Kunming's Second Ring Road open to traffic
After one year of demolition and reconstruction, Kunming's second ring road (二环) is now open to test traffic and will officially open to the public on Wednesday.

Local media is gushing about the completion of the ring road, which will serve as the linchpin in the city's "four rings, 17 spokes" traffic plan, in which expansion of the city's traffic system from two ring roads centered around Green Lake Park to four ring roads – the fourth encircling Dianchi Lake – will shift the center of the city's traffic structure southward, coinciding with the development of "New Kunming" in Chenggong.

According to government traffic officials, once on the second ring road, it will be possible for cars to reach destinations including Chenggong, Anning, Jinning, Kunyang, Haikou, and Songming. Travel time from to Yiliang, Luquan, Shilin and Xundian will be reduced to one hour.

Dali – Lijiang rail line open to public tomorrow
Beginning tomorrow, the new Dali-Lijiang rail line (大丽铁路) will officially open to the public, linking the two popular tourist destinations by rail for the first time.

The Dali-Lijiang passenger line will operate daily, with hard seats on the L9016/7 (Dali to Lijiang) and the L9018/5 (Lijiang to Dali) costing 34 yuan. Total time for the journey is approximately three hours and 45 minutes.

The L9016/7 Leaves Dali at 9:26 am, stops for two minutes at Shangguan at 10:51 and arrives at Lijiang at 1:12 pm. The L9018/5 leaves Lijiang East Station at 1:45 pm, stops in Shangguan for two minutes at 3:59 pm and arrives in Dali at 5:26 pm.

Southwest China's first IMAX theater to open in Kunming
At the end of this month Kunming will become the first city in Southwest China with an IMAX Theater, according to government-run BBS clzg.cn.

The theater, which features a 12 meters high by 21 meters wide screen, is located in the new Shuncheng Shopping Center on Dongfeng Xi Lu. The shopping center, which will also be home to retail outlets including Zara and Papa John's, is built on the old Shuncheng Muslim quarter, which prior to its demolition in 2004 was a dilapidated but vibrant neighborhood filled with Hui and Uighur restaurants.

Image: news.kunming.cn

A man being held in detention in Kunming died in a hospital on Saturday with no clear cause of death, according to a Xinhua report.

According to a police spokesperson speaking to reporters on Sunday, 43-year-old Wang Shukun (王树坤) had been held in the Guandu District Detention Center since July 19 before being checked into a hospital by police on August 6. After undergoing emergency procedures to save his life, Wang died early Saturday, the spokesperson said.

Wang was initially arrested after a traffic accident between his relative Lu Chunlei and the driver of a cargo truck on July 18. Lu told Oriental Morning News that after colliding with the truck, he called several friends to the scene, including Wang Shukun. Lu said the driver of the truck called a man surnamed Zheng, whom he referred to as "boss".

Upon the arrival of Lu's friends and "boss" Zheng, Zheng allegedly began to curse at Lu's entourage, saying "You bunch of bastards, here for a free meal, are you?" and eventually claimed to be a policeman.

Lu said an altercation broke out, after which police showed up, allegedly allowing Zheng to beat members of Lu's group in their presence. Zheng, who sustained unspecified injuries during the fighting, was allowed to go to a hospital for treatment. Lu's friends, including Wang Shukun, were taken to the Guandu District's Shuangfeng Police Station. It was the last time Wang would be seen alive in public.

According to Wang's relative Lu Jin, the police said that Wang caught a cold on August 2, and took some medicine. On August 6, Wang became extremely uncomfortable and was taken to a prison hospital. The following night, his condition worsened and he died shortly after midnight on August 8. An investigation into the cause of Wang's death is underway.

Wang's case is somewhat reminiscent of the so-called "eluding the cat" case in which Li Qiaoming, a young man detained for illegal logging, died while in police custody in Jinning County. Jinning police drew the ire of Chinese netizens for dismissively claiming that Li was playing elude the cat (躲猫猫), a Chinese game similar to hide-and-seek.

Months after a media firestorm and creative attempts by the local government to contain the brewing PR disaster, the initial explanation was reversed.

Last Thursday police officers Su Shaolu and Li Dongming went on trial for abuse of inmates and dereliction of duty for failing to do anything about the bullying that allegedly led to Li Qiaoming's death.

Meanwhile, the term "dying from fever", the current official explanation of Wang Shukun's death in detention, is already being compared to "eluding the cat" by Chinese media commentators.

The official explanation for the death of a young man in Jinning County from brain injuries sustained while in police custody has been reversed by provincial authorities, who also demoted senior officers for their mishandling of what has come to be known in China as the 'hide-and-seek incident'.

