globe-trotters.ch

June 9th, 2005: Kunming First Impressions

We keep our expectations low as we land in Kunming, the capital of the most south-western province of China, Yunnan. Although we read the city should offer pleasent climate, breathable air, interesting markets, temples and surroundings, good food, and a lot of ethnic diversity, we are ready to see some gray socialist architecture, underdevelopped infrastructure, and perhaps a lot of poor, unsatisfied people.

According to pictures we have seen, such was indeed life here twenty years ago. Today, the middle-sized Chinese city meets us with high-rise glass towers, large, clean streets complete with biking lines and kilometers-long flower beds, and a dynamic but fairly relaxed atmosphere.









This is a city in full bloom. True, as we arrive, Kunming makes an additional effort for the upcoming GMS Summit, a gathering of leaders from six Asian countries. Extra lorries of flowers are being imported to the city from the nearby villages, streets are being washed on a continuous basis, and we see the "cleaning ants" on every building.



But it seems that in the mild subtropical climate at 2000 meters altitude and with ample cheap labor at hand, the city manages to keep its colors all year round.

June 11th, 2005: Brain Candies

My main objective in the pleasent Kunming is to tickle my brains with Mandarin, called here the "common language", for future travels and beyond. As I need an intensive, professional, non-bureaucratic, and flexible program, I picked up a private but government-recognized organization, the Kunming Language School, to help me in my efforts. I booked a month of one-on-one, four hours a day, five days a week "common language" lessons, and lodging for Mathias and myself, over the Internet.



We will soon learn that Xue Yinsheng, President of the school, has a total care approach. She and her daughter, Dian Ze, would arrange everything we need, practice Mandarin with me after lessons, often cook for us, and make our stay a truly nice experience.



We stay in a comfy appartment on the 16th floor in the very central Dongfang Lu.

I am real lucky with my Mandarin teacher, Liu. We have good laughs together, and later pretty serious conversations. The Mandarin grammar is fairly straightforward. But because of the musical nature of the language, short words, and speach speed, understanding turns out to be the major challenge. So, particularly in the last week, Liu spends a lot of time reading to me everything from newspapers to love stories with mythological elements waiting for my simultaneuos translation.. After the lessons, after all the strain, I always look forward to a session of traditional Chinese masage offered just across the street.

We meet other folks at the school, the Dannish, the Canadian, the American. Hi there! We also make Chinese friends learning English or taking other evening lessons at the same school. Not all party at the same pace

Birthday in China is apparently not a big deal. We are told that Spring Festival, Moon Festival, and Labor Day are much bigger parties. We still cook something Western for our friend Song's birthday. Xue cannot believe Mathias can cook, too! She says the Chinese men tend to be very lazy. In her next life, Xue wants to be reborn as a Western woman (;)) We never finish the huge birthday cake.



As there is an increasing interest of foreigners to learn Chinese, Xue plans to enlarge the school as well as to buy new space for student's lodging. A square meter in the city center should cost her about 500 Swiss Francs. Until the 1990s, it was illegal to lend to private businesses in China. But the borrowing is easier now and money relatively cheap. Xue counts on paying about six percent on her loan by three percent inflation.

Xue's energy, focus, and opportunity (and risk)-taking attitude is contagious. This is how many new Chinese entrepreneurs think and act in the ever-changing, insecure, but potentially very rewarding environment: Take the courage and cross the river by feeling the stones. Many of the Xue's students feel a sense of urgency to get the best education possible to face the highly dynamic and competitive environment. Xue's daughter, even if she's the best student of her school, takes the evening Chinese, chemistry, and mathematics repetition classes before the important selection exams. At the age of fifteen, her English is fluent, but she still likes to practice. What is she doing during the summer vacations? Learning Dannish, taking traditionnal Chinese instrument lessons, and volunteering teaching English to primary-school kids. What are Dian Ze's dreams? Going to Harward and later work in international trade. Perhaps her own business..

June 17th, 2005: Kunming Golden Temple

The surroundings of Kunming have always been rich in minerals such as iron, manganese, tin, zink, copper, gold, limestone, karsten dolomite, rock salt, marble, and granite. Mining in Yunnan has a long tradition and it still is one of the pillar industries of the province.

