Kunming

Located in the middle of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is renowned as the City of Eternal Spring. It has an elevation of 1,891 meters with mountains surrounding it at three sides and the Dianchi Lake bordering on its south. It boasts pleasant climate all the year round and ample sunshine and rainfall, turning plants green and flowers in bloom in all seasons. Kunming is a historically and culturally famous city of China, the provincial capital and the centre of politics, economy, culture, science, technology and communications of Yunnan. It covers an area of 15,427 sq. km. Under its jurisdiction, there are 4 urban districts and 8 outskirt counties, namely: Panlong, Wuhua, Xishan and Guangdu Districts, and Anning, Chengong, Jinning, Fumin, Songming, Yiling, Lunan and Luquan Counties. The total population of Kunming registers 3.3 million people, of which the urban population is about one million. There are 12 resident nationalities, including the Han, Yi, Miao, Bai, Hui, Hani, etc. residing and working in the city, and people of all the 26 nationalities of Yunnan Province can also be found here.

Kunming is a place where wonderful scenery bestowed by nature and achievements of human culture coexist. With a long history and distinctive geographical features, Kunming is endowed with numerous places of historical interest and natural wonders. Around Kunming City, there are 12 scenic spots, namely: Huating Monastery, Taihua Monastery, Sanqingge Pavilion and the Dragon Gate, constructed in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties and located at the Forest Park of the Western Hills; the Grand View (Daguan) Park and the 180-character Couplet, famed in China for its length and beauty; the Golden Palace (Jindian) made of bronze during the Ming Dynasty; the Black Dragon Pool and its reputed plum of the Tang Dynasty, the cypress of the Song Dynasty, and the camellia of the Ming Dynasty; the Bamboo Monastery with its 500 Arhats, renowned as "a pearl of sculptural art in the East"; the Yuantong Monastery, constructed in the Tang Dynasty and expanded in the Song Dynasty; the Kunming Zoo and its 100 and more species of animals and a sea of cherry flowers and flowering crabapples; the Green Lake park and its limpid waters; Tanghua Monastery of the Ming Dynasty and its flowers and plants; the Haigeng Beach with its fine sand; Anning Hot Spring - the "Number One Hote Spring in the World" and Caoxi Monastery and the Stone Forest with its myriad of pinnacles reputed as a natural wonder under heaven. Kunming have attractive landscape, majestic mountain ranges, rivers, caves, various ethnic customes and historic heritage. It is also enjoys the fame as the "kingdom of animals" and the "kingdom of plants". Hence Kunming attracts more and more tourists from home and abroad.