Yunnan Kunming Travel Guide

Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan Province. It is one of the most important cities in southwest China. It is the heart of politics, economy and culture of Yunnan Province. It also serves as gateway of China to southeastern Asia. The current day Kunming is a metropolitan just like many other mega Chinese cities. It is consist of 7 districts (Wuhua, Panlong, Guandu, Xishan, Dongchuan, Chengong, Jinning), 6 counties (Fumin, Yiliang,Shilin,Songming, Xunmian, Luquan) he 1 satellite city of Anning. It has a long history. Archeology shows that more than 30000 years ago, people began to settle in areas of nowadays Kunming. Recorded history dates back to 2nd century BC during Warring States, nobles from century China came to this land and established Dian State around nowadays Dianchi lake.

Kunming is known by Chinese as the city of spring for its pleasant and mild weather all year round. Kunming is home to some 8.5 million people, 13% of which are recognized as ethnic minorities. This unique demographic makes Kunming a mega city with distinctive features of various ethnic groups.

● Top things to do in Kunming

Kunming is well-known for its diverse landscape and agreeable climate. That makes Kunming an ideal place for flowers farming. Flowers bloom throughout the year. Here more than 400 types of flowers competing with each other for beauty and fascination. Of these flowers, camellia, yulan magnolia, azalea, fairy primrose, lily and orchid are known as the six famous flowers of city and camellia is its city flower. Dounan flower market in Kunming is the largest of its kind in China, probably in whole of Southeast Asia.

One thing that Yunnan province really stands out among other provinces is its ethnic diversity. As the provincial capital of Yunnan, Kunming city is no exception. So visitors can immerse themselves in architectures, traditions, arts, cuisine, customs that come from various ethnic groups. In the city, there are themed parks, museums dedicated to showcase such ethnic diversity.

Dianchi Lake or Kunming Lake is a large inter-land lake located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau close to Kunming. Dianchi Lake is about 300 square kilometers (74,132 acres). It is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan Province and the sixth largest one in China.

Daguan park is vibrant with rock gardens, pavilions, bridges and murmuring water. It is famous for the longest couplets in China on the Daguan Pavilion. The Daguan Pavilion was built in the year 1828. It commands a lovely view. The couplet written in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), contains 180 characters brimming with literary grace. During festival evenings, gatherings take place here.

● Kunming Food&Drinks

Mi xian is the icon of Yunnan cuisine. This food can be found from stalls in the streets to fancy restaurants. Recipe is relatively simple; all you need is some rice noodle, some broth and some side dishes such as pickles, eggs, ham and vegetable. It popularity goes beyond Kunming. You can find Kunming rice noodle shop almost every where in China.

Mushroom and fungus of different types are not uncommon on dinner tables of Kunming locals. The rich forestation of Kunming means an abundant source of mushrooms and fungus. Locals invent numerous dishes with mushrooms as main ingredients.

● Kunming Transportation

Kunming, as the capital of Yunnan, is a major hub of transportation of southwest China. It is also a vital link between China and Southeast Asian countries. Kunming Changshui International Airport is the largest airport in Kunming. It connects Kunming with all major cities in China. It is easy for international travelers to fly into Kunming via Southeast Asian cities such as Bangkok or Singapore. There are also three railway stations, Kunming Station, Kunming North Station and Kunming South Station. A trans-border railway route connects Laos, Thailand and China is under construction. In near future, visitors could take an international train and traverse these three countries.

● Kunming Weather

Weather is probably the topic people would talk about in China when mentioning the city of Kunming. It is nicknamed spring city for its pleasant weather patterns. It enjoy a subtropical plateau monsoon climatic; it is free from bitter cold in winter and torrid heat in summer with an average temperature of 9°C in winter and 23°C in summer. It has an annual average temperature of 15.1°C.