The vast, ancient land
of China is easy to
visit, with major cities geared up for the flood of overseas visitors. Kunming is the capital of the fascinating and diverse Yunnan Province,
and is the gateway to the region's heritage, natural beauty and plethora of
things to do and see. Unfortunately, the city itself suffered the destruction
of many of its heritage sites during several late 19th century revolutionary
conflicts, but there's still plenty to keep visitors busy once they've settled
into holiday accommodation.
There is a wide choice of activities for visitors to choose
from, including temple-touring, shopping and dining, visiting nearby
attractions, national parks and other green scenes and heritage sightseeing.
Kunming
is easy to get around, with its international airport set just nine kilometres from
the downtown district and local buses and taxis taking care of in-town
transportation. For more distant destinations, the bus services are excellent
and reasonably priced, or tours can be taken to favourite sights around the
region. For the energetic, bicycles can be hired for local travel, thus
avoiding the interminable traffic jams common in all Chinese cities. Pollution
here isn't a major problem, due mainly to Kunming's
large selection of green spaces and the forested Western Mountains
backing the city.
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| Yuantong Temple |
At the foot of Yuantong Hill is Yuantong Temple,
the most important Buddhist place of worship in the province, built in the 8th
century and expanded during the Ming and Ching dynasties. Its complex includes
many spectacular buildings and is always full of pilgrims and worshipers. The
main hall is set in the centre of a small lake, connected to the grounds by a
stone bridge, and contains three famous early 14th century Yuan dynasty Buddha
images as well as 500 relief-carved Arhats adorning its interior walls. The
17th century Tanhua Temple is another treasure, famed for its grounds with
their trees, flowers and Lotus Pond, and Qiongzhu Temple with its amazing
Dali-esque carved images nestles a short way from the city in the hills.
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| Yunnan Ethnic Village |
Kunming and Yunnan province are home to a large number
of ethnic tribal groups, all with their indigenous heritage of arts, crafts and
legends. As a result, shopping for souvenirs here has an exotic flavour, with
its main focus on carvings in ivory, bone, soapstone, jade, hardstones and
wood. Carved artifacts, especially in jade, lie at the heart of traditional
Chinese art, and the 3,000-year old craft lives on in the many exquisite modern
examples. Tribal textiles are popular as well, with weaving a traditional
industry amongst the ethnic groups, as are woven bamboo artifacts. The city's
many street and covered markets are a good place to begin your search, with
bargaining an essential part of the purchasing process.
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| crispy duck |
Foodies will love this city, with the distinctively spicy
Yunnanese cuisine available everywhere from street stalls through local
eateries to upscale restaurants. All the usual fast-food joints are here as
well, mostly in the city centre. Favourites are crispy duck roasted with honey
and pine needles for flavour, hotpots, noodle soups with thinly-sliced meat or
fish and a layer of oil, fried goats' cheese and flowers used as food, all
accompanied by rice wine or flower teas such as jasmine.
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| Stone Forest |
The most famous day-trip attraction here is the Stone Forest,
75kms from the city by bus or guided tour. The soaring, weirdly-shaped karst
columns have been eroded over the centuries into a geological moonscape of
ever-changing views. Closer to town are the national parks covering the hills,
hiding ancient temples, lakes, waterfalls and great hiking trails in their
forested depths. Also a primary destination are the 100 caves in the Jiuxiang
Scenic Area, home to the YI peoples in antiquity, with their walls covered in millennia-old
cave art. The Yunnan Nationalities Village, although set up for tourists, holds
eight reconstructed settlements showing the lifestyle and architecture of the
minority groups, plus a small museum displaying antique costumes and artifacts.
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