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Guides for the Business Traveler
Kunming (2007)
4 hours in Kunming (2007)
2007 Business Traveler 4-Hour Guide Sponsored by Korean Air. Serene views, great street food, and an ethnic theme park await in the flower-growing center that is Kunming, Gary Bowerman finds.
 | Green Lake Park Start the day walking in leafy Cuihu Park (Green Lake Park) near the Yunnan University. It's located just north of the center of Kunming, the friendly and laid-back capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province. The park is the city's cultural and leisure heartbeat, and was once part of Dianchi Lake, but is now filled with small islands covered with bamboo, palms and willows. It is extremely attractive during the spring and summer months, as Kunming is one of China's flower-growing centers, and the park is something of a horticultural hotbed. While perhaps no Central or Hyde Park, Cuihu is a prime spot for people-watching, especially at dawn and dusk when the local elders gather to play cards or checkers and partake in communal and individual tai chi sessions. Each afternoon, assorted groups of local people congregate in the park to play music and sing traditional songs. But, at any time of the day, you might be lucky enough to catch an impromptu song or dance. |  | Bird and Flower Market Located just off Jingxie Jie in the heart of downtown Kunming, this historic market once wended its merry way around the ancient lane neighborhoods. Urban development has, however, squeezed its space, and the area is due to be comprehensively redeveloped, though part of the market will be retained. Almost everything is bought and traded here from official stalls, streets hawkers and small displays laid up on the sidewalk. The street food is fabulous and hygienic, ranging from kebabs grilled on small charcoal burners to specialty dishes of the myriad ethnic minorities of Yunnan province. One black mark is the tiger- and bear-skin sellers, who often hawk their illegal goods here. |  | Golden Temple Catch a cab (RMB30) and drive four miles into the northeastern hills overlooking the city. Here, on the top of Singing Phoenix Hill, the air is noticeably fresher and the forested tree canopy offers shade from the sun's rays.
This is where the "Eternal Spring City" really comes into its own, with the refreshing fragrance of eucalyptus lining the entrance to the expansive hillside Golden Temple. Built in 1602, this beautiful Buddhist palace is set in large well-tended gardens, and features several individual shrines with winged slate roofs reached by attractive, winding stone staircases. Behind the Golden Temple itself is the three-story Bell Tower. Built in 1984, it features a truly impressive 11-foot-high, 580-year-old copper bell, which weighs in at 14 tons. Ring the bell and enjoy the magnificent views over the hills and city below. Few foreign visitors make it here, but don't let that deter you. It is a fascinating place to observe local families relaxing and enjoying the scenic Buddhist ambience. Entry RMB19 |  | Yunnan Ethnic Villages Now catch a cab to the Yunnan Ethnic Villages Center, located 3.5 miles south of the city center, near Dianchi Lake. Seeing really is believing—this is a newly constructed Ethnic Villages theme park set across a large garden overlooked by the beautiful western hills.
Large pavilions are dedicated to each of Yunnan province's 26 ethnic peoples. In official speak, the center will become "an epitome of Yunnan as a multi-ethnic province, and an immense garden in South Chinese horticultural and land-scaping traditions." Each pavilion offers regional dance and music presentations, both in small theaters and in the open air, and some have ethnic restaurants serving authentic regional dishes. There are also two museums, one of folklore and one of ethnic waxworks. Persistent female sales assistants garbed in colorful local dress sell faux-authentic handicrafts and souvenirs. Entry RMB90 |  | Dianchi Lake A short walk from the Yunnan Ethnic Villages, Dianchi Lake is 231 square miles in area, and 144 feet deep. It is the eighth-largest lake in China. The lakeshore features a small park and walkway, which is an ideal place for watching the less-wealthy citizens of an emerging Chinese city enjoying their
leisure time. Simple pleasures, such as riding a bike, flying a kite or playing at the water's edge are enjoyed with relish by local children and families, while soon-to-be-married couples shoot their pre-wedding photos in full dress underneath the eucalyptus trees. Though not quite Lake Tahoe or Como, you'll enjoy watching the small sailing boats and views of the adjacent hills. Sunsets here can be particularly enchanting. |
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