As one of popular tourism city, Kunming City is also known as "Spring City". Located in the central region of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province. With a total area of 21012 square kilometers, Kunming has jurisdiction over 7 districts, 3 counties, 3 autonomous counties, and manages 1 county-level city. Here lives 26 ethnic groups with a tatal population of 8.68 million people.
Geography
Kunming is located in the the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the terrain gradually decreases from north to south in a ladder shape. The terrain within its territory is mainly characterized by lake basin karst plateau landforms, followed by red mountain plain landforms, with basins and plateaus scattered in a staggered manner.
The northern part of Kunming is a high-altitude mountainous area. The Pudu River flows from south to north into the Jinsha River, with Santai Mountain to the west and Gongwang Mountain and Liangwang Mountain to the east. The altitude is generally between 2600 and 2800 meters, embedded with flat land and lakes. In the southeast of Kunming, there is the Nanpan River winding from east to south, with an altitude of 1500-1800 meters. The dams and hills are staggered.
Among the land area of Kunming City, mountains and hills account for 88%, flat land accounts for 10%, and lake water surface accounts for 2%. Most areas within the city have an altitude of 1500-2800 meters.
The urban area of Kunming is located on the flat ground of Dianchi Lake, with an average elevation of 1891 meters. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and borders Dianchi Lake to the south. Jiaozi Snow Mountain is the highest point in Kunming, with an elevation of 4344 meters. The confluence of Jinsha River and Pudu River is the lowest point in Kunming, with an altitude of 746 meters.
Kunming is located in the watershed of the Yangtze River (Jinsha River), the Pearl River (Nanpan River) and Red River. The main rivers in Kuming include Pudu River, Xiaojiang River, Niulan River, Nanpan River, Zhangjiu River, Muban River, Xima River, and Bajiang River.
Pudu River, with a total length of 380 kilometers, is the third largest primary tributary on the right bank of the Jinsha River in Yunnan Province, and also the largest river in Kunming City in terms of drainage area. It originates from the northern foot of Liangwang Mountain in Songming County and flows into the Jinsha River in Luquan County, passing through 10 counties and districts including Chongming, Guandu, Panlong, Wuhua, Xishan, Chenggong, Jinning, Anning, Fumin, and Luquan.
There are a total of 10 freshwater lakes in Kunming City, most of which are faulted lakes. The main lakes include Dianchi Lake, Yangzonghai Lake, and Qingshuihai Lake
Dianchi Lake is the largest plateau freshwater lake in Yunnan Province, with a slightly arched body. It is 12.5 kilometers wide from east to west, 38 kilometers long from north to south, and has a shoreline of 130 kilometers with an average depth of 4.4 meters. It belongs to the Jinsha River system The natural embankment divides Dianchi Lake into two parts, north and south. The southern water area is called the outer sea, and the northern water area is called the Caohai Dianchi Lake has a catchment area of 2920 square kilometers, a water surface area of 309 square kilometers, a maximum depth of 11.2 meters, and a lake capacity of 1.56 billion cubic meters.
Yangzonghai Lake is located in Yiliang, Chenggong and Chengjiang counties, belonging to the the Pearl River water system. Yangzonghai has a catchment area of 192 square kilometers, a water surface area of 31 square kilometers, a maximum depth of 30 meters, and a lake capacity of 604 million cubic meters.
Climate
Kunming belongs to the subtropical plateau mountainous monsoon climate, with a mild climate and no scorching heat in summer and no severe cold in winter. Hence, Kunming is praised as " Spring City ".
History
About 30000 years ago, humans lived in the Dianchi area. From the Warring States period to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the "Dian people" around Dianchi established the Dian Kingdom and created the "Dian culture". In 109 BC, the Western Han Dynasty incorporated the Dianchi area into the Central Plains. In 765 AD, the Nanzhao Kingdom built the Tuodong City, marking the beginning of the Kunming Ming Dynasty's city construction. During the Dali Kingdom, it was called Shanchan City. In 1276 AD, Kunming was called Zhongqing City and became the provincial capital for the first time. On August 1, 1928, the Kunming Municipal Government was established. On December 9, 1949, Kunming was peacefully liberated.
Economy
Kunming City will focus on developing four emerging industries: new materials, biomedicine, electronic information, and advanced equipment manufacturing. At the same time, traditional industries will be transformed, with characteristic industries such as flowers and coffee. Special tourism products such as seagull viewing, flower appreciation, mushroom eating, leisure tourism, and health preservation will also be launched.
Tourism
Kunming is a regional center city approved by the State Council for South Asia and Southeast Asia, a national historical and cultural city, an international comprehensive transportation hub city, an open gateway to South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean region, an advanced manufacturing base in the western region, and an international tourist destination. As of the end of 2022, Kunming City has 27 national key cultural relics protection units and 7 national intangible cultural heritage projects.
Kunming city center is an attraction with its two squares ( Jinma Biji Square, Dongfeng Square) and five intersecting roads (Dongfeng Road, Jinbi Road, Zhengyi Road, Renmin Road and Qingnian Road). Of these, Jinma Biji Square (also known as Jinbi Square) has the most eye-catching archways and stylish architectures. Qingnian Road, Zhengyi Road and Renmin Road are the main commercial areas. The most popular pedestrian streets are Nanping Street, Jingxing Flowers & Birds Market, and Jinma Biji Fang. The city is also the focal point of Yunnan minority culture. Some 26 ethnic minorities such as Yi, Bai, Miao, Dai, and Hani inhabit this region.
No matter from which perspective Kunming is viewed, it must be a beautiful spring with a blue and lofty sky, as if it were transparent. This city gives people a subtle beauty, with bright sunshine, blue sky, and comfortable climate, making people want to leave behind the magical power of life.
Welcome to Kunming!