Known by many as the 'City of Eternal Spring', Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and a city that enjoys year-round temperate weather making it a popular tourist destination with domestic and international visitors alike. Kunming has a population of about five million permanent residents and offers an eclectic mix of languages, customs and food that reflect the diversity of the Yunnan province.

The city is perhaps not as historically interesting as some of China’s other major cities but still has plenty to offer in the way of classical Chinese architecture with structures haling from dynasties such as the Ming and the Tang. Highlights for those wishing to take home some good holiday snaps, include the East and West Temple Pagodas, the Golden Temple and the Bamboo Temple.

Kunming’s cuisine is distinctly Yunnanese and combines fresh ingredients afforded by the moderate climate with mild herbs and spices giving its cooked dishes sufficient flavour but lacking the pungency associated with food from other regions of the country. The city’s climate fosters the growth of literally hundreds of species of mushroom which are consequently a predominant feature of many dishes.

There’s no shortage of things for the Kunming visitor to see with cultural attractions such as temples, museums and historic buildings. Equally, there’s plenty to do with traditional markets for shopping, great restaurants for eating in and scenic nature areas for the pursuit of outdoor activities.

China has a good selection of annual festivals based around the lunar calendar and combining a trip with one of the bigger events is a great way of experiencing the true sense of Chinese culture in Kunming. The Spring Festival, in which the locals usher in the New Year, is an especially interesting time and many visitors plan their holiday to coincide with this colourful and exciting event.

Kunming is by no means a tourist haven and to some extent, the fact that it has yet to be spoiled by rampant tourism is part of its appeal. Accommodation therefore, is perhaps a little less prevalent than in some other big Chinese cities. This is not to say that hotels are difficult to come by, but rather that international chains have yet to move in to the city and a definitive ‘hotel zone’ doesn’t really exist. There are plenty of respectable domestically-owned establishments offering exceptional service such as the Green Lake Hotel and the Bank Hotel Kunming as well as a plethora of smaller hotels.

The history of the city of Kunming dates back more than 2000 years to the year 279 BC when a settlement was formed by a general of the Chu Kingdom near to Lake Dianchi. The city of Kunzhou, which was just southeast of what we now know was Kunming, was established in 109 AD at the time of the Han Dynasty and during the reign of Emperor Wudi. The area was first dubbed Kunming in the period towards the decline of the Yuan Dynasty and later still in 1832, the beginnings of a real city were acknowledged with the building of city walls and significant structures within their confines.

Founding of the city can, therefore be said to have been a predominantly 19th century affair. It was also in this century that the city grew to become the major market and transport centre for the region. Rebel leader Du Wenxiu, the Sultan of Dali, launched several offensives against the city between the years 1858 and 1868 which saw Kunming subject to a number of siege situations.
Kunming was until now, a typical provincial Chinese city with all the obvious characteristics one would expect; it was also a place where those banished from Beijing for being political troublemakers would take exile.

The French Indochina Rail Line into Kunming was completed in 1910, bringing increased commercial activity into the city however development was still considered relatively slow. It was WWII and Japan’s occupation of China that brought the most significant changes to Kunming, with the city’s population swelling from the arrival of large numbers of refugees. The establishments of new factories in Kunming also brought a significant number of Yunnanese country peasants to the city in search of work. The war brought western influences to the city as the US Air Force stationed their Flying Tigers unit there. These influences saw the city move towards more modern attitudes and gradually it began to resemble other major Chinese cities with thriving industrial areas and large scale residential districts.

Kunming’s climate is a moderate and pleasant one, never getting too hot or too cold in any of its seasons. The average daily temperature in urban areas is 15ºC, although seasonal variation does bring higher and lower temperatures.

The city experiences a lengthy rainy season which lasts from May through till October, during which time 85 per cent of the annual volume of rain falls. The months of July and August see the heaviest downpours with averages of 212.3 and 202.3mm respectively; these are also the two hottest months of the year with temperatures averaging 19ºC respectively. The rainy season peters out at the end of October and ushers in a period of cool dry weather with temperatures in November, December and January averaging 11.3°C, 8.2°C and 7.7°C respectively.

February, March and April are still relatively cool, but temperatures do begin to pick up some while volumes of rainfall still remain relatively low. When you choose to visit Kunming depends entirely on what kind of weather you are most acclimatised to. If it’s hot weather you are looking for, then the peak of the rainy season will most suit you, but then of course you will have to deal with heavy spells of rain. Kunming’s busiest season is in fact the winter time with the warmer months of March and April providing the most ideal time to take a holiday.