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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)

Transportation Duration
Green Lake Park (2.5km) Walking/Cycling/Bus 30 mins
Nanping Street/Jinmabiji (1.4km) Walking/Cycling 15 mins
Western Hill Park (18km) Undergrounds/Driving 50 mins
Golden Palace Park (6.9km) Bus/Driving 25-40 mins
Dianchi Lake (15km) Bus/Driving 40-60 mins
Yunnan Safari Zoo (9.8km) Bus/Driving 25-70 mins
Dounan Flower Trade Market(19km) Undergrounds/Driving 40-70 mins
Zhuanxin Market (5.3km) Cycling/Undergrounds/Driving/Bus 20-35 mins
Changshui International Airport  (21km) Undergrounds/Driving 30-45 mins
Kunming Railway Station (3.1km) Bus/Undergrounds/Driving 20-30 mins
Kunming South Railway Station (28km) Undergrounds/Driving 50-70 mins

 

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Which Chinese Language Program
is right for you?

OVER 7000+ STUDENTS
HAVE STUDIED AT KEATS

Sarah | Dubai
Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

My teachers are all excellent. They trained the teachers so professionally. I feel like I learn very quickly with my teacher. They are very serious about their students and I know every teacher is like this. I would highly recommend that you come to Keats if you are looking for the best Chinese school in China.

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.

Steve | UK
Small Group Chinese Class

I really enjoy coming here because it is like kind of a home for me. It is a great environment to learn Mandarin Chinese in China and meet great people from all over the world. Everyone here is extremely friendly. Kunming has a really nice climate. It is a very good mix of the modern city and also a lot of historic Chinese culture. Probably got the cleanest air in China and possibly the cleanest water too. I invite you to come to study Chinese in Kunming.

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.

 

SJOERD | Netherlands
Small Group Chinese Class

We use a lot of games to learn grammar and new words. We have really good teachers, really patient. She helps us a lot. Our class is really nice and we have people from all over the world, different countries. We often discuss topics in Chinese in our class. I live in the dorm of Keats. It is very convenient. I don’t have to spend time traveling. You can just focus on learning Chinese.

Martine | France
Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

I really enjoy this place because we have private Mandarin lessons. I took the 6-hour program, 4 hours in the morning, 2 in the afternoon. Even though it is quite a lot, the teaching is complimentary. This is very helpful because I could review what I did before and learn new things. My 2 teachers are fantastic. We live in the school, so it is convenient. It is interesting to me to meet people from all over the world.

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.

Judith | USA
Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

Listening and speaking in the classroom every day has improved my communication skills. After three weeks, my new words and sentences became more and more natural and fluent. Now I am used to thinking in Chinese, and I understand better what other people say, to be able to have real conversations with other people.

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