself". Keep your one hand in your pocket where you keep your phone and money while you are on the bus or waiting in line. I heard that people buy a thin metal sheet and encase it in their bag so if someone where to cut with a razor the things wouldn't fall out but be contained within the 'metal protective pocket' if you know what I mean. Hope this helps.

After my wife's cousin got robbed (and he's a Kunming native), I started to assume I'm not immune.

My primary source of income is from my Pension which get's deposited to my bank account in Canada. I access it via my Canadian ATM card, so if that got stolen I'd be really screwed! I now take that card out only to the ATM in front of our apartment, then it stays home. Extra cash that I don't need for the day stays either at home or in my Bank of China account which I can get to with my BOC debit card (which also stays home).

In brief, I don't carry what I don't need, just in case.

@AlPage48
That's a very good point. Don't carry extra cash and don't carry your important papers or documents around unless you have to use them.

My best advice is just walk around late at night, very very drunk, with a plastic supermarket bag full of loose cash and credit cards, and a blindfold. Then bed down on the sidewalk.

Some good advice here for staying safe on the streets. Keep in mind though that houses can be robbed, too. When you're out of the house, make sure that all of your windows are closed and fastened. Don't leave a lot of highly portable valuables (cameras, laptops, cash, etc) out in the open.

Plenty of shops around Kunming sell safes. The small ones can be bolted to the back wall of a cabinet. Large ones are harder to carry away, but can be a bit of overkill for most people.

More and more people are living in complexes with security guards, but this can lead to a false sense of security. It's pretty easy to come and go in a lot of these complexes. The security guards can easily stop someone trying to make off with all your furniture or a big TV set, but they won't notice if someone walks out with a laptop, camera or pile of cash in their handbag.

When I go out for a few days I use an electric timer and plug in a table lamp. It is set to come on periodically after dark. I also leave the TV on at low volume, but the flickering light is a deterrant.

My folding wallet is also on a chain. I use a dog chain there is a hole at the fold of a folding wallet, the big ring of the dog chain will stop the chain running through. The clip then clips to my belt. Never lost a wallet in several years on Shanghai metro or anywhere else.

Some good advice there, but seriously, who lives in a house in Kunming, or indeed any city in China? I have only seen apartment buildings in Kunming, or at the very least, townhouses on the outskirts of the city where there are multiple storeys. I have never seen a single freestanding home (they seem to exist only in the countryside), so I think that while you can never take any chances, the chance of a thief climbing up to the 9th floor of your apartment building through your open window are zero. Yes, zero. Unless you're spiderman or you're a fireman with a cherry picker there's no way of getting up there.

That being said, keep your electric bike (if you have one) in a designated parking lot in your apartment complex since I have heard of numerous thefts from those areas underneath the stairs inside an apartment building, this inspite of the bike being parked inside the building! Presumably a thief could just gain entrance to an apartment complex and then enter a building after a resident opens the main door and finally steal a bike. I have a friend whom this happened to, although I presume he lives in one of those older apartment complexes on xue fu road (I have never been to his apartment, he only told me the approximate location where he lives), which are easier to gain access to than the newer ones.

Got another friend who got robbed of his valuables including his passport while riding on a bus during the daytime. Apparently nobody saw the thief razoring my friend's bag, or they didn't care! My advice is unless you need your passport for ID when going to a bank or to get a visa or check-in to a hotel, etc. don't carry it with you (despite what the law may say)! At most bring a photocopy of your passport. No one is going to ask you for your passport on the street, and if they did, I'd run (never know if these guys are legitimate)! If a legitimate police officer ever wanted to see your documents, tell them to go to your apartment to inspect them there (though I have never heard of that happening either).

Similarly, another friend had her passport stolen (was in her bag) from a football field at a university during a cultural event. This happened inspite of the bag being placed on the edge of the grass and her not being far away from her bag the whole time she was there. In fact, her friends were supposedly watching her bag the entire time!!

There are lots of free standing homes in Kunming. They call them 'villas'. Just check out any big development.

Ref spiderman. Many apartment buildings have bars on the windows above the first two floors. In Shenzhen our place had bars on every floor. Constructions workers often have to be spiderman for their job. Not all thieves are as agile, but some are and can scale the older style apartment blocks with ease.