In a Friday press conference, the Yunnan prosecutor's office said that Yuxi resident Li Qiaoming (李荞明), who had been arrested and held in a detention center in Jinning in late January, suffered fatal head trauma at the hands of his cellmates, who bullied and beat him.

The original explanation given by local police for Li's death was that he was careless while playing a blindfolded game of hide-and-seek with his cellmates, during which he allegedly hit his head into a wall, leading to his fatal brain injuries.

Chinese blogs, newspapers and bulletin board sites instantly jumped on the police explanation and questioned its veracity. The term 'duo maomao' (躲猫猫, or 'eluding the cat') – the Chinese name for hide-and-seek – became an instant internet catchphrase, as well as a source of embarrassment for the Yunnan government.

The provincial government's propaganda bureau responded to the internet-fuelled outcry by organizing a group of 'netizens', including high-profile local bloggers, to act as a special investigation committee. The committee was given access to police documents and viewed Li's cell, but was denied access to surveillance video and Li's cellmates. The committee quickly declared that it was unable to get to the bottom of the case due to this lack of access.

The committee's announcement brought about more questions and criticism from the Chinese blogosphere, and within a week, provincial authorities announced that Li's death was a result of being beaten by other detainees while in police custody.

Yunnan prosecutor's office spokesman Liu Xiaokai told reporters that three of Li's cellmates had frequently bullied Li, with the incident leading to his death taking place on the evening of February 8. Liu said that the three detainees had asked Li to join in a game of hide-and-seek, blindfolded him, and then beat him, during which time Li hit his head on a wall, which ultimately led to his death four days later.

According to Yunnan Public Security Bureau spokeswoman Yang Jianping, the vice-director of Jinning's Public Security Bureau and top two officials at the Jinning detention center were demoted, and the officer in charge of Li's cell block was fired.

Doubts have been voiced by some Chinese internet users regarding the new official explanation for Li's death, but it appears likely that – barring any further internet outrage – this is now a closed case. In the meantime, there is no word on how the new explanation for Li's death will affect his family's attempts to collect 250,000 yuan in compensation for his death.

The family of Li Qiaoming – the 24-year-old Yuxi resident who was fatally injured in a Jinning detention facility earlier this month – is seeking 250,000 yuan (US$36,500) in compensation from the Jinning Public Security Department, according to Yuxi news reports.

A family representative told Yuxi News Net that Li Qiaoming's family has requested that the Jinning Public Security Department cremate his body after the completion of his autopsy, plus a quarter of a million yuan in compensation to pay for his funeral. Funerals in rural Yunnan can be several days long with thousands of guests eating and drinking for days.

On January 30, Li was arrested by Jinning police for felling trees illegally, he was held in a Jinning detention facility until February 8, when he was taken by police to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with severe brain damage. Four days later, Li was dead.

The official explanation from police was that Li received his head injuries – plus multiple blows and kicks to his body – while joining other detainees in a game of 'eluding the cat' ('duo maomao', 躲猫猫), a Chinese children's game similar to hide-and-seek in which the seeker wears a blindfold.

The police explanation of the 'eluding the cat incident' has been questioned throughout Chinese media and in Chinese blogs, bulletin board sites and forums. In response, the Yunnan Provincial Propaganda Department named a 15-member investigation committee to look into the case.

The committee, which was put under the direction of two popular bloggers, also consists of current and formal journalists as well as public security officers. During the committee's visit to the Jinning detention facility where Li died, the group was allowed to look at police documents and the cell in which Li was held.

However, the committee was not given access to video surveillance or autopsy evidence, nor was it allowed to speak with guards who were on duty at the time or the detainee that police said attacked Li, according to an International Herald Tribune report.

In wake of the widespread disbelief expressed across the Chinese internet with regard to the official explanation that a 24-year-old man died from serious brain injuries while playing hide-and-seek in a detention center, the Yunnan government has taken the unusual step of appointing one of Kunming's most popular bloggers head of the investigation into the incident.

Kunming blogger Zhao Li (赵立), best known by his blog name Fengzhimoduan (风之末端 ) was named director of an investigation committee looking into the death of Yuxi resident Li Qiaoming, who had been detained in late January for illegal logging in Jinning County. Li was taken by police to a hospital on February 8 with brain injuries – four days later he was pronounced dead.

The incident caught the attention of the Chinese blogosphere and media because Jinning police told Li's parents that he had sustained the head injuries, as well as kicks and blows, while playing hide-and-seek with other inmates. In Chinese, hide-and-seek is known as 'duo maomao', or 'eluding the cat' – the Yunnan government now refers to Li's death as the 'Duo maomao incident'.

