The City of Eternal Spring: February 18, 2002
By Lyle D. Olson
Weíll be at our destination in China when this column runs back home, having arrived on the 16th if all went well.
Soon, weíll be able to tell you about Kunming from personal experience. For now I can only tell you what weíve read and what others have told us.
There could be more desirable places for an exchange program in China, but from what Iíve heard I canít imagine where. In Frommerís China, J. D. Brown writes that Kunming has long been one of Chinaís most exotic cities.
Marco Polo wrote about the city in the late 13th century when it was called Yachi: "it is very great and noble. In it are found merchants and artisans. The land is fertile in rice and wheat." In the 14th century, the Ming built a walled town on the present site.
Kunming began to be influenced by the West in the middle of the 19th century and by 1900 it was open for foreign trade. The city expanded during World War II when factories were established and refugees from eastern China poured into the city.
After the Japanese attacked China in 1937 and before the United States entered the war, the Flying Tigers were stationed in Kunming. The famous 680-mile Burma Road, carved out of mountains in 1937-39 by over 150,000 Chinese with virtually no equipment, ends at Kunming.
Ten years ago, according to Brown and previous SDSU exchange professors, the city bore few signs of an American presence. Today, Brown writes, "The Americans have returned, not in person, for there are few foreign faces in the city Ö but the architecture, automobiles, department stores, the clothing is in the American mode."
Brown reports, "Alone of all major Chinese cities and provinces, Kunming and Yunnan have resisted the tide of Western fast foods. No McDonaldís, no Burger King, no Pizza Hutóitís the law here, so far." We have heard, however, that Kentucky Fried Chicken has made it to the city.
The city produces trucks, machine tools, electrical equipment, textiles, chemicals, building materials, plastics and has a steel mill.
Located on a lush plateau, Kunming is farther south than San Diego but higher than Denver. Called the City of Eternal Spring, the average temperature for this sub-tropical location is 65. January is the coolest month with an average low of 36 and a high of 60. The warmest months are June, July and August with average lows of 61 and highs of 75.
With around 230 frost-free days per year, local produce includes grain, wheat, horsebean, corn, potatoes, peaches, apples, oranges, grapes and chestnuts.
Although over 2,000 miles from Chinaís most famous tourism sites (Beijing, the Great Wall), Kunming is designated as a Special Tourism Center and has a proliferating tourist industry. The most famous natural attraction is the Stone Forest, a formation of limestone pillars.
Cultural diversity is a major draw. Ninety-nine percent of Chinese are Han. But in Yunnan Province, one-quarter of the 35 million people are minorities, members of 25 groups that have maintained their non-Chinese customs and dress.
Fascinating history, a shirt-sleeve climate, scenic mountains on three sides and the wonders of minority people groups all in one location.