Kunming

Author: Compiled by the Editorial Committee of "China Travel Guide"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-09-01
Features: In central Yunnan, there is a vast, shimmering lake, like a dazzling and crystal-clear pearl on the plateau. This is the ancient "Diannan Zhe," also known as "Kunyang Lake" due to its proximity to the city of Kunyang, and is the well-known "Five Hundred Li Dianchi." Poets in the past have described it as: "Kunchi Lake stretches a thousand miles in vastness, bathed in sunlight with immense power, reflecting peaks in its mirror-like surface, and swallowing six rivers into its embrace." The city nestled by this beautiful plateau lake is Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Located in the central part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with the Dianchi to the south and six rivers crisscrossing its landscape, forming the fertile Kunming Plain in the center.
Kunming is situated in the central part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with the city center at an altitude of 1,891 meters. It is bounded by mountains on three sides and faces the Dianchi to the south. The city experiences a low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate, influenced by the warm and humid southwest monsoon from the Indian Ocean. It has long daylight hours, short frost periods, and an average annual temperature of 15°C. The climate is mild, with no extreme heat in summer or cold in winter, making it a renowned "Spring City." As described by poets in the past, the characteristics of Kunming are: "In Kunming during the twelfth lunar month, no heavy coats are needed; even in the dog days of summer, light cottons keep one dry; plum blossoms fill the air in winter, and willow leaves thicken in the new year."
From December to March each year, flocks of red-crowned gulls, seeking refuge from the cold winds of the northern seas, travel thousands of miles to settle in Kunming. Kunming is also a gathering place for natural and cultural landscapes. Its long history and unique geological structure have left behind numerous cultural relics, historical sites, and scenic spots. As an international tourist city in development, Kunming has now become a multifunctional, all-season tourist destination centered around the World Expo, blending natural beauty and ethnic culture.
Kunming spans an elevation of 746 meters to 4,247 meters, covering an area of 15,942 square kilometers, with a built-up area of 98 square kilometers. It administers four districts (Panlong, Wuhua, Xishan, and Guandu) and eight counties (Chenggong, Jinning, Anning, Fumin, Songming, Yiliang, Lunan, and Luxuan). The city has a population of 3,635,212, including 25 ethnic groups such as Han, Yi, Hui, Bai, Miao, and Mongolian. The minority population accounts for 12.6%, with a urban population of 1,611,969.