Kunming Tour

Kunming Introduction
Kunming , the capital of Yunnan Province , is known as the “city of eternal spring” or " Spring City ”. At an elevation of 1,891m , the city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with one side facing Dianchi Lake . With Wumeng Mountains in the north stemming the south-blowing cold air and moisture in the south from the Bengal Bay warm monsoon, Kunming enjoys a delightfully moderate climate year-round and it is covered all the year round with the rich verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city's 15,000 square kilometers of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers. 

Kunming city covers five districts: Wuhua, Panlong, Guandu, Xixian and Dongchuan; one city which is Dongchuan city; and eight counties: Chenggong, Jinning, Fumin, Yiliang, Shilin, Songming, Luquan and Xundian. The city has a total population of 4.67 million, of which about six percent are minority nationalities, including Yi, Hui and Miao. Also, some 150,000 Vietnamese refugees from the China-Vietnam wars have made home here.
Yunnan is populated by 25 minority nationalities, which makes up almost fifty percent of the total number of 55 in the whole country. With colorful costumes and fascinating dances and songs, the 25 ethnic minority groups inhabiting in Yunnan carry on their own ways of living, their own cultures. And the traditional ceremonies and festivals are indivisible parts of their cultures. In observing and participating in the festivals and traditional ceremonies of the minority nationalities, tourists can understand many folkways and customs. Religious beliefs, fairy tales and legends, dances and songs, recreation and amusement, and cultural psychology can be understood and accepted. Their festivals and ceremonies also reflect their different life styles, productive habits, ideological concept and social structures constituted under different periods of history,different areas and different cultural background.  

Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in southwest China. In ancient times it was an important gateway to the celebrated Silk Road which conducted to Tibet,Sichuan, Myanmar and India. Archeological evidence appears to indicate that Kunming has been inhabited for approximately 2,000 years. Records can be traced back to 722-481 BC when the first Chinese began inhabiting the area. Following this time, the area surrounding present-day Kunming has been witness to a succession of various kingdoms and dynasties. 

Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and customs,and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of cultural interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. The city's highland scenery is alluring; its karts landform is bewitching. Among the major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake,the Cuihu Lake,the Village of Ethnic Culture,the Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, the Western Mountain Forest Reserve,the Stone Forest , the Jiuxiang Scenic Belt, the Yuantong Mountain,the Grand View Pavilion,and the Qiongzhu Temple .

Kunming weather is typically mild, except for two months of hot days usually around April and May and two months of cold nights and chilly days typically spanning from late December to early February. Otherwise, high temperatures average around 21°C (69°F) and lows are typically around 10°C (50'C). Weather in Kunming is influenced heavily by Indian monsoons as well as weather patterns in Tibet to the northwest.

Because of its high altitude Kunming weather is typically characterized by intense sunlight during the daytime and a slight chill at night. When the rest of China is hot, Kunming is one of the country's coolest cities. When the northern half of the country is frozen and covered with snow, flowers are blooming. Hence, Kunming 's nickname in Chinese is‘Spring City '.
Kunming sits upon the Yunnan Plateau, which rises toward the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau heading northwest and yields to lower altitude tropical jungle heading southward toward Southeast Asia .The city is surrounded by mountains and is just northeast of Dianchi Lake,the largest lake in the province and the sixth-largest freshwater lake in China .
Kunming is rapidly becoming one of China 's more internationalized cities.It has sister city relationships with Denver, Colorado in the United States and Wagga Wagga, New South Wales in Australia. Within five years it will have road and rail connections to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in addition to rail links to Hanoi, Vientiane, Phnom Penh. After the Stilwell Road is renovated, Kunming will be the only Chinese city connected to India by road. It will also be the main Chinese city of the China-ASEAN Asia Free Trade Area which will be launched in 2010 and will be the world's largest FTA with over 1.8 billion people.

Kunming Tour Attraction

Stone Forest

The Stone Forest is in the Lunan Yi Nationality Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. It covers an area of 2,670 square kilometers and is divided into Major Stone Forest,Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest;Subterranean Stone Forest;Strange Wind Cave;Long Lake and the Dadie Waterfall. The Stone Forest was formed by karst two million to thirty mullion years ago. The Forest was contains peaks, pillars, stalagmites, depressions, underground rivers, and caves. The fantastic stone pinnacles rising abruptly from the ground resemble a huge, dense forest. Many of the stone pinnacles are associated with legends. In the Lesser Stone Forest, there is one pinnacle that resembles a slim and beautiful girl. Seen in silhouette with another stone formation, the girl appears to be carrying a basket on her back. This is the famous Ashma, heroine of an epic poem popular among the Sani people. According to the legend, Ashma, a Sani girl, refusing to be married to the landlord Rebubala, fought against the landlord and his men with her true love Ahei. They finally ran away from the landlord and came to the Stone Forest . But ganging up with the stone demon, Rebubala summoned up a flood and drowned Ashma, who then turned into the stone peak.

The origin of the Stone Forest is also the subject of an old legend. Long, long ago, in an attempt to flood the farmland of Lunan, the evil monster Asabe used his magic whip to drive a group of stone pinnacles to a place where they would obstruct the current of the Nanpan River . A hero of the Sani people, on hearing the news, rushed to the spot and fought the monster. Asabe was finally defeated and had to flee, leaving behind him the pinnacles that still bore the scars of his whip. These became the Stone Forest .

Every year, around the 24th and 25th day of the sixth lunar month, the Sani people gather in the Stone Forest to celebrate the “Torch Festival.” Visitors are welcome to enjoy the folk dances and the wrestling competitions of the Sani youngsters.

