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Shui On Land leading investment in Yunnan's tourism industryMonday, 7th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)The group of eleven is led by HK-listed Shui On Land (瑞安房地产), best known for being developers of the Xintiandi and Corporate Avenue project in Shanghai. Total investment by Shui On Land in Yunnan this year is expected to reach 48 billion, more than the other 10 companies combined. In December 2007, Shui On signed a cooperation agreement with the provincial government – today it is working on four major projects in Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Diqing. Smart Hero Group (骏豪集团), another Hong Kong developer, will invest more than 25 billion yuan in the city of Chengjiang, 70 kilometers southeast of Kunming. The project, located at the Sun Mountain International Ecological Tourism and Leisure Holdiday Area, will commence construction in September. Smart Hero has existing tourism and hospitality projects in the cities of Xiamen, Sanya and Chongqing. Smart Hero's investment in Chengjiang is indicative of a larger trend in Yunnan – in addition to established tourist cities such as Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Shangri-la, smaller cities and lesser-known areas in Yunnan are beginning to attract larger amounts of investment. Other examples include Pu'er and Yangzonghai. Related article: Property giant Shui On moving into Yunnan Tags: Chengjiang, Chuxiong, Dali, Diqing, Lijiang, Shangri-la, Shui On Land, Smart Hero Group, tourism, travel, Xintiandi
Just weeks after China implemented a nationwide ban on free plastic bags, Yunnan province is once again putting itself at the forefront of the country's environmental movement – this time with a total ban on production, sales and use of plastic bags across the province next year. According to a Xinhua report, the ban will begin January 1, 2009 and will cover plastic bags of all thicknesses, as opposed to the current national ban on plastic bags thinner than 0.025 millimeters. The report said that throughout Yunnan, 'truly environment-friendly shopping bags' will be provided free or for a fee to customers at supermarkets, department stores, shopping outlets, hotels, restaurants and other venues. Prior to the nationwide ban on free plastic bags that went into effect on June 1 of this year, Yunnan had already earned a reputation for being one of China's most environmentally conscious provinces with plastic bag bans in the popular travel destinations of Shangri-la (Zhongdian) and Lijiang. In Shangri-la and Lijiang, local residents quickly adapted to not using plastic bags, switching to reusable, biodegradable bags after experimenting with newspaper and woven baskets. In addition to addressing the problem of 'white pollution' – the plastic and polystyrene pollution that can be found throughout China – Yunnan is also emerging as one of the more progressive provinces in terms of developing solar energy resources. Both the cities of Shilin and Dali will soon boast some of China's – and Asia's – largest solar power projects, and Kunming, where half the city's residents use solar energy to heat their water, was named China's 'Solar City' by the Worldwatch Institute. The Kunming municipal government is also reportedly considering developing the city into a production base for degradable plastic bags. Image: hb.newssc.org Related articles: Free plastic bags banned across China China's larges solar power station to be built in Shilin Dali to build large-scale solar power base Solar-powered trip around the world stops in Kunming Tags: Dali, environment, Lijiang, plastic bags, Shangri-la, solar power Olympic torch in Lijiang, next stop Shangri-laTuesday, 10th June 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The Olympic torch relay is passing through Lijiang today as it continues its path through Yunnan province toward earthquake-ravaged Sichuan. This morning, 13-year-old Zhang Zilan (张紫兰) of Wenchuan, Sichuan shared her torch relay responsibilities with 12-year-old He Zhensheng (和震生). Zhang is one the many children from the earthquake disaster zone that have been relocated to Lijiang, where they are now attending school. He, whose name Zhensheng literally means "born from a quake", was born during the deadly 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Lijiang in 1996. Tomorrow the torch will make its last stop in Yunnan in Shangri-la (Zhongdian). The next day, the ethnically Tibetan area of Shangri-la will hold its annual horse racing festival (赛马节), which was supposed to take place on Sunday but was postponed by the local government – thanks to reader Steph Jensen for notifying us of the postponement. Editor's note: If you have a story idea or a tip you'd like to share with GoKunming please feel free to contact us via our contact form. Image: clzg.cn Tags: Beichen, He Zhensheng, Lijiang, Olympic torch, Olympics, Shangri-la, Steph Jensen, Wenchuan earthquake, Wenlin Jie, Zhang Zilan, Zhongdian Olympic torch relay in Yunnan delayed by two daysWednesday, 28th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
During last week's three-day national period of mourning in China, many teahouses, restaurants, bars, clubs and other 'entertainment' venues closed or were shut down for three days. The Olympic torch relay, winding through mainland China en route to Beijing, also paused for three days. The torch's delay left Chinese Olympic officials with the new logistical challenge of getting the torch through all the previously planned destinations, but three days faster than before. Not surprisingly, the torch relay schedule has been delayed for several locations, including cities in Yunnan. Originally slated to pass through Kunming, Lijiang and Shangri-la from June 7 through June 9, the Olympic torch will now pass through the three cities from June 9 through June 11, according to Kunming media reports. Related article: China mourns Olympic torch to pass through Yunnan Tags: Beijing, Lijiang, Olympic torch, Olympics, Shangri-la, Wenchuan earthquake After its arrival on Saturday in Sanya, Hainan province, the Olympic torch (奥运火炬) has begun its winding path through the Chinese mainland, with Beijing its final destination on August 8. The torch will pass through all of China's administrative regions, including Yunnan from June 7 to June 9, according to a report on Sohu.com. The torch will make three appearances in Yunnan province, winding through the cities of Kunming, Lijiang and Shangri-la. Each city will feature 208 torch carriers, or 624 in total for the province, the Sohu report said, citing the Yunnan Provincial Athletic Bureau. Torchbearers were selected by the provincial government, city governments, China's Olympic committee plus corporate sponsors of the games.
