It's official: this month Kunming will launch direct flight services to Dubai, joining a small handful of other Chinese cities with air links to the Middle East.

China Eastern Airlines announced last week that it will launch flight services between Kunming and Dubai on February 22. The thrice-weekly flights include one direct Kunming-Dubai flight and two with stopovers in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The direct service, MU755/6, will depart Kunming at 4 pm and arrive seven hours later in Dubai. MU2021/2 will also leave Kunming at 4 in the afternoon, arriving in Dubai around eight hours later after stopping in Dhaka.

The new air connection is expected to boost already booming non-oil trade between China and Dubai. Additionally, Yunnan is home to one of China's largest Muslim populations, after Xinjiang, Ningxia and Gansu – which should lead to more Yunnan Muslims visiting the Middle East as leisure and religious tourists.

The addition of flight services to Dubai is another step in Kunming's evolution into an international air hub. Since the end of 2007, Kunming has added flight services to Kolkata, India and Kathmandu, Nepal.

The biggest step forward in Kunming's emergence as an international aviation hub will be the opening of Kunming's new airport. The 12 billion yuan (US$175 million) airport is scheduled to open in 2011.

The airport will be located about 30 kilometers northeast of downtown, just past the town of Dabanqiao (大板桥镇). Considerable progress has been made on the airport since construction began in 2008, with the steel skeleton of the airport terminal nearly completed and base earth layers ready for the runways.

The new airport and other infrastructure projects outlined in Kunming's ambitious 12-year development plan, which was unveiled in 2008, promise to bring major changes to the city. Alongside construction of the airport is a four-lane expressway that will link the new airport with the eastern end of Dongfeng Dong Lu via interchanges at the second and third ring roads.

Also, the timeline for construction of light rail line number six, which will run from downtown Kunming to the new airport, has been pushed forward, with construction beginning next year. The light rail was originally going to be extended to the airport by 2020 and is now projected to be completed within five years.

Photos of the new airport expressway and airport construction site:



Dubai image: Dubai Travel Guide

Kunming's current 'sunshine government', headed by party secretary Qiu He (仇和) and mayor Zhang Zulin (张祖林), has had its hands full addressing the city's infrastructure, health care, education and environmental problems over the past two years, but that may just be the beginning.

According to a Kunming Info Hub report, 'evil' is the next target:


What exactly is being referred to by the word 'evil'? Leading contenders probably include official corruption (a favorite target of Qiu's when he was an official in Jiangsu), organized crime or illegal drugs.

Given Qiu's recent statement that official corruption is a primary factor behind Kunming's high housing prices, it wouldn't be a surprise if some high-profile corruption cases emerge in the coming months.

The results are in for the annual ranking of China's top universities by 21st Century HR Report (21世纪人才报) and once again Yunnan's top universities lag behind much of the rest of the country.

For the third year in a row, Beijing's Peking University topped the list, followed by Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai. The top five were rounded out by Zhejiang University in Hangzhou and Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Yunnan, China's ninth-largest province in terms of population, only had two universities make the top 100 this year. Yunnan University slipped two places from its 2009 ranking to number 64 this year and Kunming University of Science and Technology barely made it in at the 100 spot.

Compared to its neighbors in southwest China, Yunnan fared better than Guizhou and Guangxi, who had one university each, with Guizhou University placing 89th and Guangxi University 95th.

Sichuan and Chongqing had much stronger showings, with Sichuan University ranking 12th and Chongqing University 31st. Sichuan was represented by an additional three universities in the top 100 and Chongqing's Southwest University ranked 50th.

The comparatively high quality of university graduates in both Chengdu and Chongqing is one of the main reasons that the two cities have eclipsed the rest of southwest Chinese cities in the race for domestic and foreign investment.

Yunnan University Party Secretary Liu Shaohuai (刘绍怀) told local media that slight ranking fluctuations were a normal phenomenon.

Liu said that one organization's rankings shouldn't be the basis for assessing an academic institution, adding that Yunnan University would do everything it can to be in the top 50 within a decade.

Last Friday while much of the world was nursing the hangover of a decade of war and terrorism, economic turmoil and environmental degradation, China and its Southeast Asian neighbors took a big step toward regional integration with the launch of a new free trade area (FTA). The long term implications for Yunnan are massive.

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have now entered the first phase of an FTA, eliminating tariffs on around 7,000 items including fruits, vegetables, textiles and machinery. These goods represent roughly 90 percent of trade in the new economic bloc, which is the world's largest in terms of population and third-largest after the EU and NAFTA in terms of GDP.

