Kunming Holidays

Situated at an elevation of 2000m above sea level on the fertile Yunnan plateau, Kunming, capital of Yunnan province is known as the City of Eternal Spring. Subtropical Kunming is skirted by mountain ranges to the north, east, and west, whilst to the south lays a large lake called Dianchi.

Kunming has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. It is known to have been a small settlement as early as 109 B.C., trading in salt, silver, gold, silk and lumber. Through the eighth to the 13th centuries, it was the secondary capital of a small kingdom in the region, before falling to the Mongols in 1374. A small group of Mongols still exists at Tonghai, beyond Kunming. In the early 20th century it became an important rail hub when the French constructed the rail link between Vietnam and China, and during WW II it was one end of the Burma Road built by the Allies.

Draw cards in Kunming include a number of important temples, the splendid Provincial Museum, an Old Muslim Quarter and the Bird and Flower Market.

Some 16km from Kunming are the Western Hills (which rise to 2,500m) and Dragon Gate, a series of winding steps, tunnels and statue-filled grottoes leading up to a lookout point, which is also served by a chair-lift. The views from the top extend over Lake Dian. Dianchi, also known as Kunming Lake, covers 130 square miles and was formed by a geological fault in the central Yunnan Plateau.