Torchbearers in Yunnan will range in age from 15 to 82 and will include nationally famous policeman Fang Hongxiao (方红霄), singer Zongyongzhuoma (宗庸卓玛) and gold medalist paralympian swimmer Wang Xiaofu (王晓福), pictured above. Meanwhile, the third and final phase of Olympic ticket sales have commenced and will run through Friday. Initial reports suggest that this phase of ticket sales and distribution will be as trying as the previous two, with some purchasers luckier than others. Image: Sina.com Related articles: Kunming protestors vent anger at Carrefour Olympic torch to pass through Yunnan Tags: Fang Hongxiao, Lijiang, Olympic tickets, Olympic torch, Shangri-la, Wang Xiaofu, Yunnan Provincial Athletic Bureau, Zongyongzhuoma China Eastern loses Xishuangbanna, Dali routesWednesday, 23rd April 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)The cancellation of the popular routes by aviation regulatory body the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) comes as a result of a rare public display of defiance by pilots on 21 flights last month. China Eastern Airlines had stated that pilots in its Yunnan subsidiary deliberately turned back midway through their provincial flights out of Kunming in late March – effectively going on strike in midair – with dissatisfaction with strict lifetime contracts and low pay both cited as reasons for the pilots' actions. China Eastern released a statement in early April saying that two high-ranking officials in the company's Yunnan subsidiary had been fired and a deputy general manager from the company's Shanghai headquarters would serve as head of the branch. In addition to the canceled Xishuangbanna and Dali feeder routes, CAAC reduced the number of flights China Eastern can fly from Kunming to Lijiang, Shangri-la, Mangshi, Lincang, Pu'er and Wenshan by 20 flights daily, effective April 26. Details are unavailable regarding whether the routes will be available to other carriers or if China Eastern will later be eligible to service the routes again. Passengers who have purchased canceled flights are entitled to a full refund at China Eastern offices. The cancellation of the Xishuangbanna and Dali routes comes as both regions prepare for an influx of summer and Olympics-related tourism. Update: Bloomberg is reporting that Air China and three other carriers will receive the canceled routes beginning May 4. Related articles China Eastern fires Yunnan management over pilot demonstration China Eastern officials, pilots meet after Kunming protest Tags: China Eastern Airlines, Dali, Lijiang, Lincang, Mangshi, pilot strike, Pu'er, Shangri-la, Wenshan, Xishuangbanna
Northwest Yunnan's Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture – closed to international tourists since the beginning of the recent riots in Lhasa – has reopened to foreign travelers after nearly a month of being off-limits, according to a Xinhua report citing Cering Norbu, the prefecture's deputy secretary general. Diqing contains popular tourist destinations including Shangri-la (previously known as Zhongdian) and Deqin. More than 3.8 million tourists visited the prefecture in 2007, including 400,000 international travelers. Tags: Cering Norbu, Deqin, Diqing, Lhasa riots, Shangri-la, travel, Zhongdian Shui On announces 5 billion yuan investment in Shangri-la tourism projectThursday, 31st January 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)According to Chinese financial media reports, Shui On has signed an agreement with the Diqing government to develop a plot of land with a total area of 17.73 million square meters – 9.96 million square meters of which it is designating 'protected areas' – into a 'holiday and leisure area'. The development project, which currently has a planned building area of 760,000 square meters, will be surrounded by a ring of 3.49 million square meters of undeveloped land as a buffer between it and the outside world. Shui On, known best for its high-end office, residential and commercial projects in Shanghai, Hangzhou and other mainland cities, has been making steady inroads into the Yunnan market. In September of 2007, the company co-signed an agreement with the Yunnan government in which the two parties vowed to work together to develop Yunnan's bountiful tourism resources. The developer has already signed agreements for major developments on Dianchi's north shore in Kunming as well as in Dali's Haidong New District. In addition to Shangri-la, Shui On has also expressed interest in development projects in Lijiang. Related articles: Property giant Shui On moving into Yunnan HK Developer sets sights on Kunming Tags: Dali, Dianchi Lake, Diqing, Hangzhou, Lijiang, real estate, Shanghai, Shangri-la, Shui On Land, travel Next 1 2 |
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