Kunming Facts and District Guides

Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, has a long history famed for being the ancient gateway to the famous silk road. Renowned as the 'City of Eternal Spring' due to its year-round mild and pleasant spring-like climate, Kunming is located between 102 degrees and 103 degrees east longitude and between 24 degrees and 26 degrees north latitude.

Enjoying a reputation for being one of Chinas' most picturesque cites, Kunming is also one of the most popular tourist destination in southwest China. Similar to other major cities in The Mainland, Kunming boasts a rich and colour historical heritage as it merges itself to being a modern metropolis in present day China.

It has an estimated population of 3,740,000 including 1,055,000 in the urban area and is located at the northern edge of the large Lake Dian. It is also known as a city which plays host to the many Chinese minority ethnic groups with varying cultures which inhabit Yunnan. Around twenty-six ethnic groups can be found living in or around the city. The unique landscape of Kunming featuring attractions such as the Stone Forest and Dianchi Lake attract millions of visitors each year.

Kunming has an estimated population of 3,740,000 including 1,055,000 in the urban area which is located at the northern edge of the large Lake Dian. Known as a city which plays host to the many minority ethnic groups with varying cultures which inhabit Yunnan, there exists about 26 Chinese minority ethnic groups living in or around the city.

Of the city's total population, about six percent are Chinese ethnic minority groups which include Yi, Bai, Miao, Dai, Han, and Hui. Each group has its own featured festivals such as the Torch Festival of Yi people, the Golden Temple Fair and so on. In addition, some 150,000 Vietnamese refugees from the China-Vietnam wars have made their home in Kunming. The unique landscape of Kunming featuring attractions such as the Stone Forest and Dianchi Lake also attract millions of visitors, both foreign and Chinese, to the city each year.

Kunming city proper covers five districts: Wuhua, Panlong, Guandu, Xixian and Dongchuan; and eight counties: Chenggong, Jinning, Fumin, Yiliang, Shilin, Songming, Luquan and Xundian.

• Wuhua and Panlong Districts comprise the city center
• Zhengwen Street runs north to south and Dongfeng Street runs east to west through the Wuhua District, just as they have done for the last several hundred years
• Provincial and municipal government buildings line Wuhua Hill Street, East Dongfeng Street, Shulin Street
• The city's commercial center occupies the areas around Zhengyi Street, Nanping Street, East Dongfeng Street, Wucheng Road and Changchung Road
• The financial center spreads along Nanping Street, Zhengyi Street and Beijing Road
• Lying in the north part of the city is the academic district where there is a cluster of well-known scientific research institutes, universities, and colleges