Most expats have heard a horror story or two of a friend of a friend left bruised and battered by an incompetent and overzealous masseuse. A story that frequently does the rounds in Kunming is of an American woman who several years ago had to return ... Read More>>
Kunming has always been an easy city to live in, and shopping is no exception. But with so many popular options, sometimes it can be hard to know where to go to get it all done. Whether it's purely clothes you're interested in, or the whole food ... Read More>>
Tucked away in southwest China, far from the major international metropolises of the east coast, Kunming might seem like one of the last places to find English reading material. In the past, a Kunming bookworm’s worst fate was to finish reading ... Read More>>
Many Yunnan travellers encounter a problem: how exactly do you get to Dali? Tucked between the mist-shrouded Cangshan and the flat expanse of Erhai Lake, Dali feels remote. But it’s surprisingly easy to catch a bus, train or car from Kunming. A ... Read More>>
Two “D”s are often used to sum up the cityscape of Kunming; ‘destruction’ and ‘development’. Most of the inner city areas have been built within the last 20 years and recent figures suggest Kunming has doubled in size in the last five years. Deciding ... Read More>>
It’s easy to spend your free time in Kunming in the Wenlin Street bubble of foreign cafes and bars. However, you’ll kick yourself if you leave the Spring City without having experienced some of the more unusual activities Yunnan has to offer. Here are our ... Read More>>
The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. However, western groceries are just around the corner! Here is a rundown of our favourite places from which to taste the best of the west in Kunming. Read More>>
100 years ago near the Myanmar-Yunnan border, an intrepid French traveller planted the first Arabica coffee beans. Today, Yunnan coffee is recognised as one of the finest in Asia, something that Starbucks seem to have realised from their ... Read More>>
The art of tea drinking is one of the deepest and most ancient aspects of Chinese high culture. The development of regional tea making techniques has spanned dynasties, and now there are thousands of tea varieties to choose from. These variations ... Read More>>
An estimated 18000 plant species representing almost 5% of the world’s botanical diversity grow in Yunnan, and out of the world’s 600 species of edible fungus, 250 can be found in the province. It’s no wonder then that Kunming hosts some ... Read More>>
Just south of the Bird and Flower Market and near to many of Kunming’s flourishing Malls, Jinmafang is a useful landmark. Here are five good eating options for you in and around the area. Read More>>
The most beautiful place in Kunming has got to be the Green Lake (Cai Hu) area, and it’s arguably also home to the best array of restaurants, bars, and teahouses in the city – making it a place where visitors come from all over to enjoy the unique venues ... Read More>>
Only a few weeks ago, another food scandal hit China. This time, dairy company Mengniu recalled milk containing aflatoxin, a cancer-causing agent (蒙牛称毒奶事件). Citizen responses reflected accumulated outrage – in the last few years, food ... Read More>>
The cultural nexus that is Kunming hosts an increasingly well-known art scene. Brought to the public by creative spaces like the Loft, Kunming’s art community now offers a wide variety of artists and styles. Even a few years ago, it would have been ... Read More>>
Although many of Kunming’s markets have succumbed to the recent inner city development drive, there are still a few gems tucked away. They are as diverse as the province’s many ethnic minorities and from the weird to the wonderful, you’re bound to ... Read More>>
Clear, blue, swimmable water – it sounds more like a fantasy than a description of a modern Chinese lake. But Fuxian Lake (抚仙湖) remains one of the country's best-preserved lakes, due to its remarkable depth and relative obscurity. Yunnan's ... Read More>>
One of the first things that you are likely to notice upon arriving in China is how different the food is from the glutinous squelch that is served up in the greasy, generic ‘Chinese’ restaurants that are common throughout the West. Yunnan food, dian cai ... Read More>>
The last two years have seen an explosion in the number of Western food venues in Kunming. We’ve used the word ‘venue’ as a convenient term (or convenient duck out depending on your opinion!) to describe the restaurant-café hybrid variety of eatery ... Read More>>
The impressive variety of dishes available in Kunming is most certainly a reflection of Yunnan Province's multiethnic character. Local cuisine, such Cross the Bridge Rice Noodles, Clay Pot Chicken and Pineapple Rice, are characteristic of both the local ... Read More>>
Great! After months of prodding, you’ve finally convinced one of your friends or family members to travel all the way to wild Yunnan to visit you. The only problem is now you’ve got to entertain someone who’s just dropped a couple of thousand bucks ... Read More>>
Kunming is often viewed by travelers as a convenient staging post for the more advertised wonders of Yunnan, such as Dali or Lijiang. The ‘Spring City’ offers so much more, however, and Jinma Biji Fang, in the heart of the metropolis, provides an array ... Read More>>
A gathering ground for migratory birds, Kunming’s scenic parks are a great place for bird-watching or to simply take a break from urban life. Read More>>
Kunming is a vibrant, colourful city full of adventure and wonder still waiting to be discovered. But the real gems of Yunnan lie in the outdoors, in the even wilder and pristine mountains, lakes and valleys of the Himalayan foothills. Be it backpacking, ... Read More>>
The Box 老夫子<br /> Somewhere in its five year history Laofuzi (Old Master) became The Box, or was it the other way round? Anyway, as a compromise this small, quirky bar anonymously situated in the middle of Wenhua Xiang keeps both names in Chinese and ... Read More>>
