Kunming is known as "Chun Cheng" (City of Spring) in China. So, in my mind, the place should look and feel like a Hangzhou-style city.

But when I saw it, I found that it was totally different from what I thought. On the way downtown from the airport, the city looked very similar to any other modern city in China. That is, it resembled a concrete-jungle. I was a little upset.

But after staying in Kunming for a couple of days, I gradually fell in love with the city, for the beauty of Kunming is mostly hidden from view and needs searching out. It does not look like Hangzhou, with its beautiful lake and mountain skyline providing all the natural beauty.Kunming is more like a shy girl. It conceals its charms in secret corners, and if you do not search these corners out, you may come away a little disappointed.

Cuihu Lake

Recommended by one local guy, I went to Cuihu Lake first. The bus passed through many ordinary-looking streets and arrived at a quiet corner near Yunnan University on North Cuihu Road.

I decided to visit the campus first, as the flourish of green trees stretching out their
branches above the university wall attracted me immediately.

This key university, with a history going back to 1923, is famous for these ginkgo trees. In the late autumn all their leaves turn golden and then sparkle in the sunshine. It is said to be the best place for students to study in the morning. Some students said there were several squirrels living in the ginkgo forest, but I did not have the opportunity to see them.

The Cuihu Lake is just a block away from the campus. With willows on the bank, small elegant pavilions in the center of the lake, and red lotus blossoming in the summer, the lake is quite similar to the famous West Lake in Hangzhou. Yet the lake here is much smaller. The most interesting experience is feeding the water birds. Every winter,countless water birds with red beaks settle here. Visitors can buy bird seeds to feed these attractive birds. But to me, some of them looked very fierce and were all too eager to snatch food from my hand rather than waiting to be fed.

During the weekend, the lake is the best place for local people to spend a casual afternoon with their family members. Around the lake, dozens of teahouses, restaurants, cafes and bars have mushroomed around the water.

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