The blogger Zhao was chosen by the provincial government to head a committee of 15 investigators composed of four public security officers and prosecutors, three reporters and eight members of the public including Zhao, another blogger who was named deputy director of the investigation committee and three people who won an online lottery.

The unorthodox move to make popular bloggers heads of an investigation committee is a tacit admission by the Yunnan government of the power of the internet – especially blogs – in shaping Chinese public opinion. It also belies the widespread suspicion of the official version of Li's death.

Midday on Friday, Zhao and the rest of the committee arrived at the Jinning detention facility where Li had been held prior to hospitalization. The committee visited the cell where Li had been held and were shown documents related to the events leading up to his death. In the afternoon the committee held its first press conference with regard to the investigation.

"We're satisfied with the attitude of the police toward our investigation," investigation committee director Zhao said, "We're not professional investigators but we're doing our best."

As of 2 pm local time on Saturday, Zhao had yet to make any references to the investigation on his blog.

The arrest and subsequent death of a 24-year-old man in a county near Kunming has called the police explanation for the death – playing hide-and-seek – into question.

On January 30, Li Qiaoming (李荞明), a resident of Beicheng town in Yuxi, was arrested in Jinning County (晋宁县) for illegal logging and taken to a local detention facility. On February 8, Li reportedly suffered injuries while in detention and was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with severe brain damage – Li died in the hospital on February 12.

According to a February 13 report in Yunnan Information News, police in Jinning – which is located on the southern edge of Dianchi Lake – told Li's parents that their son had suffered his fatal injuries during a game of "elude the cat" (躲猫猫), the Chinese name for the children's game hide-and-seek.

The report stated that while playing hide-and-seek, Li was kicked and beaten by other detainees and due to his carelessness crashed into a wall, leading to his brain damage.

Li's relatives told the newspaper that they felt the official explanation for Li's death was "extremely farfetched" – an opinion that has been echoing throughout newspaper opinion pages and BBS sites across China.

Playing 'elude the cat' has become the first internet meme, or 'thunder word' (雷语) of 2009, becoming synonymous for danger and unclear circumstances.

'Eluding the cat' is the second internet meme to come out of southwest China in the last eight months: in July of 2008 thousands of residents of Weng'an, Guizhou province, rioted after police said a young girl drowned herself in the company of a young man who was "doing pushups" (做卧俯撑). 'Doing pushups' subsequently became a popular phrase among sarcastic – and typically young – Chinese netizens.

Jinning police have yet to release any further clarification of the events leading to Li Qiaoming's death.

Image: Yunnan Information News

Editor's note: GoKunming is publishing 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 Yunnan at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Year: 1901
Subject: Zhuantang and Daguan Canal
Location: Daguan Lu/Huancheng Xi Lu, Daguan Canal

Background:

More than two thousand years ago when people began to build settlements in the area now known as Kunming, Dianchi Lake was the main source of life and livelihood, providing water for humans, livestock and crops. Over time, it also became an important transport link between Kunming and other towns springing up around the lake.

The city of Yuxi (玉溪), roughly 110 kilometers south of Kunming, was founded in 960. By the Yuan Dynasty, which was founded in the Thirteenth Century, trade between Kunming and Yuxi was flourishing. Lacking good roads and vehicles, traders in the two cities used sailboats to transport livestock and goods. Shipping goods between Kunming and the town of Jinning (晋宁) eliminated the need for slower horse carts for 40 of the 110 kilometers.

Water transport became increasingly important to Kunming, which undertook the major task of digging out the Daguan Canal (大观河) roughly 800 years ago. The canal extended Dianchi Lake's northern tip into what is now downtown Kunming, culminating in the pier known as Zhuantang (篆塘), which was located at the present-day intersection of Daguan Lu and Huancheng Xi Lu.

Today, things are different as roads and automobiles have made Dianchi an outdated transport option. Zhuantang is but a small park, the Daguan Canal has fallen out of use, and Dianchi Lake is known for being one of China's most polluted lakes rather than a 'sparkling pearl' as it was once called.

Eighty-seven years before Columbus sailed the Atlantic, a towering admiral set out on a mission to introduce China to the world. He personally commanded six of his fleet's seven voyages, venturing as far west as Tanzania. At the height of his power, he sailed with 317 ships and nearly 28,000 men. This great seafarer was Zheng He (郑和), a man born just south of landlocked Kunming.

