Friday & Saturday: KIA spring drama at TC/G Nordica
TC/G Nordica will host Kunming International Academy's spring drama today and tomorrow. The play, 'The Patchwork Girl of Oz' starts at 7:00 both evenings – a donation of 20 yuan/person is suggested.

Friday: English movie and discussion at Chicago Coffee
Chicago Coffee will host its weekly English movie and discussion at 7pm. Admission is free with any purchase – call 5389288 for movie details.

Friday: Vodka bar opening w/DJ Liu Yan
Speakeasy Bar is celebrating the opening of its new Tropicana vodka shot bar upstairs with a party featuring DJ Liu Yan and the People's Rhythm Percussion.

Saturday: Jezz & Menace at Uprock
On Saturday night DJs Jezz and Menace will bring another of their 'Innocence' series of parties to Uprock. Joining them will be DJ Jeffery the Wind. Music starts at ten, admission is free.

Saturday: Polish party at The Hump Bar
The Hump Bar will be hosting a Polish party on Saturday night, with the party's organizers encouraging all to "dress like a Polish person". According to a flyer for the party, there will be Polish music, vodka and juice, mad dog shots, real Polish culture and Polish girls. The fun starts at 10:00, admission is free.

Tags: Chicago Coffee, DJ Liu Yan, Jezz, Kunming International Academy, Menace, Speakeasy, TC/G Nordica, The Hump Bar, Uprock

This weekend around Kunming

Friday, 14th December 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

With the good weather expected to last through the weekend, this is a good time to get out and enjoy a variety of events including live music, dancing and holiday buffets. Here's a preview of some of the more notable events taking place in Kunming this weekend:

DJ Kris at Speakeasy
Tonight from 10 pm until late, Speakeasy Bar will feature DJ Kris, one of Kunming's more popular DJs. If recent sets are anything to go by, there should be loads of people dancing into the early morning. Admission is free.

KIA Christmas Performance
The second and final night of Kunming International Academy's annual Christmas performance featuring KIA students singing traditional Christmas songs will take place tonight. The 7:00 performance will be held at the HNA Hotel at the intersection of Huancheng Xi Lu and Xiba Lu. Tickets for the performance are 20 yuan – call 4126887 for more information.

Lucia buffet at TC/G Nordica
TC/G Nordica will celebrate Lucia, the Scandinavian celebration of the festival of Santa Lucia today and tomorrow with a buffet and concert both nights. The buffet begins at 6:00 pm and will be followed by a Lucia concert at 8:00. Admission to the buffet is 50 yuan, those who only attend the concert will be charged 25 yuan – 65 yuan gets you entrance to both events. For more information, call 4114691 or 4114692.

Han Ying at Halfway House
Eclectic musician Han Ying (寒鹰) will give a special performance at the Halfway House on Saturday night. Han, a Kunming native, is noted for his organic style of music – and making all of his instruments by hand. The 9 pm show costs 10 yuan, with tickets on sale at Halfway House, I Am Living and Wheatfields Bookstore.

Rock and Roll Circus at Shelter Bar
Also on Saturday night, Shelter Bar will host a night of local rock, with performances by Gouride, No Answer, Noise Addiction and Brain Concussion. The free show starts around 9 pm.

Tags: Brain Concussion, Christmas, DJ Kris, Gouride, Han Ying, Kunming International Academy, No Answer, Noise Addiction, Shelter Bar, Speakeasy Bar, TC/G Nordica

Christmas events around Kunming

Wednesday, 12th December 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Despite being an officially communist country, China has quickly taken to Christmas over the last decade. This is due to a variety of factors including a significant increase in the number of Christians in the country, as well as large numbers of people enjoying the holiday for primarily consumer-related reasons. This year there will be a variety of Christmas-related activities across Kunming, here's a sampling of what's going on over the coming two weeks:

KIA Christmas Performance
Kunming International Academy will stage its annual Christmas performance featuring KIA students singing traditional Christmas songs tomorrow and Friday night. The 7:00 performance will be held at the HNA Hotel at the intersection of Huancheng Xi Lu and Xiba Lu. Tickets for the performance are 20 yuan – call 4126887 for more information.

