Kunming offers a very limited selection of attractions for children. Arcades, bowling alleys, a zoo and an aquarium make up the main choices available, although reputable hotels may well offer their own kid’s entertainment for residents.

Arcades
The Chinese love video games as much as any East Asian country and Kunming has its fair share of arcades where the latest video game attractions are available. Arcades offer everything from shoot ‘em ups to disco dance simulators; the kids will have great fun testing their reflexes and eye to hand coordination skills.

Bowling
If you are booked to stay at either the Kunming Sakura Hotel or the Kunming Baoshan Hotel, you can take advantage of their on-site bowling alleys. Both hotels offer 16-lane centres that are open to residents and non-residents on payment of the required fee. Telephone: Sakura hotel: +86 871 3165888 or the Baosahn Hotel: +86 871 3191988.

Kunming Aquarium
Kids and adults alike will marvel at the large selection of sea creatures available for viewing at the Kunming Aquarium. A variety of tanks hold an impressive collection of fish, sea anemone, sharks and crustaceans which can be viewed up close in environments mimicking their natural ones as much as possible.

Kunming Zoo
Kunming zoo is over 50 years old and home to 5,000 animals from 140 species. It’s a clean and well-tended facility.

Kunming visitors looking for culture need not look very far; the city will immerse you in a typically Yunnanese environment as soon as you set foot on its soil. Every street, market and restaurant will present you with a new and uniquely Chinese experience. If you are looking for specific attractions with strong cultural themes then consider some of the suggestions we’ve listed below.

Bamboo Temple
Situated some 7kms away in the Yu'an Mountains to the northwest of the city, the Bamboo Temple is set in a scenic location abundant with bamboo trees, streams and other pleasant natural features. The temple is famous for its hundreds of carved Buddha statues and while it’s the not the most accessible of sites, it’s well worth making the effort to see it.

The East Temple Pagoda
The original East Temple Pagoda was part of the Changle Temple which was constructed during the Tang Dynasty. An earthquake in 1833 brought a swift end to the pagoda and it was then nearly 50 years before a reconstruction was considered. In 1882, the new pagoda was erected at a location east of the original and despite having been built in the Qing dynasty, its style is still distinctly that of the Tang.

The Kunming Museum
The city’s chief museum facility offers displays and exhibits which provide a background to the history of the city and the region in which it sits. Traditional Chinese clothing and miscellaneous objects of interest including a variety of artworks make up the museum’s impressive collection of artefacts. An exhibition of dinosaur remains can be found on the first floor of the facility.

The West Temple Pagoda
The original West Temple Pagoda was located in the Huiguang Temple which was built in 824 and 859 AD during the Tang Dynasty. The Huiguang Temple was colloquially known as the West Temple, hence the pagoda’s title. The West Temple Pagoda, which has been likened in appearance to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, stands 36 metres high and is a hollow structure with wooden flooring inside. While the West Temple has since been destroyed, the pagoda still remains and though it has been subject to many repairs over the years, its style is still obviously of the Tang dynasty.

Yunnanese Cultural Park
The Yunnanese Cultural Park offers visitors the chance to gain an insight into the everyday lives of Yunnanese ethnic minorities. This museum-style facility presents examples of domestic dwellings, everyday tools and utensils, clothing and traditional dance styles. Each of the 26 ethnic peoples of Yunnan is represented at the Cultural Park.

The climate of Kunming affords it the perfect conditions for growing all manner of fruit and vegetables and this factor combined with the cooking influences it takes from the Dian/Yunnan Province; make it a haven for some of the best Chinese food in this part of the country. Food is typically mildly-spiced and flavoured, with none of the heat you might associate with other Chinese cuisines such as Szechuan. Among typical Dian dishes is the popular Qiguo Ji, a tasty steamed chicken creation with shallots, pepper and ginger; the tasty Hongshao Jizong, a dish consisting of braised mushrooms in soy sauce and Kunming Lu Ya, a duck dish which is generally one of the first things tourists try on arriving in the city.

Kunming is also famous for a number of snacks which can be bought from roadside vendors everywhere and eaten at any time of the day. Yunnan Guoqiao Mixian lists among these and is a hot noodle soup containing a variety of meats and a rich chicken broth. Xuanwei Huotui meanwhile is a kind of ham that can be eaten as a snack with sticky rice or added to a variety of tasty dishes. Other popular snacks include Modeng Baba (savoury cakes made from flour, corn powder, lard, sticky rice, sesame and meat); Jicai Jiao (shepherd's-purse dumpling) and Shao Mai (a steamed dumpling).

For shopping, you’ll find numerous places around the city where you can buy authentic Chinese/Yunnanese goods to take home as souvenirs or gifts for family and friends. The ubiquitous tea shops should not be passed by without sampling their wares; enter sit down and watch the owner brew a pot of traditional green or black Chinese tea before pouring it for you to taste. You can then purchase any of the many kinds of tea available bearing in mind that prices vary significantly and quality is directly related to cost.

Markets are found throughout the city, some selling general goods and food produce and others specialising in specific products. The wholesale market on Shang Yi street is a good place to find flowers with a huge variety of beautiful specimens on offer; you won’t be permitted to take them out of the country but they’re cheap enough to buy a bouquet to brighten up your hotel room no matter how long you are staying. If it’s commercially made goods that you are after then you might be surprised to know that the likes of Walmart and Carrefour have established stores in Kunming offering clothing, household products, food and countless other products.

Kunming’s short list of outdoor activities exploits natural areas in and around the city, taking advantage of varying terrains, accessible mountainous regions and pleasant areas of greenery. There’s little in the way of organised activity tours or trips and most visitors will need to make necessary arrangements themselves for the pursuit of certain activities.

Mountain biking
Private package tours offer visitors the chance to bike across the entire Yunnan region taking in Kunming, the ancient towns of Dali and Lijiang and interesting sights such as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Three Pagodas and the Baisha Mural. Alternatively, if you bring your own bike to Kunming you can seek out the local trails yourself, of which there are many in the mountains surrounding the town.

Rock climbing
An artificial crag owned by the city’s chief climbing club, Redpoint, can be found in downtown Kunming and is popular with local and visiting climbing enthusiasts. This is also a good place to meet seasoned Kunming climbers and find out about established climbs in the area. Among the most popular outdoor climbing areas, the Stone Forest is rated one of the best.

Tai Chi
Seemingly a pursuit of the elderly only, the ancient Chinese practice of Tai Chi is in fact something that people of all ages can participate in. If you are already accustomed to the intricacies of this discipline then you are free to join the locals who congregate early morning in various pedestrian-only areas of the city to practice this much revered and allegedly health-giving martial art. There’s no need to speak the local language as the sessions are conducted silently.

Walking
Kunming has numerous parks and scenic areas which lend themselves well to either a relaxing walk or a more serious hike (location depending). Lake Dian is an ideal location for hikers and can be reached easily by bus from the centre of the city. Alternatively, take a visit to Da Guan Park, where both a gentle stroll and a vigorous walk are possible, depending on your mood.