Though he would one day visit the shores of some 37 modern nations, Zheng He grew up much like most Chinese at the time. Two things that did set him apart early on were his identity as a member of the Muslim Hui minority and his exposure to Yunnan's ethnic diversity. During his later expeditions at sea, he earned respect for his practical cultural and religious tolerance - values that were likely molded at a young age.

Zheng He was born in 1371 to a devout Muslim family in what is now Jinning County, Yunnan. Both Zheng He's father Mir Tekin and grandfather Charameddin completed pilgrimages to Mecca. His outlook on faith and the outside world was shaped by the stories of their trips. Such stories were probably related in Arabic, a language Zheng He spoke fluently.

In Jinning today, the Hui represent between two and three percent of the county's 320,000 residents. He Yueheng, the imam at the local mosque, says about 400 people pray regularly with him. Other groups - including a sizeable Yi community - live alongside the Han Chinese majority. At a provincial level, 28 of China's 55 officially recognized minority groups call Yunnan home.

While populations shift with time, it is clear that the Yunnan of Zheng He's youth was every bit as culturally diverse as today. Zheng He's Semur branch of the Hui minority found its way from Persia and Central Asia to China as early as the Seventh Century. Yunnan's Hui families have made mutual respect an important lesson for children. According to He Yueheng, children "study how to get along well with other groups from four years old."

Though conditions during Zheng He's early childhood were mostly peaceful, outside Yunnan a violent clash between the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the Ming was unfolding. When Ming armies finally entered Yunnan in 1381, the young Zheng He was captured, castrated, and brought to the capital in Nanjing to serve as a eunuch. According to one story, the emperor gave him the name Zheng after learning that his original family name was Ma. Despite being a common Hui surname, Ma is also the Chinese word for horse. The story goes that Zheng He had to change his name because horses were forbidden in the inner court.

In 1402, Zheng He's two decades of service to the prince Zhi Di paid off when the latter ousted his own brother to claim the imperial throne. As a reward for his loyalty, Zheng He was named admiral of the emperor's planned treasure fleet. Construction began in 1403 and was completed just two years later.

When Zheng He finally set out toward the western seas, he set a long-remembered example of tolerance and respect for the cultures he would encounter.

While Zheng He became little more than a footnote in most Chinese histories, his legacy in Southeast Asia is far different. His memory was not only preserved, it was worshiped. This odd quirk of history probably stems from the emperor's orders to consolidate overseas Chinese settlements under Ming authority. As new cities were established, so were "San Bao" (三宝) temples commemorating Zheng He as their founding father. The name San Bao reflects Zheng He's popular moniker in Fifteenth Century Indonesia, a name still remembered at temples today. Some believe that Arab legends of the sailor Sinbad were inspired by the similarly named San Bao.

The temples could be looked upon as a sign of Zheng He's tolerance for Confucian ancestor worship, though it is unclear what role he had in supporting their construction. What is more certain is that Zheng He actively encouraged overseas Chinese to blend inherited traditions with the culture of their adopted homes. In the port city of Semarang in what is now Indonesia, Zheng He's handpicked administrators urged the Chinese community to "Javanize". The younger generation in particular was pressed to take Javanese names and to adopt the local way of life.

As Zheng He moved westward from Southeast Asia, his fleet arrived at Sri Lanka, an island ravaged by ethnic conflict. Some historians believe Zheng He's actions in Sri Lanka were nothing but military suppression, but such perspectives severely discount one the greater diplomatic gestures in Chinese history.

Before employing force to pacify the island, Zheng He attempted to reach out to the various religious traditions represented on the island. He erected a monument with inscriptions in Chinese, Persian, and Tamil praising - in equal measure - Buddha, Allah, and Vishnu. Meticulously, each deity was offered identical quantities of precious metals, embroidered silk, and other goodies. Despite the warm symbolism of the stone tablet, warring factions continued to make trade impossible on the island. It failed ultimately to inspire the peace and stability for which Zheng He had hoped. Despite the failure, the surviving tablet remains one of the few places in Sri Lanka where the island's three major faiths can be found in the same place.

In Sri Lanka, Zheng He provided a powerful illustration of He Yueheng's modern day embrace of religious tolerance. Were Hui parents teaching their children the same lessons six centuries ago? On the island of Java, was it Zheng He's own mixed Hui-Chinese identity that gave him the confidence to encourage overseas Chinese to adapt to local customs? The answers are uncertain, though the questions themselves serve as a window into a better understanding both of Zheng He and the diversity of modern Yunnan.

Wu Jingjing provided translation assistance for the interview with He Yueheng