Editor's note: Every week for the remainder of 2008 GoKunming will publish photos from the collection of Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming. The photos have been provided by Kunming resident and private collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊). GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing us a glimpse of Kunming at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Year: 1900
Subject: North gate (beichengmen, 北城门) of Kunming's old city wall
Location: Present-day Beimen Jie (北门街), just outside of Yunnan University's east gate, facing south

Background:

Built during the Ming Dynasty and demolished centuries later in 1952, Kunming's city wall is but a memory for those old enough to have seen it. For the rest of us, the wall lives on primarily in the form of street names.

Qingnian Lu, or 'Youth Road', was named after the youth who were hired to demolish the massive edifice. The wall was indeed an impressive architectural feat – it stood 13 meters high and contained an area roughly equivalent to that surrounded today by the first ring road.

The wall lives on today in more than just memory, even some laws and regulations are based upon the old wall. For example, sanlunche - the ubiquitous three-wheeled carts seen throughout Kunming and the rest of China – are not allowed to enter the area within the old city wall (chengnei, 城内) until after 6:00 pm.

As with many Chinese cities, the ancient practice of geomancy known as fengshui played a major role in Kunming's initial layout, and the city wall was a major part of that. Below is a highly detailed map drawn by French Consul Auguste François in 1900.


In this map of Kunming within the wall, certain Kunming landmarks still standing today are visible – Cuihu (Green Lake) is situated in the northwest quadrant, the opposing gates of Jinma Biji Fang are located just north of the south gate and the Dade Temple twin pagodas are located in the northeast quadrant.

With a little imagination, one can see the shape of a tortoise facing south – which is the idea behind the layout of Kunming and its wall. The photo at the top of this post is of the wall's north gate, which was supposed to be the tortoise's 'tail'.

Situated between what is now Yuanxi Lu and Yunnan University's east gate, the area to the left (east) of the gate in the photo is Yuantong Shan, where Yuantong Temple and the Kunming Zoo are located today. To the right (west) is present-day Yunnan University.

In 1900, the area outside of the north gate was much less pleasant than within the gate – the area primarily served as a dumping ground for garbage, as well as a burial ground.

The image below is a photograph taken in July, 2008 by GoKunming – 108 years after François recorded the north gate. The north gate is gone, replaced by the Yunnan Provincial Song and Dance Ensemble (云南省歌舞剧院). The only reminder that the imposing north gate once looked out from this hilltop is the name of the street - Beimen Jie, or 'North Gate Street'


Update: It turns out Kunming's old city wall is not 100% gone. There is a small, hard-to-find portion still standing behind the Yunnan University foreign students dormitory. Reader Xiefei comments:

"There is actually one last segment of the wall still intact. It stretches along the back of the restaurants in wenhua xiang that abut the Yunda foreign students dorm. The wall can be seen from some of those dorm rooms, and was visible from the street a few years ago when many of those restaurants were rebuilt."

We went behind the Yunda foreign students dorm today [July 31] and found what Xiefei was talking about, which definitely looked like an old city wall:


According to a security guard working nearby, it is indeed the old city wall. Thanks to Xiefei for pointing that out.

Related articles:

Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing Dynasty

Yuantong Temple's secret colonial past

Old Kunming: Eastern and Western Pagodas

Tags: Auguste François, Green Lake Park, Ming Dynasty, old Kunming, Qing Dynasty, Ranbu Xiang, Wenlin Jie, Wu Sangui, Xima He, Yangyu Xiang, Yin Xiaojun, Yunnan Fu

Editor's note: Every week for the remainder of 2008 GoKunming will publish photos from the collection of Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming. The photos have been provided by Kunming resident and private collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊). GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing us a glimpse of Kunming at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Year: 1901
Subject: Foreground - Xima He (洗马河, 'Horse-washing River'), background – Honghua Fu (洪化府, 'Honghua Palace')
Location: Ranbu Xiang (染布巷), facing east-southeast, about 100 meters west of Green Lake Park's west gate

Background:
In 1901 Auguste François took this photograph of an area familiar to many people today known as Ranbu Xiang (染布巷), or 'Cloth-dyeing alley'. Ranbu Xiang is located roughly 100 meters west of Green Lake park's west gate, at the bottom of Qianju Jie as it comes down from Wenlin Jie.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Ranbu Xiang was actually a small river known as Xima He (洗马河), or 'Horse-washing River'. Area residents would dye cloth and then dry it in the sun – large pieces of cloth can be seen drying on the ground in the background.

After the dyed cloth was dry, it would be washed in Xima He, which flowed out of what is today Green Lake Park. Xima He wasn't only used for washing cloth – on the right there is a woman holding a urinating toddler, a practice that can still occasionally be seen in downtown Kunming.

