China Yunnan Province Summary and Last Day in Kunming

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Day 14

Kunming Last Day

This is the last day in China and we are going home at 11.30pm via Seoul in S Korea. Yesterday we went to the Golden Temple in the north of the city on a small hill where the air is less polluted. The small temple is all copper and used 250 tonnes in its construction. At the top of the hill is a large bell which is 400 years old and a small replica which visitors can ring for 20p by striking it with a big wooden fish on a rope. Alongside the temple are two small trees dating back to the mid 1600's which are still living but rather fragile looking. The temple has a Buddha which is an image of the Chinese General who,opened the gates of Yunnan in early 1600's to the invading forces of the Qing, who were to be the last dynasty of China. For this act he was given this district by the new rulers. There are some very nice gardens surrounding the temple which are very relaxing and colourful and typical of China. We later skirted the Green Lake Park which is another area that is a good place to relax and have a communal dance with the locals, if you wish, or listen to the buskers in the shade of the trees. We are due to visit the large lake south of the city this afternoon before our "Last Supper" tonight where we say goodbye to our absolutely first class guides David and Michael.

SUMMARY

China an overview of Yunnan Province.

China having a population of 1.3 billion people is a vast country of immense variety and cultural diversity. The people are generally quite welcoming and some smile or they stand and watch in amazement at foreigners, or aliens as the posters call us. They are a hard working nation and making big efforts to better themselves. I have noticed a lot of very expensive cars on the road, compared to 2009, when I was here last. The Chinese tourists also take our picture as well as vice versa. There are also more overweight Chinese due to their new affluence and access to a western diet of MacDonald's, KFC etc? This is already causing medical problems with more heart and stroke victims being recorded every year, I believe. Their health service has also a long way to go to cope with this and they need serious money to be put into this. The hospital in Lijiang was large and new but with not much in the way of equipment, or expertise, that we could see. The Chinese who keep to their traditional diet will have no concerns since we have eaten very healthily all the time of our two week visit. The food, whilst not cooked in the most hygienic looking places, has been cooked freshly in front of us with all the vegetables washed prior to cooking and meat emerging from freezers. There is nothing to fear from their cooking, even though I did have a minor stomach bug early on in the tour, which could have been water or anything. The burgeoning quest for modernisation and change with continued roadbuilding have made China into a vast quarry and filled the roads with lorries of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately they are still making and using small trucks carrying about 2 tons with single and twin cylinder diesel engines which put out enormous clouds of smoke and noise that will make the drivers deaf in 5 years. Another major problem is that the lorries continue to be unsheeted and drop loads of dust and stone onto the road, only to be blown about and to create hazards on the road itself. Not the best conditions for cycling. Litter is also a problem, which appears to be a national problem of the locals having no civic pride and do not care that they ruin the environment. Spitting is also commonplace, smoking rife amongst men and throwing cigarette ends away - all things that we have been through I am sure. They do care about their heritage and have a great deal of diverse things to share with their own people and visitors as well, such as the Bai people, the Naxi musicians, temples etc etc. They also keep places like Dali and Lijiang spotless for the tourists. Many of the old villages are still unspoilt with the traditional courtyard with high walls and big doors. Inside are animal stalls and stores of rice, maize and fodder etc. Often threshing is done in the courtyard using pure manpower. The pace is slow and our farmers would shudder at the inefficiency but the older peasants seem quite content and survive. The young may have aspirations and this may cause big problems in food production for this vast population unless they mechanise, which I am sure they must. We have already seen some small rice harvesters just north of Jinchuan, which should be much faster than the sycle. There were also some largish tractors on evidence all the way north of Dali doing ploughing and rotovating the land. They will have to make the fields bigger and more uniform to enable mechanisation to take place more fully. I think they will see rapid changes in agriculture in the next 10 years as the young get educated and drift to the cities. One thing they will also need to address is the sanitation and water supply in the country. Currently all waste water is allowed to enter the streams and rivers, which in turn pollutes the water supply. Septic tanks are unheard of and the water tastes dreadful and even they drink a lot of bottled water. This is very wasteful and creates a mountain of empty plastic bottles. On the plus side many are trying to get people to have more pride and think for themselves, which should slowly create a better place to live for everyone. They are always looking to the west for ideas and inspiration since we have been there not too long ago. I remember dropping down into Blackburn in the early 60's and could only see the tops of mill chimneys above the smog and polluted air. China has a great future and a rich heritage to draw on and is responsible for our good standard of living because of their cheap goods flooding into us. This, of course, has its own problems in an imbalance of payments And the decline of our manufacturing businesses. eventually their standards will rise and their goods will become more expensive. I suppose other cheap suppliers will appear in Asia to replace them or we will begin to manufacture again.As a holiday destination it is very interesting and well worth visiting but beware the package tours that we have seen where there are so many people that it resembles a cattle auction. I would suggest a more relaxed self created tour and especially a cycling holiday where you get to see so much more and mix with the community better. The roads are becoming busier with so many people buying cars and scooters with bicycles becoming less common, as shown by the lack of cycle shops in Kunming. Vehicle horn manufacturers should do well here since horn blowing is a popular past time, I think. in the city riders have to be very robust and keep their eyes peeled as traffic rules seem to be obeyed on a voluntary basis. Zebra crossings are places for motorists to intimidate pedestrians into submission and seem to serve no purpose. Our guide Michael, when asked, said he did not know what they were for. Cars also use bicycle lanes if the road is full, U turns on busy roads is normal and the rule seems to be “keep moving at all costs”. The biggest vehicles win and city roads are not for wimps.As the new major roads are completed the minor roads should become a bit quieter and more cycle friendly, making it even better for cyclists.

More photos to be uploaded on my return.

China is a great place and I will miss it.

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Photos

Yulong Snowy Mointain
Lijiang

Bags of Maize
Daju Village