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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 Yunnan at the beginning of the 20th Century. Year: 1902 Subject: First graduating class of Kunming's Wubei Xuetang (武备学堂) Location: Present-day Jiangwutang (讲武堂), west side of Cuihu Park Background: The above photo is of 13 students from the first graduating class of the Wubei Xuetang (武备学堂), Kunming's first military academy, which was founded in 1899. The students, who completed three years of training, are centered around an unidentified teacher from the academy. By the end of the 19th Century, a little over a decade before the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Kunming had become more than just a place to exile disgraced officials, it had become a strategically important outpost at the crossroads of China, Tibet and Southeast Asia. Creating a strong local military force had become a necessity, prompting the establishment of the Wubei Xuetang on the west side of present-day Cuihu Park. The curriculum at the Wubei Xuetang featured four main subjects: Chinese language, mathematics, cannons and the military drill book (操典). The drill book used at the academy was a book of German military drills.
Within the Jiangwutang is a vast, flat courtyard that was once used for military drills. The building's south wing contains a free museum which narrates the role the academy has played in Kunming and Yunnan's history. Tags: Auguste François, Cuihu Park, Jiangwutang, military, old Kunming, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Wubei Xuetang, Yin Xiaojun China's Ministry of Commerce to participate in Kunming FairWednesday, 28th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The 16th annual Kunming International Import and Export Commodities Fair - aka the Kunming Fair (昆交会) - will take place again this year at the Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center (昆明国际会展中心) from June 6 to June 10. The Kunming Fair is a regional trade fair jointly sponsored by the governments of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Tibet, Chongqing and Chengdu. Last year's Kunming Fair saw 162 companies exhibit their products and more than US$158.5 million in completed deals over five days. The total reported value of contracts and agreements signed at the event exceeded 68.1 billion yuan (US$8.9 billion). According to Kunming media reports, this year China's Ministry of Commerce will participate in hosting the fair for the first time with the stated goal of increasing the scale and quality of the fair. Yunnan Commerce Bureau Director Sun Xiaohong (孙小虹) said this year the fair will feature 2,318 exhibits, adding that 2,148 exhibitors were already confirmed for the event. Sun said that exhibits by Burmese and Sichuanese enterprises will be slightly fewer in number than last year due to the recent Myanmar cyclone and Wenchuan earthquake, respectively. Under orders from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the Kunming Fair will include a "Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Corridor Forum" (GMS经济走廊论坛) for the first time. The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) includes Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. For the third consecutive year the fair will also feature a 'China-South Asia Commerce Forum',(中国-南亚商务论坛) as well as the clumsily named 'ASEAN Chinese Business Investment Southwest Promotion Meeting and Asia-Pacific Chinese Business Forum' (东盟华商投资西南项目推介会 暨亚太华商论坛). A preview of some of the products on offer can be found on the fair's official website. The website also features other information of less obvious value, including 'Britney Spears loses custody of children', 'Goal-driven achievers less prone to Alzheimers' and 'Abdul says she's straight up ready for a baby'. The Kunming Fair runs from Friday, June 6 through Tuesday, June 10 from 8 am to 6 pm. GoKunming called the fair's office, which told us the admission fee had yet to be announced (last year tickets to the fair cost 30 yuan/day). For more information, call the fair at (0871) 6269886 or 3155519. Image: finance.sina.com Related articles: Yunnan-ASEAN trade continues to boom Kunming hosting Asia-Pacific trade meeting Kunming Fair breaks US$150 million mark GMS agreement to facilitate regional transport Tags: ASEAN, Britney Spears, business, Chengdu, Chongqing, foreign trade, GMS, Guangxi, Guizhou, Kunming Fair, Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Ce, Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar Cyclone, Paula Abdul, Sichuan, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sun Xiaohong, Tibet, Wenchuan earthquake
In the last several weeks the tragedies of the Myanmar Cyclone and Wenchuan earthquake have shaken Kunming residents into giving what they can to help their neighbors who have fallen victims to natural disaster. Seeing how impoverished many of these areas were prior to their respective disasters is a reminder of how many areas in this geographically varied and ethnically diverse part of Asia are in need of all kinds of assistance – even without disasters. This Friday night at The Hump Bar, a free evening of music will be held to benefit the only school in the small Tibetan village of Jiabe (佳碧). The benefit show was organized by Kunming resident Matthieu Lelievre, who first visited Jiabe – his fiancée's hometown - four years ago.
"The village used to be the county seat of Yunling until 25 years ago - they had all the facilities there," Lelievre said. "Then there was a flood which destroyed much of the village, especially government buildings." "There was no damage to the one school in the village, but the government moved to another village, and the school hasn't changed since then - it's a 30-year-old building in pretty bad condition. When I saw it, me and my fiancée thought it would be nice to do something so that the children get a better study environment."