In the background is Honghua Fu (洪化府) or 'Honghua Palace' the guandi (官邸), or official residence, of the infamous Wu Sangui (吴三桂). Wu Sangui is one of the most famous characters from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, primarily because he is considered a traitor to both.

In 1644, while serving the Ming Dynasty, General Wu opened the gates at Shanhaiguan, Hebei province, allowing Manchu troops to enter what was considered Han China at the time. Soon thereafter, the Manchus established the Qing Dynasty and gave Wu the name Pingxi Wang – or more simply, king of Yunnan.

During his time in Kunming, then known as Yunnan-Fu (云南府), Wu built Honghua Fu on what is now the west side of Green Lake Park. During this time, he paid tribute to the Qing while building his own army and preparing to revolt, which he did in 1674, when he declared the founding of a new incarnation of the ancient Zhou Dynasty. Wu made Hengyang, Hunan the dynastic capital and named himself Emperor with the name of his reign being Zhaowu (昭武). He was succeeded by his son Wu Shifan (吴世璠), whose reign was entitled Honghua (洪化). This reign came to a quick end after defeat by the Qing.


The image directly above is a photograph taken in May, 2008 by GoKunming – 107 years after François decided to photograph Xima He and Honghua Fu. Today there is no trace of the stream, there is only the Haoshun Lu Farmers' Market. Many Kunming residents refer to Ranbu Xiang as 'Potato Alley' (洋芋巷, Yangyu Xiang), due to the large number of snack shops offering fried potatoes there.

Honghua Fu is survived by Honghua Qiao (洪化桥) and Honghua Xiang (洪化巷), a road and an alley on the east side of the Kunming Grand Park Hotel (formerly Harbour Plaza Kunming).

Today, the area formerly occupied by Honghua Fu is now home to the Jiangwu Tang (讲武堂), a former military academy and training facility known for its distinctive yellow color (see photo below) and vast interior courtyard. The Jiangwu Tang was formerly known as the Wubei Xuetang (武备学堂).



Tags: Auguste François, Green Lake Park, Honghua Fu, Honghua Qiao, Honghua Xiang, Ming Dynasty, old Kunming, Qing Dynasty, Ranbu Xiang, Wenlin Jie, Wu Sangui, Xima He, Yangyu Xiang, Yin Xiaojun, Yunnan Fu

This week workers at Cuihu Park are shoveling through the muck as they drain the green out of Cuihu aka Green Lake, ostensibly to help the plant life.

"We must take out the lake water and let things dry in the sun," a sign stuck in the muddy lake-bed proclaimed, "this will make the lotus flowers grow and
flourish even more."

The seagulls were not available for comment.

Tags: Cuihu Park, Green Lake Park

Need a hug?

A group of Kunming students believe the city has become too unfriendly. On crowded afternoons by Cuihu Park they can be found offering hugs to strangers.

"Free hugs!" read the do-gooders' placards. One was written in English to attract laowai in need of affection. Chinese signs beckoned Kunmingers to "reject coldness" and hug a stranger.

GoKunming found its hug chaste, like a sustained pat on the back, but we like the idea. In spite of this call for public friendliness, not many passersby stop for an embrace. The students seem content to spread their message via their poster boards, standing passively by the waterfront with tireless smiles.

If you've been needing a hug, now you know where to go.

Tags: Cuihu Park, Free Hugs, Green Lake Park

Migratory Siberian seagulls have arrived at Kunming's Cuihu Park aka Green Lake Park. Saturday thousands of Kunmingese watched from the waterfront while others drifted among the birds in pedal boats.

According to a nearby monument, the gulls first appeared in the winter of 1985. Wu Qinghen, a Kunming native, became known as "Father Seagull" for devoting half his pension to feeding them.

"His spirit sets a model for man and nature living together in harmony," reads the inscription.

In a modern twist, opportunistic vendors circulate today's crowds hawking crusty sweetbread for feeding the gulls.

Tags: Cuihu Park, Green Lake Park

How do you say 'lawsuit liability' in Chinese?

The people at Cuihu Park are always trying to make the park more interesting for visitors, and we appreciate that. However we're still not sure what to think about the park's new attraction near the north gate: running around in rubber balls on Cuihu's surface.

We first became aware of this via Elizabeth in China, who has posted some video of children trying to get their bearings in the airtight spheres.

My ears!

This weekend we went down to check it out ourselves and it seemed that business was good. There were dozens of children queued up to be put into a zippable rubber ball that is inflated (it looks like the inflation hurts the eardrums a bit) and pushed out onto the water. Most children were unable to stand for the majority of their time in the balls.

Anyone with 10 yuan and no sharp objects on their person can run around on the water in a ball for three minutes. The balls are all on tethers that are used to keep them from going too far from the astroturf shore. Strangely, no adults were in line to join in the fun - maybe it's because of the ban on smoking and high heels.

Tags: Cuihu Park, Green Lake Park