As far as we know, it was during the Shang dynasty rule around 1100 BC that the Dongchuanese extracted the first piece of copper ore in Yunnan. The imagination of the local people and the improving technology soon produced exquisite bronze castings. Some of the old relics are preserved in the Provincial Museum in the Golden Temple Scenic Area about seven kilometers from downtown Kunming. It is our first weekend in the city and this is the place to spend the Saturday morning in.



During the Han, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Yunnan acted as the main supplier of copper coins in China. The copper was so abundant that it was widely used for kitchenware, furniture, musical instruments etc.



In 1671, Wu Sangui, the South West King of the Qing dynasty, decided to cast 250 tons of Dongchuanese solid bronze into a... temple. The ornate temple, named Golden Temple, became the largest bronze hall in China. It still stands in the Golden Temple Scenic Area.





We discover smaller, richly carved bronze temples hidden in the parks's greenery.



Old bronze relics and temples are not the only highlights of the Golden Temple Scenic Area. In 1980s, the area has been enlarged to include twelve botanical gardens. There is the mangolia garden, the azalea garden, as well as the China's biggest camelia garden. An ideal place to escape the rush of the city, smell the flowers, and practice taiqi..

June 24th, 2005: Kunming Western Hills

After an intensive week in the city, Xue's driver takes us to the precipitous hills rising from the west bank of the Lake Dianchi. On three of the hills lay three temple complexes, the Taihua, the Luohan, and the Huating temples.









Although this may be confusing to a Westerner, we heard Yunnanese saying that they believe in gods of more than one religion. The temples perching on the highest hill are indeed partly daoist, partly budhist.









We make our way through the tunnels carved in the cliffs, emerging in temples and caves overlooking the lake before we pass on to the next hill. Here, the landscape is less dramatic but extremely peaceful.







Through an old forest to the third hill. The Huating temple complex is the biggest budhist center of Kunming.

June 9th, 2005: The Kunming Markets

The old Kunming is disappearing fast. Locals living in the old dilapidated houses do not necessarily have the means to renovate them and bits of old neighbourghoods are being scrapped by buldozers every day.









But hope remains that islands of the old will be preserved, in the backstreets where the markets traditionnaly took place and that to a degree earn money to maintain themselves.



Here, country men bring their heavy produce to urban consumers, on their bicycles.



Alternatively, tenants or residents try to develop a business offering all sorts of things, from red Mao booklets through famous Yunnan's tobacco and bamboo pipes, to fighting bugs, colored birds, and bags of acquarium fish.









Some bargains and some things you would never think sellable.

June 31st, 2005: Kunming Bamboo Temple

Buddhism had been introduced to China via the Silk Road from India during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD). After five hundred years of peaks and troughs, it reached its height during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Monasteries and temples were built throughout the country in order to bring the teachings to the people. During this time, Budhism split into two distinct schools: the Chan (Zen) and Pure Land. The Bamboo Temple is the first Zen temple built in Yunnan.









We bike up a steep pass west of Kunming that leads to the Bamboo Temple. The temple was first built in thirteenth burnt down in the fifteen century. When the temple was being restored, an artist produced 500 life-sized colored clay reproduction of fellow monks and placed them around the temple. The statues could be considered kitsch except that they are 500 years old and a work of very precise hands. The 500 monks look so alive and have been spied on in such real situations that the monks concerned called the piece of art outrage.





The monks who live in the adjacent monastery today are much more open to modernity. Sitting in the courtyard under the Chinese redwoods, our thoughts are interrupted by all but celestial music. One of the monks picks up the mobile phone and keeps chatting.



This would be a nice theme for the next couple of clay statues..

The Bamboo Temple is not that big, but its architects did not forget nice details.



We spend some time in the airy backyard before biking back through the old Kunming.

July 3rd, 2005: Kunming Minorities

Some 26 minorities live in Kunming. The Bai, the Dai, the Yi, the Naxi, and other peoples found their way into the city. Walking in the streets, we see many unmistakably different faces.



While busy life took away a lot of time for spirituality, groups of dancers and singers preserve memories of tradition. We get an idea of the diversity of songs, dances, costumes, and most delicious cuisines created throughout Yunnan, shortly before leaving Kunming. There is a dance featuring two men fighting for the same woman. There are guitars strongly reminding of Czech country music. There is a "kankan" dance by men, exclusively. There are swallowers of fire. There are unknown instruments and uncomprehensible dialects.









In a couple of days, we leave for Yunnan's countryside, to get a taste of more.