Kunming City

Introduction
Smell the roses in the Spring City. Kunming has a flavour all of its own that seems a world away from Běijing. A thoroughly modern Chinese city, wide palm-lined roads and skyscrapers have replaced quaint alleyways and charming wooden buildings. But despite rapid economic growth, Kūnmíng is one of the more relaxed and cosmopolitan Chinese cities and an enjoyable place to spend a few days.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT +8
Area: 6200
Coordinates: 25.0388889 latitude and 102.7183333 longitude
Population: 5000000
Area codes: 0871

Getting there and away
Yunnan Airlines/CAAC (tel: 316 4270, 313 8562; Tuodong Lu) issues tickets for any Chinese airline but the office only offers discounts on Yunnan Airlines flights. A good one-stop shop for booking flights is the Sanye International Air Service (tel: 353 0773; 66-68 Beijing Lu), next door to the long-distance bus station. The office deals with more than 20 international carriers and all the national ones. Other airline offices in K ū nm í ng are China Southern Airlines (tel: 310 1831; 433 Beijing Lu) and Shanghai Airlines (tel: 313 8502; 46 Dongfeng Donglu).

From Kūnmíng there are daily flights to Běijīng, Chéngdū , Chóngqìng, Guǎngzhōu, Guìyáng, Nánjīng, Nánníng, Shànghǎi and Shēnzhèn. Flights to Qīngdǎo and Xī'ān leave several times a week. There is now a weekly flight to Lhasa in Tibet, but you must have the requisite permit and travel as part of a group. Mr Chen's Tour (tel: 318 8114; qijia@yahoo.com.cn; Room 3116, No 3 Bldg, Camellia Hotel, 154 Dongfeng Lu) can sort you out with the necessary permits. Within Yúnnán province you can fly to Bǎoshān, Jǐnghóng, Lìjiāng, Mángshì /Déhóng, Xià guān/Dàlǐ and Zhōngdiàn. Several carriers have flights to Hong Kong, Hanoi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Rangoon, Mandalay and Seoul.

Foreign airline offices in Kūnmíng include Dragonair (tel: 356 1208; 2/F Kaīhuá Guǎngchǎng, 157 Beijing Lu), JAS (tel: 316 1230; Room 633, Holiday Inn Kunming, 25 Dongfeng Donglu), Lao Aviation (Camellia Hotel, 154 Dongfeng Donglu), Singapore Airlines (tel: 313 2334; Holiday Inn Kunming) and Thai Airways International (tel: 351 1515; 68 Beijing Lu), next to the King World Hotel. There seems to be buses leaving from all over the place in Kūnmíng and bus transport can be a little confusing at first.

However, the long-distance bus station on Beijing Lu is the main centre of operations, and the best place to organise bus tickets to almost anywhere in Y ú nn á n or further afield. You can buy train tickets up to 10 days in advance, which is good news because at peak times, especially public holidays, tickets get sold out days ahead of departure. Rail options from K ū nm í ng include trains to Běijīng, Shànghǎi, Guìyáng, Guǎngzhōu, Xī'ān, Emei Town, Chéngdū and Lìupánshuǐ. Several overnight trains run daily to Dàlǐ .

Getting around
The Camellia Hotel and City Cafe carry a decent selection of bikes for hire. Fat Tyres Bike Shop (tel: 530 1755; 61 Qianju Jie) has a large stock of bicycles including some very good mountain bikes. It also organises Sunday morning bike rides - you need to make reservations ahead of time. Bus Nos 52 and 67 run between the centre of town and the airport. Bus No 63 runs from the east bus station to the Camellia Hotel and on to the main train station. Bus 23 runs from the north train station south down Beijing Lu to the main train station. The main city buses have no conductors and require exact change.

Weather
At an elevation of 1890m (6200ft), Kūnmíng has a milder climate than most other Chinese cities, and can be visited at any time of the year. Light clothes will usually be adequate, but it's wise to bring some woollies during the winter months when temperatures can suddenly drop, particularly in the evenings; there have even been a couple of light snowfalls in recent years. Winters are short, sunny and dry. In summer (June to August) Kunmíng offers cool respite, though rain is more prevalent.