The benefit party at The Hump Bar is aimed at not only raising cash to renovate the school, but to also recruit volunteers to teach Chinese and English to the students of Jiabe village, Lelievre added. Starting at 9 pm, the benefit show will begin with a Tibetan musical performance featuring performers from Makye Ame Tibetan restaurant. Afterward, entertainment will include a performance by The Tribal Moons plus DJ sets by Fan (formerly known as DJ Christian) and Lumberjack Jon. All performers will donate their normal remuneration to the school and The Hump Bar has pledged to donate 30 percent of bar sales from the evening. A donation box will also be present for those who want to donate directly. Admission to the benefit show is free. For more information, call Matthieu Lelievre at 13708732507. Update: Matthieu Lelievre contacted GoKunming and said the benefit raised 5,000 yuan for Jiabe's school He also requests that anyone willing to teach Chinese or English at the school contacts him at 13708732507 as teachers are urgently needed there. Related article: Earthquake benefit raises more than 10,000 yuan Tags: education, Jiabe, Matthieu Lelievre, The Hump Bar, Tibet Earthquake highlights risks of damming Southwest ChinaWednesday, 14th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
China is home to an estimated 85,000 dams nationwide, more than 40 percent of the world's total. A large portion of those are in southwest China, especially Sichuan and Yunnan, whose rivers have their headwaters in neighboring Tibet. Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake in northern Sichuan province highlights one of the vulnerabilities and inherent risks of China's prolific dambuilding in its southwest. Major rivers include the Jinsha, Nu and Lancang rivers, the headwaters of the Yangtze, Salween and Mekong rivers, respectively. Sichuan's Tulong and Zipingpu reservoirs suffered damage from the quake, endangering the downstream city of Dujiangyan and its 500,000 residents, according to a Reuters report citing a local official. According to the report, Sichuan's Yuzui levee, the linchpin of the Dujiangyan system, has also sustained damage from the quake, with cracks appearing. China's Ministry of Water Resources said the cracks were not serious. In addition to Sichuan, the ministry has sent teams to the regions of Yunnan, Chongqing, Gansu and Shaanxi to assess earthquake-related damage to local dams. The majority of Yunnan's dams are far from Kunming and other major metropolitan areas within the province. Xinhua quoted Water Resources Minister Chen Lei as saying that "local governments should monitor (dam) projects, to discover and repair damage as soon as possible. In case of danger, make sure to transport people to safer places." Newer dam projects are tending to be larger than before, such as the Xiluodu Power Station, a dam that is being built on the Jinsha River between Sichuan and Yunnan. The hydropower project is scheduled for completion in 2015 and will be China's second-largest dam after the Three Gorges project. Image: biaoshu.com Related article: China's second-largest hydropower project enters construction phase Tags: Chongqing, dams, Dujiangyan, earthquake, environment, Gansu, hydropower, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Three Gorges, Tibet Yang Liping unveils Tibetan-inspired productionTuesday, 7th August 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
Yunnan native and internationally-renowned dancer Yang Liping (杨丽萍) is returning to the stage with the follow-up to her successful music and dance production Dynamic Yunnan (云南映象), which enjoyed a long run at the Kunming Theater and sold out theaters across China. Yang's new production Tibetan Riddle (藏谜) looks beyond Yunnan to neighboring Tibet for its inspiration. The show features more than 80 performers and is set to debut in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on August 24. Yang, a member of the Bai ethnicity who studied dance in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna region, first rose to prominence in China in 1986 after winning a national dance contest with her interpretation of the Dai peacock dance. Yang will costar with Tibetan singer Rongzhongerjia (容中尔甲) in Tibetan Riddle, in which she will perform two dance solos. No informatioin has been released regarding if/when Tibetan Riddle will come to Kunming or Yunnan. Tags: arts and entertainment, Dynamic Yunnan, Tibet, Yang Liping China Eastern Airlines will open passenger flights between Kunming and the city of Nyingchi in eastern Tibet this summer, according to a Xinhua report. China Eastern's Yunnan Branch recently ran a trial flight of a Boeing 737-700 from Kunming to Nyingchi, which due to being located in a winding valley with challenging weather conditions is one of the world's most difficult airport landings. Total flying time from Kunming to Nyingchi, Tibet's third civilian airport, will be just under two hours. Once China Eastern concludes negotiations with the two airports it is expected to announce the maiden flight date and flight schedule. Nyingchi, which means 'throne of the sun' in Tibetan, is located 400 kilometers east of Lhasa. It is home to the ruins of Buchasergyi Lakang Monastery, an Eighth Century Buddhist Temple built by King Songsten Gampo. Tags: Buchasergyi Lakang Monastery, China Eastern Airlines, King Songsten Gampo, Nyingchi, Tibet, travel |
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