Kunming's People

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival happened a few days back, which brought back memories of a past trip to Kunming. We had a great time in that part of China. The scenery at the Stone Forest was dazzling (see right) and the whole experience was memorable, but the best part was the yet untainted essence of KunMing city. You could feel it in her people - from every day people on the street to the vendors to the restaurant workers. Whereas in Beijing, many in the tourism trade had perfected the crass side of their craft - street vendors yelling, tugging, ripping off foreigners, Kunming felt slightly more sheltered from the ugly side of trying to turn a profit at all costs. Words can't capture all the little things that created this impression.

The most enduring memory from that time was the sense that although Kunming was a big city, it still had a community feel. After a delicious dinner one night, we decided to go for a stroll in the center of the city. We ended up in beautiful Green Lake Park. It was a peaceful moon-lit night and we strolled leisurely past willow trees, enjoying the fresh night air, when from somewhere in the park, music started. The different yet somewhat familiar sounds of traditional Chinese instruments aroused our interest, and following the sounds led to three white-bearded elderly gentleman with their home-brought chairs, enjoying each other's music. The music attracted many of the park visitors - a good thirty locals, ranging from mid-age to elderly, who gathered to listen to the music. As we stayed to enjoy the music, the locals began dancing to these folk tunes, and they were just really enjoying themselves. The music drew more and more locals (on their evening walk) to the area, and the dancers welcomed the new members into their dance. How neat is it that a few people just got together to play music and an impromptu gathering formed?

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