{"id":13429,"date":"2017-06-26T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=13429"},"modified":"2017-10-23T19:06:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T23:06:07","slug":"72-hours-in-kunming-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/72-hours-in-kunming-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"72 Hours in Kunming (Part Two)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kunming is one of many Chinese cities that you can visit visa-free for 72 hours. Three days is just enough to scratch the surface of the Spring City, which is often listed as one of the most beautiful in China. After staying in the city center for the first day<\/a>, it’s time to do a bit of exploring.<\/p>\n

Day Two<\/h2>\n

Grand View Park<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Grand View Park<\/p><\/div>\n

Our second day in Kunming begins at the scenic Grand View Park<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(\u5927\u89c2\u516c\u56ed \u2013 d\u00e0 gu\u0101n g\u014dng yu\u00e1n). It’s only a few kilometers southwest of the city, easily reachable by bus or cab, and only 20 RMB to enter. The park is named after the Grand View Tower, which houses a famous 180-character couplet describing the beauty of the area and the history of Yunnan. It’s not just a clever name – you really do get an incredible view of the Western Hills<\/a> and Dianchi Lake from atop the tower.<\/p>\n

\u8fd9\u4e2a\u516c\u56ed\u7279\u522b\u6f02\u4eae!
\nzh\u00e8 ge g\u014dng yu\u00e1n t\u00e8 bi\u00e9 pi\u00e0o liang
\nThis park is incredibly beautiful!<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Grand View Tower and the lake.<\/p><\/div>\n

After climbing the tower, you can explore the many gardens, rent a paddle boat to cruise around the lake, or hit the amusement park to ride the massive Ferris wheel or roller coaster.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Lantern Festival<\/p><\/div>\n

If you happen to be in town around Chinese New Year, you can visit after dark to check out the amazing\u00a0Lantern Festival<\/strong> (\u5143\u5bb5\u8282 \u2013 yu\u00e1n xi\u0101o ji\u00e9). Whenever you go, you can easily spend half a day enjoying the park and all its natural beauty.<\/p>\n

Downtown and Bird & Flower Market<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Downtown Kunming<\/p><\/div>\n

\u6606\u660e\u53d1\u5c55\u5f88\u5feb
\nK\u016bnm\u00edng f\u0101 zh\u01cen h\u011bn ku\u00e0i
\nKunming is developing very quickly.<\/h3>\n

After the park, head downtown to walk around Kunming’s many pedestrian streets and squares. As with many other Chinese cities, Kunming has been growing rapidly over the last few decades. Walking around this bustling part of town, you’ll see countless shopping centers, restaurants, cafes, and so much more. You can even get a massage in the street!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Birds and Flowers<\/p><\/div>\n

Something you won’t want to miss is the unique Bird and Flower Market<\/strong> (\u82b1\u9e1f\u5e02\u573a – hu\u0101 ni\u01ceo sh\u00ec ch\u01ceng). Of course, you can buy several different types of birds and flowers here, but that’s not all…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Looking for a tarantula?<\/p><\/div>\n

\u4f60\u60f3\u4e70\u72fc\u86db\u5417\uff1f
\nn\u01d0 xi\u01ceng m\u01cei l\u00e1ng zh\u016b ma?
\nDo you want to buy a tarantula?<\/h3>\n

You can go home with all sorts of odd pets after shopping here – snakes, lizards, squirrels, multi-colored frogs, and even massive tarantulas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

More scenes of the market.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even if you’re not in the market for exotic plants or animals, it’s still worth a visit just to check it out. Plus, this is a one stop shop for all your souvenir needs. Pick up some local jewelry, a Yunnan water pipe (they look like huge bongs), or a funny little pouch with Obama dressed as a comrade and a classic Chinglish idiom…<\/p>\n

