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Things to Do in Kunming

Congratulations on your upcoming Chinese language program in China! You might be curious about how it feels like to live and study in Kunming.

Kunming boasts a vibrant foreign and local community and is the 5th largest airport in China for easy travel anywhere in China and Southeast Asia. It’s got a relatively low cost of living, great weather (Spring City), Low pollution, access to foreign restaurants, supermarkets, and bars for when you need a bit of home.

Yunnan is home to numerous wonderful minorities, mountains, lakes, caves, villages, and over 2000 edible mushrooms. The 26 minorities living in Yunnan make the local cuisine one of China’s most interesting and varied. There are endless things to explore.

Downtown of Kunming: various commercial centers, parks, and also pubs.

After settling down in Kunming, you may start your exploration downtown first. There are a few districts in downtown Kunming, and you would find many commercial centers locates in different districts. You can go shopping, watch films, enjoy tasty foods and drinks, drop by various book stores and interesting groceries, and try the most popular lifestyle in the commercial center. Nanping Street, which is close to the Golden Horse Gate, is the landmark of the shopping malls in Kunming. There are numerous cafes, restaurants, and pubs with diverse themes that available for night events. It only takes you around 15 minutes to walk there from Keats School.

Green Lake Park and Lotus Lake Park are two parks with long histories and are welcomed by most local residents. Both of the two parks are lovely places for relaxation and entertainment. You could also find runner groups with the same interest if you are a jogging lover.

Food Materials Market and Flower Trade Market

 

If you’re crazy about gourmet and cooking, you cannot miss this famous local spot -Zhuanxin market. Zhuanxin is the biggest market in Kunming, and you can find almost all kinds of fresh food materials you want. You can also try plenty of local street snacks at Zhuanxin. Such as the typical local dish called Dou Hua Mi Xian (a bowel of rice noddle served with tofu and gravy), Dou Mian Tang Yuan (sticky rice dumpling covered by syrup and grounded pea powder), Kao Ru Shan (roasted cheese), and other flavored snacks. Zhuanxin market is a place that lots of local people will visit daily, so it’s also a good place for you to practice your speaking Chinese. For example, you can learn how to ask for price, negotiate for the best offer, and learn plenty of foods’ names.

Dounan Flower Trade Market is another famous market here in Kunming. Benefitted from the climate and biodiversity, Kunming has a reputation as the capital of fresh flowers too. Fresh flowers are selling to all over the world from this place every day. You could visit this place and buy flowers at a very low price.

Places for hiking and cycling

In suburban areas of Kunming, you could find hills and mountains for hiking. Motian Hills, Golden Temple, and the Western Hills are all good places to visit. Make sure you have checked the routine and transportation ahead. Keats School can help you with tickets booking and provide the information that you need.

If you love cycling, then Dianchi Lake Park would be an ideal place for you to take a ride. With a stretch long side road along the lake, amazing beautiful scene, and lovely seagulls from Siberia in winter every year, Dianchi Lake Park is also a typical spot worth visiting.

Tours in Yunnan

Yunnan, where Kunming city is located, is a province with splendid traveling opportunities. Keats School can help you to combine your study schedule with your traveling plan. You may start with the nearest touring spot, Stone Forest. It takes about 90 minutes to drive to get there from Kunming. You will appreciate the amazing typical Karst topography here. Other tour attractions nearby Kunming include Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-la, Yuanyang, Puzhehei, and Xishuangbanna. You will experience a stunning landscape and colorful ethnic minority group culture during the trip. You can check out a list of places you can visit during the weekend. I believe these tourist attractions will leave you with impressive memories.

Activities and events after class

One of the benefits of staying in Kunming is that you can enroll in the Mandarin learning programs of Keats School. Learning Chinese while living here is the best way to get immersion. There are different course levels for your consideration: Elementary, Lower Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, and Advanced. All language classes in Keats are delivered by professional teachers with rich practical experiences.

