Kunming Life

For four months,we, husband, son and I, have lived and worked close to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. It is our first trip to China and this city has everything to offer the visitor, especially if you want an essence of China's past and where it is now headed. Kunming is regarded as a small quiet city to the Chinese, but to an Australian, indeed, a Tasmanian(total pop 500,000), its population of 5 million and the necessary infrastructure, diversity, noise, humanity and development potential seem excitingly different. In the few months we have been here, you can actually see change happening. Streetscapes are beautified, ten areas completed and another twenty avenues ripped up.. a continuous cycle that will leave this city as sanitised as others on the Eastern coast. Construction and deconstruction are a constant. The 2008 Olympics and the will to present modern China is wreaking havoc on old China, and Kunming, 4000 kms away has not been spared. I am thankful to be here now. The city is becoming increasingly westernised, there is a plethora of Macdonalds, KFCs, Parksons, Walmarts, but, around any corner in the heart of the city, you can still find the beauty and oddity of stereotypical China . You can purchase anything you need, although it may take some work. Language difficulties still exist, but, in the large stores and hotels, it is increasingly obvious that the need to cater to the tourist market is recognised.
Kunming is known as the city of eternal spring, and this is our experience. Parks and gardens abound and the air around the city is comparatively clear. It is a beautiful city, worthy of any visitor's time and interest.