Major Stone Forest,Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest

All feature stones are in various formations. Animals, plants, and even human figures can be found here. Some are elegant, some are rugged, and each is lifelike with its own distinguishing characteristics.

Subterranean Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave

It is an underground stone forest distributed among several caves and occupying a total area of about three square kilometers (720 acres).

Strange Wind Cave

It composed of Penfeng Cave , Hongxi Spring and an underground river. From August to November, gales lasting two to three minutes sweep out of the cave every 30 minutes.

Long Lake

The lake is a karsts lake that is three kilometers (two miles) long but only 300 meters (zero point two miles) wide. The lake features underwater stalagmites and stalactites and a small island in the center of the water.

The source of the Dadie Waterfall, Ba River, is a branch of Nanpan River . In the rainy season, up to 150 cubic meters (196 cubic yards) of water per square inch plummet down the 88 meter (288 feet) drop.

Geologists say the Stone Forest is a typical example of karsts topography. Approximately 270 million years ago - during the carboniferous period of the Paleozoic era - the region was a vast expanse of sea. Over time, the movements of the lithosphere gradually caused a retreat of the waters and the rise of the limestone landscape. Due to constant erosion by the elements, the area finally developed into the present-day Stone Forest .

Many beautiful legends originate in this magical place, passed along by the native people known as Sani, a branch of the Yi ethnic group. One particular story about the faithful love of Ashima, a beautiful, clever and warm-hearted Sani girl, is the most popular and has been told for thousands of years. The Sani people celebrate their national festival - the Torch Festival - every lunar year on June 24. They take part in traditional performances such as wrestling, bull fighting, pole-climbing, dragon-playing, and lion-dancing and the A-xi Moon Dance. During this time, the Stone Forest is alive with a particularly joyful, festive atmosphere, making the area even more attractive than usual. However, the Stone Forest - with its sculptures engraved by nature, herself - is always a true miracle for visitors to behold.

Dianchi Lake

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 . With picturesque scenery and its location on the Yungui Plateau, the lake has a reputation as 'A Pearl on the Plateau'. Unfortunately, the lake has been badly polluted. Although efforts have been made to save the lake, they have been largely unsuccessful.

The lake is crescent-shaped, about 39 kilometers (24 miles) in length and 13 kilometers (8 miles) in width at it's widest. Its natural banks are formed by mountains on all four sides. More than twenty rivers nurture the lake which has a shoreline of 163.2 kilometers (101 miles). Four surrounding hills contribute to the picturesque landscape, making visitors intoxicated and linger around. You may appreciate the beauty of the lake and hills from a boat, and explore this cradle of Yunnan culture.

Jindian (Golden Temple) Park 

The park, sprawling for more than 133.3 hectares on the Mingfeng Mountain seven kilometers northeast of Kunming , is a national forest reserve. With natural scenery mingled with sites of historical interest and man-made gardens, it is also a large scenic resort in Kunming . The ' 99 International Horticultural Exposition will take place there. It covers a total area of 218 hectares, and 76.7% of the site is vegetated. In this exhibition area, 120 hectares are on bush-covered mountain slopes, some 12 percent of the surfaces are lakes or ponds. The flourishing vegetation and bush - land as well as water surface furnish excellent natural environment for the Exposition.

On the Mingfeng Mountain stands the exquisite and serene Golden Temple , 6.7 meters in height and 7.8 meters in width, and cast of 250 tons of solid bronze. It is the largest bronze hall in China.     

Yunnan Ethnic Villages

Yunnan Ethnic Villages, situated six kilometers south of Kunming, is a 2,000 mu theme park situated on the south shore of Dianchi Lake and to the west of the famous Western Mountains Scenic Area.
The famous historical and cultural city of Kunming is located to the north of the villages. Each of the 26 recognized ethnic minorities of Yunnan will have a village built on the premises. There will also be a commemorative square built which will symbolize the unity between the ethnic groups, a theatre for the performance of ethnic songs and dances, a folklore museum, and a museum of ethnic waxworks. When completed, the Yunnan Ethnic Villages will serve to represent Yunnan as a culturally rich and ethnically diverse province. The park will also feature an immense garden in the tradition of ancient Chinese horticultural and landscaping.
Haigeng Park , a National Sport Training Base, is only two kilomeyers away from the Minority Nationalities Park .

Western Mountains Forest Reserve

The forest reserve on the West Bank of the Dianchi Lake consists of the Huating, Taihua and Luohan mountains, which together extend for more than 40 kilometers at an average altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level. This is a colossal natural forest reserve in the midst of a lofty mountain range crisscrossed by babbling brooks and gurgling streams. Ancient trees are adorned with thick, lush foliage and birds chirp and flutter in the green treetops.
Viewed from the Southeast corner of Kunming , the entire forest reserve looks like a beautiful maiden reclining leisurely by Dianchi Lake , her long hair drifting in the placid water.
Special tourist buses near the Dianchi Cinema and the Fine Arts Opera House can provide you with convenient transportation to the top of the hills.

Kunming International Airport

K unming International Airport is one of the five Chinese airports which opened early to foreign airlines. It is located at Wujiaba in the southeast suburbs of Kunming , capital of Yunnan Province , about 6.5km from Kunming 's downtown area. Annual passenger handling capacity is planned to 7 million persons. Floor space of the newly built international passenger terminal is 14,000 square meters with 12 lanes for entry and exit procedures. Annual passenger handling capacity in the international passenger terminal is 580,000 persons and cargo capacity is 35,000 tons.

Kunming International Airport now handles more than 100 international, domestic and regional air routes, among them 9 routes are within the province and over 10 are international and regional routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Mandalay, Hanoi, Yangon, New Delhi (chartered planes), Vientiane, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong , Macao, etc.

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