The first phase includes China and the more developed ASEAN members: Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. On Friday these countries also launched the first phase of an FTA within ASEAN itself. The remaining members – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam – will join the ASEAN China FTA in 2015.

Although it does not directly border any of the first phase countries, Yunnan has much to gain from the FTA's launch. It has water, air and highway connections to Thailand plus air links to Malaysia and Singapore, all of which are expected to become even busier trade routes. The launch of the FTA has long been viewed as a major milepost in the rise of Yunnan as China's gateway to Southeast Asia.

As some observers note, the FTA is more than just a step toward trade integration, it is also a major strategic achievement for China, whose political power in Southeast Asia already greatly surpasses that of regional rival India and is also seriously challenging American influence in the region.

China's soft power in Southeast Asia will undoubtedly grow in step with trade within the FTA, and much of this influence will be projected from Yunnan.

In the coming decade, China and Southeast Asia will become increasingly connected by a vast network of highways and rail which will provide cities in Yunnan with cheap overland access to markets in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Seated at the northern end of this transport web, Yunnan is poised to become an increasingly important international trade hub.

The initiation of the ASEAN China FTA is a modern revival of the ancient tea and horse caravan routes from centuries ago known as the South Silk Road, which linked China with Southeast Asian markets as well as Tibet and India.

Total trade between China and Southeast Asia was US$100 billion in 2004 and US$231 billion in 2008, but this is just the beginning. Bilateral trade – much of which will be passing through Yunnan – is expected to double over the next decade.

Difficult as it may be to imagine, Yunnan's days as an economic and political backwater are officially over.

Seven are dead and 34 injured after an overpass collapse yesterday at the construction site of the new Kunming airport.

More than 30 construction workers were on the section of overpass when it collapsed at 2:20 pm on Sunday. According to Huang Zhibin (黄志斌), the official in charge of safety for the new airport, the collapse happened because a portion of the brace system "lost stability".

An investigation is underway to determine a more precise reason for the collapse. No details regarding compensation for the injured or the families of the deceased has been released.

Once completed, Kunming's new airport – tentatively named Kunming Zheng He International Airport – is projected to process 38 million passengers annually. The 23 billion yuan (US$3.3 billion) airport is expected to greatly expand Kunming's connectivity with Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Additionally, there are rumors of plans to offer direct flights to Europe, Australia and North America from the new airport, which would link Kunming with these continents for the first time.

Tribal Moons and friends plus DJ Xiao Kris at Uprock
Uprock will be ringing in the new year with live music by the Tribal Moons, Cat Scratch Fever and the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project plus dance music provided by DJ Xiao Kris afterward into the morning. In addition to tunes, there will also be plenty of party games, including the return of the shitting chicken. Party starts at 9, entry is 20 yuan.

Food and drink specials at Sandra's
Sandra's will offer a 25 percent discount on all pizzas from 10 until midnight with bottled wines discounted 20 percent. "Reasonably priced" Prosecco (sparkling wine) will be available at midnight.

Free countdown beers at Chapter One
Chapter One will be handing out free Dali beers to all patrons for the midnight countdown and all Australian beers will be on special all night: buy six bottles, get two free.

New Year's Eve party at Chicago Coffee
Chicago Coffee will host a night of activities from 6 until midnight with a pizza buffet from 6 to 8, free coffee tasting at 7, a pizza eating contest at 8 and Guitar Hero competition at 9.

Live music and cheap cocktails at Camel Bar
Camel Bar will welcome the new year with live music by former members of No Answer aka 打死我也不说 plus DJs playing reggae, ska and funk. All cocktails will be on special for 10 yuan all night.

Banquet and Miao Choir at TCG Nordica
TCG Nordica will celebrate the coming of 2010 with a banquet and a performance by the Miao Choir. The party begins at 7, entry is 65 yuan or 25 yuan for just the concert.

The end of the year is a special time in which editors and writers around the world recycle content from the previous twelve months and repackage it as new content. We at GoKunming are not above this practice, so here's our look at the people and events that shaped 2009 in Kunming and Yunnan.

January
China and Vietnam finally got around to demarcating their borders where Yunnan meets Vietnam, a big step forward for the former foes. A Yunnan Copper executive was sentenced to death for accepting bribes. Yunnan University set up a Confucius Institute in Iran.

