Kunming Travel Guide

Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province. Sitting on a high plateau, it stays mild all year round and is called the Spring City. While many cities in China are hit by harsh heat or cold, Kunming has flowers without pause through the four seasons, and it is also known as the gateway to the cultures of many ethnic minorities.

The greatest sight is the Stone Forest spreading southeast of the city. Limestone pinnacles eroded by rain and wind stand like a forest, and the landscape is inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site as part of the South China Karst. Walk the trails that thread between the pointed rocks and you can feel a force that seems to come from another planet.

Within the city, Dianchi Lake serves as a place of rest, where you can stroll the shore or enjoy the view from the Western Hills. At the Yunnan Ethnic Village the traditional architecture and dances of peoples such as the Yi, Bai and Miao are presented, and as a collecting center for pu'er tea the city also draws people to tastings in its tea markets.

The star of the table is crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, finished by adding meat, vegetables and rice noodles yourself to a piping-hot broth. From summer into autumn dishes of wild mushrooms appear, and you can also enjoy the flavors of ethnic minorities, such as the sour cooking of the Dai and the Miao sour soup fish. Changshui International Airport and high-speed rail make the city a gateway to the rest of the province, a fitting starting point for a trip through Yunnan.