Kunming Introduction

City Introduction

Kunming is the land of natural and cultural landscapes. It has a long history, unique geological structure, as well as a large number of cultural relics and scenic spots. There are beautiful ‘Ashima’ in the Stone Forest, five hundred miles of Lake Dian from the Grand View Pavilion, and the Folkways Village showing the essence of all ethnic groups; you can also enjoy Dragon Gate in Xishan, camellias in Jindian, and black-headed gulls in Green Lake. All of these are showing the beauty of Kunming.

Kunming has a mild climate, no midsummer heat or severe cold in winter. It is known as the "City of Eternal Spring" due to its weather, which means four seasons are all like spring. Like the proverbial poem says: in Kunming, there is no need to wear fur coat in winter, you don’t sweat when wearing thin cotton clothes in the midsummer, plum blossoms will fill your eyes in winter, and willows will grow new leaves after the new year.

History & culture

Kunming has a long history and splendid culture, and is one of the first set of 24 historical and cultural cities, which were announced by the State Council of China. About 30 thousand years ago, there were people living in Lake Dian area. From the Warring States to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, ‘Lake Dian people’ around Lake Dian established the Dian State, thus created the unique ‘Dian culture’.

Dian was subjugated by the Chinese Han dynasty under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in 109 BC. Founded in 765, Kunming was known to the Chinese as Tuodong city in the Kingdom of Nanzhao during the 8th and 9th centuries. In 1276 it was founded by the Mongol rulers as Kunming County and became the provincial capital of Yunnan. In Ming Dynasty, a large number of immigrants entered Yunnan, the Han population in Kunming exceeded the local indigenous people for the first time. In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, the uprising peasant armies such as Li Dingguo, Emperor Yongli, and Wu Sangui either established the regime or palace in Kunming. In 1911, the "Chongjiu Uprising" overthrew Qing dynasty’s rule in Yunnan. The opening of the Kunming area began in earnest with becoming a commercial center in 1905 and the completion in 1910 of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway to Haiphong in north Vietnam. In 1915, the entire county responded after the outbreak of the ‘First Uprising for Guarding China’ in Kunming. In 1919, Yunnan Municipal Hall was established, marking the establishment of Kunming city. In 1922, Kunming Municipal Hall was established instead. Kunming Municipal Government was established on August 1, 1928.

During the war of resistance against Japan, Kunming became one of the economic, cultural and military important cities, known as the ‘Fortress of Democracy’. On December 9, 1949, Kunming was peacefully liberated.

Natural environment

Kunming is located in the middle of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. Situated in a fertile lake basin on the northern shore of the Lake Dian and surrounded by mountains to the north, west, and east, Kunming has always played a pivotal role in the communications of southwestern China. Kunming is the frontier and gateway to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East, South Europe, and Africa. It connects to the coast through Guizhou and Yunnan to the east; to the Central Plains through Sichuan and Chongqing to the north; to Thailand and Cambodia via Vietnam and Laos to the south; and to Burma, India and Pakistan to the west, which shows Kunming has unique geographical advantages.

Kunming is located between north latitude 24°23´ and 26°22´N, and east longitude 102°10´and 103°40´E. Its downtown area is 1,891 m above sea level. Kunming's highest point is Mazong Ridge of the Jiaozi Mountain in Luquan with an elevation of 4,247.7 m, and its lowest point is the joint of the Xiao River and the Jinsha River in Dongchuan District, with an elevation of 746 m. Kunming is located on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and its terrain is high in the north and low in the south, decreasing gradually like a ladder. Its central part is uplifting, while both east and west sides are lower. The main landform of Kunming is the lake and Karst plateau, and the red raw mountain is the second most common landform. Most of the area is between 1,500 and 2,800 m above sea level.

Climate

Kunming is controlled by a subtropical highland climate. Due to the influence of southwest warm air from India Ocean, the city has an annual mean temperature of 15 °C, 2,200 hours of bright sunshine annually, a frost-free period of 240 days, and a rainfall of 1,035 mm. Temperatures in the city have ranged from 0 to 29 °C. With its perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, Kunming is known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ and ‘City of Flowers’.

The annual temperature difference of Kunming is small, and the city has an annual mean temperature of 15 °C. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8 °C in January to 19 °C in June, with daily high temperatures reaching their lowest point and peak in December and May, respectively. Extreme temperatures in the city have ranged from −7.8 to 31.2 °C. With its suitable temperature and humidity, and short frost period, Kunming has a perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, so it is known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’.

Kunming has a huge daily temperature difference, and high UV radiation intensity. There are four seasons in one day. It is said that the weather will turn into winter when it rains. The daily temperature difference is 12 to 20 °C in winter and 4 to 10 °C in summer.

Kunming is located in the north subtropical zone, but there is no midsummer heat or severe cold in winter in most of its areas, thus it’s known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’. It’s warm in spring, dry with little rain, and the daily temperature difference is huge. The monthly average temperature is below 20 °C. There is no midsummer heat, the rainfall is concentrated, which accounted for more than 60% of the annual amount, and the average temperature is 22 °C. The autumn is cool, bright, less rain, and the frost began. There is no severe cold in winter, with plenty of sunshine, and it’s sunny and dry. The monthly average sunny days are more than 20, with 230 hours of sunshine and 4 rainy days, and the monthly rainfall is accounted for only 3 to 5% of the entire year.

The best tourist season

Kunming is the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, belongs to the temperate plateau monsoon climate, which has long sunshine time. The four seasons are all like spring, with a mild climate, no midsummer heat or severe cold in winter. Four seasons are very suitable for tourism. The annual mean temperature is 15 °C. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 19 °C in January to 22 °C in June, and ranges from 6 to 8 °C in the coldest months.

Although Kunming is suitable for tourism throughout the year, but the best time for tourists is March to October, and you can see the most beautiful scenery during this time. This is when a majority of ethnic minority festivals take place in Yunnan, and also the best season for fruits and flowers. Therefore, it’s the best time to enjoy a fruitful travel in Kunming.

Holiday arrangements

The same as the statutory holidays in China

New Year’s Day December 31, 2016 - January 2nd, 2017

Spring Festival New Year’s Eve to the sixth day of the lunar January

Tomb-sweeping Day April 2 - April 4

Labor Day April 29 - May 1st

Dragon Boat Festival May 28 - 30

Mid-autumn Festival October 4

National Day October 1st - October 8