February
GoKunming cycled into southern Yunnan's jungles and Yuxi contained a cholera outbreak. Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys were rebounding from the brink of extinction. A new airport opened in Tengchong. The death of Li Qiaoming in Jinning police custody raised eyebrows nationwide when the police said he died while playing "elude the cat", a Chinese version of hide and seek. The subsequent PR fallout was handled in a rather interesting fashion by Kunming publicity department wunderkind Wu Hao.

March
An elderly woman in Kunming got off with a warning after being busted for growing more than 60 poppy plants on her rooftop. The Kunming government was grappling with drought. Documentary film festival Yunfest returned to Kunming after a four-year absence. Kunming was named host city of a national amateur tennis league.

April
GoKunming spent a tipsy afternoon in the corner of a bar with the Tribal Moons. Hemp production was being promoted in Yunnan by the central government as a means of poverty alleviation, while Yunnan's rivers and lakes were going to pot. Mining, hydropower stations and prescription drugs were filling the coffers of Yunnan's richest residents. Yunnan was on alert against H1N1.

May
The Wal-Mart at Xiao Xi Men was evacuated after a bomb threat was phoned in by an unknown individual. GoKunming took a peek into the world of alcohol promotion in Chinese bars and KTVs. Dali, Yuanyang and Chengjiang were hoping to become World Heritage Sites. Yunnan's dairy industry was still suffering from the fallout of 2008's melamine scandal. The United Nations was worrying aloud about the impact of dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong in Yunnan.

June
No cocaine was found in Red Bull being sold in Kunming. The municipal PSB had its hands full dealing with the "virgin prostitute" case. Bus passengers repelled a robbery attempt by two knife-wielding men, leaving one of the would-be robbers dead and the other seriously injured. Dali announced that it was going to build a massive amusement park. Kunming hosted two trade expos that generated US$2 billion in contracted and actual transactions. Pollution was killing off the endangered Mekong dolphin.

July
The Yunnan government was pushing for a new Eurasian land bridge that would connect Shenzhen with Rotterdam via Kunming. Kunming's economy grew by 8.8 percent. China's central government criticized a dam being built between Yunnan and Sichuan for misallocation of funds and Chinese President Hu Jintao toured Yunnan to emphasize ethnic unity in the wake of the Urumqi riots.

August
Kunming's chengguan were still unpopular and another detainee died in Kunming police custody. India pulled out of the plan to revive the Stilwell Road linking Kunming with Ledo. Kunming had the second-cleanest air among Chinese cities and Yulong Snow Mountain's glaciers were disappearing. Ethnic Chinese refugees from Myanmar were fleeing into Yunnan by the thousands.

September
Kunming's rainy season was not so rainy. Kunmingers were being asked to spit their phlegm into small "environmentally friendly" bags. A plan to link Kunming and Dali via high-speed rail was announced. Rebranded Shaolin temples opened in Kunming's Guandu district.

October
GoKunming visited the Dwarf Empire. China was pressuring Myanmar to stabilize its border areas near Yunnan. A Kindergarten teacher admitted to pricking students with a syringe as punishment and a Yunnan University professor held China's first UFO forum at Dongfeng Plaza.

November
Mastodon fossils found in northeast Yunnan were providing clues on the evolution of mammals. Phil Mickelson announced plans to open a golf course and academy in Kunming. Arun Veembur passed on. Yunnan was coping with a water crisis. Shafted Luosiwan shopowners scrapped with the police. Kunming was adding 900 cars to its roads daily. An alleged American "ecoterrorist" was sentenced to three years in prison in Dali for selling drugs.

December
Dali opened a government-funded gay bar. The Trans-Asian Railway's future was in doubt because of a spat between Thailand and Cambodia. The Yunnan Honghe Running Bulls were kicked out of the CBA. Kunming sentenced gang leaders to death and the third detainee in one year died in Kunming police custody. China and Laos agreed to create a cross-border nature reserve. GoKunming went on a much-needed bicycle trip to the Vietnamese border.

This Thursday night is New Year's Eve, and Uprock will be ringing in the new year with live music by the Tribal Moons, Cat Scratch Fever and the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project plus dance music provided by DJ Xiao Kris afterward into the morning. In addition to tunes, there will also be plenty of party games.

Uprock has provided six spots on Thursday night's guest list to GoKunming to give away – the first three readers to send us their names via our contact form will be put on the guest list plus one.

Winners will be notified via email and announced on this post.

Good luck!