As the cold winter wind blows away, let's welcome the fresh air that spring brings as we travel all the way to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in China. Spending your spring vacation in China can only be best enjoyed in Kunming; known as the "the City of Eternal Spring", Kunming welcomes local and foreign tourists from year to
year and its highest peak season is always in the spring. The temperature during this time of the year is always pleasant with abundance of green plants, trees and flowers adorning the beautiful gardens and orchids in Kunming.
One of the reasons why I love Kunming in spring is because of its great climate. If you are a nature lover and you want to spend some time with the local minorities of China, then this city has to your next destination. With a beautiful landscape and natural habitat, the majority of the people who live in Kunming and other parts of the
Yunnan Province are the Yunnan minority group. The differences in their ways of living can be seen from the styles of clothes they wear and traditional folk songs and dances. It is obvious that they are full of life and down to earth in the way they preserve their natural and ecological environment. This is another reason why Kunming has one of the most popular birds and flowers market in China. Their birds and flowers market in Jingxing Street is said to best place to rear and culture birds, flowers and aquatic animals due to its mild and stable climate.
Yunnan is also famous for the different types of festivals celebrated in the province. The most important festival is the Kunming International Tourist Festival which takes place between April and May every year. This festival brings foreign tourists together from different parts of the world, all dressed up in oriental style and
participating in all types of Chinese activities like the Shilin Stone Forest Tour, The Stone Forest Torch Carnival, Daguan Lake Park tours, Green Lake Park tours, Bowling activities, Night market exhibition, horticulture exhibitions and local food festivals.
While spending some time exploring the beautiful city of Kunming, you can take time out visit other interesting places such as the Yunnan Province. The Old Town of Lijiang and Dali and Zhongdian are interesting places to visit.
In Dali, you will find old styled traditional houses which have been preserved over the years and signify the rich culture of the Bai people. This area also boasts of the Dali Museum where you can find archaeological pieces relating the history of the Bai people. A three day tour in Dali also grants you the opportunity to see Erhai Lake
- a lake formed into the shape of an ear and The Three Pagodas - an important landmark in Dali showing the religious devotion of the Bai people to Buddhism.
Lijiang Old Town is an old city with magnificent landforms which stands on the plateau located in northwest Yunnan. The landscape of this town is what adds to the beauty of Lijiang.
Spending a weekend in Lijiang Old Town, you can see the natural wonders of this place which attracts visitors to come. These includes the Tiger Leaping Gorge - This is a naturally formed gorge which gives a splendid view of the turbulent flows and gushing rapids of the Golden River; The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is an ice capped snow mountain which is situated on the southern part of the Himalayas peaks and look at it from afar, the mountain looks like a jade Dragon dancing in the clouds hence its name. The Black Dragon Pool and the Baisha Village is also a tourist attraction to see; in Baisha Village, you experience another culture and lifestyle with the Naxi people and their Dongba writing scripts.
Zhongdian is a town in Yunnan which houses the Emerald Pagoda Lake locally known as Bita hai, the major highlight of this town.
With the various festivals, natural sceneries and wonderful locals to spend time with, Yunnan is so beautiful that you can be rest assured that your spring vacation for 2007 would be a wonderful experience.

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