Lucia buffet at TC/G Nordica
TC/G Nordica will celebrate Lucia, the Scandinavian celebration of the festival of Santa Lucia this coming Friday and Saturday with a buffet and concert both nights. The buffet begins at 6:00 pm and will be followed by a Lucia concert at 8:00. Admission to the buffet is 50 yuan, those who only attend the concert will be charged 25 yuan – 65 yuan gets you entrance to both events. For more information, call 4114691 or 4114692.

Christmas Party at Laowo Bar
The only full-on Christmas party we've heard of so far wil take place on Saturday the 22nd at the Laowo Bar, located across from the main gate of the Yunnan Art Institute (云南艺术学院). Beginning at 9:00 pm the party will feature performances by the Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project, Brain Concussion, Rap Republic and Tribal Moons, all of which will be followed by two late-night DJs. Admission to the party is 20 yuan.

Christmas Eve at Green Lake Hotel
Green Lake Hotel will be hosting multiple Christmas events beginning at 6:45 on the 24th (Christmas Eve). A special holiday menu will be on offer at the hotel's Belvedere restaurant for 518 yuan plus 15 percent service charge. There will also be dinner in the hotel's ballroom with performances by ballet dancers, singers and more, with tickets ranging from 988 to 1,288 yuan plus 15 percent service charge. For more information call 515888 extension 8670 or 8112.

Update:

Thai restaurant Moonlight Corner will hold Christmas parties on the 24th and 25th featuring an international buffet and seafood barbecue beginning at 6 pm, a live band, games and a lucky draw with special gifts from the restaurant. Admission is 158 yuan/person or 128 yuan/person for reservations made before the 20th. For reservations and more info, call 5013125 or 13013325447.

Speakeasy Bar will be throwing a Christmas party on the 24th, no other details are available at the moment.

Editor's note: We are aware that many local businesses are still finalizing their Christmas event/promotion plans, please feel free to announce any additional events in the comments section of this post. Thank you.

Tags: Christmas, Kunming International Academy, TC/G Nordica

Kunming International Academy breaks ground on new campus

Friday, 1st June 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

This morning Kunming International Academy (KIA) and the Kunming government celebrated International Children's Day with a groundbreaking ceremony for KIA's new campus in the Kunming Economic and Technological Development Zone (ETDZ).

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by more than four hundred people including the entire KIA student body - more than 200 students from over 20 countries. KIA staff, representatives of the Kunming municipal government and diplomatic staff from the Malaysian, Cambodian and Thai consulates in Kunming were also in attendance.

The Kunming government and Kunming ETDZ both showed strong support for KIA's expansion into its new campus. The site was decorated with banners welcoming KIA to the zone, featuring statements in Chinese such as "Warmly welcome international friends from all over the world!" and "Build the international academy into a cradle for development of international-style talent!"

After opening addresses by KIA Director Eric Alfrey and the director of Kunming ETDZ, KIA music director Lynne Picker led a student choir performance featuring a well-received vocal solo by secondary student Solomon Dixon. The performance was followed by school and government representatives breaking ground on the new campus with shovels.

Founded in 1994, KIA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and teaches students from the Junior Kindergarten level to 12th grade. KIA is currently located in the Yan Jia Di Residential Area off of Xiyuan Lu in southern downtown Kunming. KIA is expected to move into its new campus at the beginning of 2009.

Tags: education, Kunming Economic and Technological Development Zon, Kunming International Academy

Kunming International Academy to get new campus in 2008

Tuesday, 30th January 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (2)

Kunming International Academy (KIA) has announced that it will move to a new campus in southeast Kunming's Economic and Technological Development Zone near Yunnan University's Yangpu campus. Construction is expected to begin this year and classes in the new facility are projected to begin in autumn 2008.

Founded in 1994, KIA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and teaches students from the Junior Kindergarten level to 12th grade. The school currently has more than 200 students from over 20 countries.

KIA is currently located in the Yan Jia Di Residential Area in south downtown Kunming. Land costs for the school's new campus are estimated at US$2.5 million.

Tags: education, Kunming International Academy