Arriving in Kunming after countless hours on a bus, watching an impoverished rural world go by, I was treated to the usual rural/urban transition shock. All of the sudden everything was huge, bright, shiny and clean. Neon highways snaked through a sea of buildings lit up like Christmas trees, advertising the wonders of consumerism overload. Even at 8pm, the sidewalks were rammed with shoppers, the roads full of Mitsubishi SUVs. Where was I? Sometimes China can be a pretty weird place.
Over the next few days, however, Kunming poured on the charm and I came to the realization that it is truly one of the more pleasant, relaxing cities in this country. Blue skies, clean streets and a happy, laidback population; the Spring City is definitely an urban manifestation of the wonders of Yunnan. For a city with several million inhabitants, the lack of significant pollution is a small wonder in itself. The city’s great distance from China’s centers of power and wealth is evident; the dark suits and leather shoes of the East give way to North Face, cargo pants and hiking boots.
For those looking to explore any of China’s urban history, forget it. Kunming for the most part has been thorougly bulldozed and rebuilt; the center of town is all glass towers, wide boulevards and shopping malls. But unlike many other Chinese cities, this massive redevelopment seems to be largely complete and strangely inoffensive. Not many cranes or half-built monstrosities in this city. This gives the place a wonderfully settled feeling. It’s a city happy with the way it is.
Despite the modern facelift, there are still many little streets and neighbourhoods to explore, including the relatively funky one around 云南大学 (Yunnan University). Here you can sit sit out on the street with a drink, enjoying the sun and watching funky students shopping for funky clothes. I spent countless hours over several afternoons wandering around in 翠湖公园 (Green Lake Park), watching performances, kites, ma jiang marathons and families out with the grandparents. I joined the energetic bustle of the downtown Spring Festival crowd, as the sidewalks surged with shoppers and store employees advertising their wares with bullhorns and ear-splitting techno music. When in Kunming, I often wonder why in the hell I’m not living there.
Sitting around the parks enjoying the weather, I was approached by a few locals for some conversation. One was a young student attending a boarding school just outside of Kunming, her family having recently moved to Yunnan from Changsha. I think she was in love with Kunming’s environment and sky, and talked about her hopes to study journalism. Another was an older man who chatted me up while he got his shoes shined. He greeted me with “Good afternoon, sir”, perhaps THE politest thing I have heard in a long time. He smiled as I struggled with my Chinese, offered me some cigarettes for the effort, and was on his merry way. Not being used as an English practice punching bag is a wonderful feeling.
Of course, nothing is perfect: there are also a few downsides to Kunming, the most noticeable being the rather large number of beggars. And as many of them are seriously deformed, it’s pretty sad to see. One of the few places were I just gave in and start handing out some money. As well, the city seems to have a rather serious traffic problem blighting many of its more interesting streets. The “Muslim Street” is a really cool, vendor-filled little lane…except for the honking cars and taxis smashing their way down what, by all means, should be a pedestrian-only market street. It’s a shame that the city government likely spent countless millions building highways and widening boulevards, only to have drivers do all they can to avoid them by gridlocking backstreets and pissing off pedestrians. I saw one traffic jam where only a crane could have sorted things out.
All in all, Kunming is a wonderful place to kick back, get lost and watch the days fly by. It has all the modern comforts on offer but still manages to showcase the good vibes and beauty of Yunnan. Hmm, why the hell am I not living there again?
No ‘Funny China’ memories from Kunming, I guess I was too busy relaxing to notice any of the usual craziness. However, the bus ride from Lijiang to Kunming could easily qualify; it was ten hours of blind passing, dumptruck avoiding, mountain road speeding madness. When I wasn’t wondering whether I was going to die, I was wondering if our driver had died, leaning on the horn with his foot on the gas pedal. It’s always something to see luxury buses and cargo trucks dueling for space on a bumpy dirty road at high speeds, blowing through little villages full of wandering livestock and half-naked toddlers. Sometimes China can be a pretty weird place.