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 5^th 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