Keats School will organize Language exchange events and other activities with different topics to help all students make acquaintance with each other and locals. This can also help you to better understand Chinese culture.

Out of Keats School, you can also find other events that you’re interested in on the local website.

You must be excited about your living and study in Kunming already after reading this. If you haven’t enrolled in the Chinese learning programs delivered by Keats School yet, then it would be perfect timing to take action. With so many interesting things to do in Kunming, it is no doubt that your language program would turn into a wonderful adventure.

 

Distance from Keats School to some popular spots

Destination (Distance)

TransportationDuration
Green Lake Park (2.5km)Walking/Cycling/Bus30 mins
Nanping Street/Jinmabiji (1.4km)Walking/Cycling15 mins
Western Hill Park (18km)Undergrounds/Driving50 mins
Golden Palace Park (6.9km)Bus/Driving25-40 mins
Dianchi Lake (15km)Bus/Driving40-60 mins
Yunnan Safari Zoo (9.8km)Bus/Driving25-70 mins
Dounan Flower Trade Market(19km)Undergrounds/Driving40-70 mins
Zhuanxin Market (5.3km)Cycling/Undergrounds/Driving/Bus20-35 mins
Changshui International Airport  (21km)Undergrounds/Driving30-45 mins
Kunming Railway Station (3.1km)Bus/Undergrounds/Driving20-30 mins
Kunming South Railway Station (28km)Undergrounds/Driving50-70 mins

 

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OVER 7300+ STUDENTS HAVE STUDIED AT KEATS

Ramji

Ramji | USA

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

The best part of the school is the patience the instructors had and the time to focus on the fundamentals like pronunciation. I think it is very easy to skip over those and go to vocabulary. But by learning the pronunciation, I feel like it helped me gain a better understanding of the language.

Kim

Kim | UK

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

I’ve had an amazing time at Keats. I am amazed at how much I’ve learned over the last 3 weeks and I will be really sad to go. We are already planning on our next trip of coming back because we had such a fantastic time here. They really tailor the Chinese language course to you and your individual needs.

Matteo

Matteo | Italy

Small Group Chinese Class

I really enjoy studying Chinese in Kunming at Keats. The teachers are great and my classmates are awesome. It is an unforgettable experience for me. I also got the chance to travel to other places in Yunnan. Those places are amazing and you definitely need to visit these places when you study Chinese in China at Keats.

Mike

Mike | Australia

Small Group Chinese Class

I think Kunming is a great city, the weather is really good. I really like Keats school and found it is very organized. The teachers here are very good. They have a coffee shop and new classrooms, a new lounge area here now, so you can chill out with your friends and practice your spoken Chinese with natives. If you’re considering coming to Keats to study, I would really recommend it. It’s the best place to learn Mandarin and I think it will be a great experience for you.

 

Viktor

Viktor | Switzerland

Small Group Chinese Class

My school is amazing. I recommend Keats School because it is a more convenient way to learn Chinese in Kunming.

Shihori

Shihori | Japan

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

In the one-to-one intensive Chinese course, you can choose the learning method you like. The small group Chinese class in China at Keats follows the HSK textbook. Teachers often collect feedback from the students, teachers listen to our requirements and opinions. I felt that my oral level is better than before .

Amauri

Amauri | USA

Small Group Chinese Class

The teachers at Keats know how to read the students and how to help students learn Chinese language easily. They know the level of the students. I am a slow learner, but they managed to adapt to my learning. They made the class very fun, very exciting. I am pleased that not only I got to learn the culture and the language, but I also got to make amazing friends, really unbelievable, Chinese friends and European friends, American friends, from all over the world.

Ida

Ida | Italy

Small Group Chinese Class

I have studied at Keats for 2 semesters. I highly recommend Keats School. If you are very interested in taking a Mandarin course in China, I would suggest you come to Kunming. Kunming people are very friendly. The weather in Kunming is great. So I recommend that you study Chinese at Keats in Kunming.

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