\u597d\u597d\u5b66\u4e60\uff0c\u5929\u5929\u5411\u4e0a\uff01
\nh\u01ceo h\u00e0o xu\u00e9 x\u00ed, ti\u0101n ti\u0101n xi\u00e0ng sh\u00e0ng
\nGood good study, day day up!<\/h3>\n

After that busy day, it’s time to chill out, grab a coffee (or tea) and eat a nice meal. A great place to head is the area around Yunnan University<\/strong> (\u4e91\u5357\u5927\u5b66 – y\u00fan n\u00e1n d\u00e0 xu\u00e9).<\/p>\n

Culture Alley<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

A tattoo shop on Wenhua Xiang.<\/p><\/div>\n

Just off campus, you’ll find the bustling\u00a0Culture Alley<\/strong> (\u6587\u5316\u4e61 – w\u00e9n hu\u00e0 xi\u0101ng). It’s home to a large book store, several restaurants, cafes, bars, tattoo shops, and a nightly street market. A popular gathering place for local expats is Salvador’s Coffee House<\/strong> (\u8428\u5c14\u74e6\u591a\u5496\u5561\u9986 – s\u00e0’\u011br w\u01ce du\u014d k\u0101 f\u0113i gu\u01cen), where you can get great juices, teas, coffees, and Western food. Or you can just hang out on the porch and hear local English teachers complain about their classes over a cheap glass of wine during Happy Hour. Don’t be surprised if Chinese tourists walk by and snap your picture as you hear their tour guide say:<\/p>\n

\u8fd9\u91cc\u6709\u5f88\u591a\u8001\u5916!
\nzh\u00e8 l\u01d0 y\u01d2u h\u011bn du\u014d l\u01ceo w\u00e0i
\nThere are a lot of foreigners here!<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Mmmmm.. Yunnan food.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the best restaurants in Kunming is located right next door. Heavenly Mana<\/strong> (\u5417\u54ea – ma n\u01ce) specializes in Yunnan cuisine and everything they cook is fantastic. Order some red bean & mint, broccoli, tomato & goat cheese, spicy tofu, or the classic “Old Grandma’s potatoes<\/strong>” (\u8001\u5976\u5976\u6d0b\u828b – l\u01ceo n\u01cei nai y\u00e1ng y\u00f9). Don’t eat too much, though, because there’s no time for a food coma tonight.<\/p>\n

Nightlife<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

A younger me enjoying Kundu.<\/p><\/div>\n

To really take in the nightlife of the city, head right into the belly of the beast at Kundu<\/strong> (\u6606\u90fd). This square is packed full of bars and clubs, and it’s bumping every night of the week. The Mask<\/strong> (\u8138\u8c31\u9152\u5427- li\u01cen p\u01d4 ji\u01d4 b\u0101) is a great place for live music and people watching, especially on the weekends when the crowd spills outside and up the big staircase. After several drinks, you may work up the courage to go into a Chinese night club. There you’ll find pulsating loud music, lots of whiskey & green tea drinks, and everyone playing a raucous dice game. Pull yourself away before things get out of hand and have some water and then get some sleep. You’ll get to sweat those toxins out tomorrow morning on a hike to start your last day!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go on a great day trip and rock out on your final day in Kunming<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Kunming is one of many Chinese cities that you can visit visa-free for 72 hours. Three days is just enough to scratch the surface of the Spring City, which is often listed as one of the most beautiful in China. After staying in the city center for the first day, it’s time to do a…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":13434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[481478,481484,371340,378586,115712,378593,481480,378563,378590,378589,115711,272843,481485],"class_list":["post-13429","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-72-hours-in-kunming","tag-culture-alley-kunming","tag-grand-view-park","tag-kundu","tag-kunming","tag-kunming-bird-and-flower-market","tag-kunming-itinerary","tag-kunming-nightlife","tag-wenhua-xiang","tag-what-to-do-in-kunming","tag-yunnan","tag-yunnan-province","tag-yunnan-university"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13429"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13788,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13429\/revisions\/13788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}