GoKunming

This weekend around Kunming

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

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: Hystereo Fetish Party at Speakeasy Bar
DJ Christian Olin and As Done By Robots will provide the music tonight for the annual Fetish Party at Speakeasy Bar. All patrons wearing a 'fetish' costume will enjoy free punch. Admission is free.

Friday: JP and DJ Moon Unit at The Hump Bar
JP and his guitar will be followed by DJ Moon Unit tonight at The Hump Bar. Music starts at ten, admission is free.

Saturday: Han Ying concert at TC/G Nordica
Folk performer Han Ying, who has mastered a variety of drums, flutes and several instruments that don't have English names, will play an 8pm show at TC/G Nordica on Saturday night. Admission is 30 yuan for adults, 15 yuan for children.

Sunday: Wenchuan earthquake benefit at Speakeasy Bar
Speakeasy Bar and GoKunming have organized an earthquake benefit show that will feature a diverse sampling of Kunming's local music scene, including Co Op Sol, Zhu Xiaolong, JP, Li Fan, People's Rhythm, Synthatron and DJ Kris, plus special guests. Admission to the show is a 20 yuan donation, which includes a complimentary bottle of Yanjing Beer.

All takings at the door – plus 30 percent of the takings at the bar – will be donated to the Red Cross, which has agreed to send a representative to the show. Additional donations are also welcome.

Earthquake benefit show this Sunday

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

With more than 20 million people affected by Monday's Wenchuan earthquake, an official death count of 15,000 and 40,000 still missing, the next few days are likely to see a jump in the number of dead. As the focus of relief efforts shifts from saving lives to clearing rubble and rebuilding what once were towns and cities, the economic toll of the quake is expected to be massive.

With Kunming's proximity to Sichuan and its large Sichuanese population, there are many local residents concerned about how to help their neighbors to the north. Earlier this week we posted information on how to contribute to the Chinese Red Cross - also this Sunday night Speakeasy Bar and GoKunming are co-organizing a night of music to benefit the Red Cross' efforts in Sichuan.

Beginning at 8:30 pm, the earthquake benefit show at Speakeasy Bar will feature a diverse sampling of Kunming's local music scene, including Co Op Sol, Zhu Xiaolong, JP, Li Fan, People's Rhythm, Synthatron and DJ Kris, with more acts likely to be added in the next couple of days. Admission to the show is a 20 yuan donation, which includes a complimentary bottle of Yanjing Beer.

All takings at the door – plus 30 percent of the takings at the bar – will be donated to the Red Cross, which has agreed to send a representative to the show. Additional donations are also welcome.

GoKunming thanks Speakeasy Bar and all the performers donating their time and talents to this worthy cause.

Update: Nevada Lundemo has been added to the evening's lineup

Kunming announces plans for urban rail network

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

Its streets increasingly choked with traffic, its buses full and urban sprawl pushing development southward, Kunming is preparing to start construction on its first urban rail line, perhaps before the end of the year, according to local media reports citing Kunming Municipal Traffic Research Institute Director Lin Wei.

According to Lin, the Kunming Municipal High-Speed Rail Transportation Network Plan has already been completed. The plan includes a total of six high-speed rail lines covering a total of 162 kilometers (100 miles).

Pending governmental approval, it is hoped that phase one of the project will begin before the end of this year. The first phase of the network, Line 1, will connect downtown Kunming with the university campuses in the south of Chenggong, a county that is technically part of Kunming Municipality.

Shortly after approval is obtained and construction begins on Line 1, work is expected to begin on Line 2, which will connect Kunming's northern suburbs with the northern shore of Dianchi Lake. The two areas boast some of the city's highest concentrations of wealth with the north shore of Dianchi to become more economically dynamic via developer Shui On Land's Caohai Urban North Shore project, which is expected to cover 87 hectares and feature commercial and residential space as well as museums, theaters, an amphitheater and an "artist's community".

Other proposed lines include:

Line 3: Ma Jie (west Kunming) to Liangmian Temple (east Kunming)

Line 4: High-tech Park (northwest Kunming) through downtown Kunming and Kunming ETDZ to Chenggong New Area Bailongtan

Line 5: World Horticultural Expo Gardens (northeastern Kunming) through downtown Kunming to Dianchi Holiday Area (southwestern Kunming)

Line 6: Downtown Kunming to New Airport

Construction of Line 1 is expected to cost as much as 32 billion yuan (US$4.5 billion), with each kilometer of above-ground light rail costing around 250 million yuan and each kilometer of underground subway expected to cost between 400 million and 800 million yuan. According to Lin Wei, all rail lines within Erhuan Lu – Kunming's second ring road – will be underground.

No time schedules were provided for completion of the lines and no companies were mentioned with regards to supplying or building the network.

Shanghai subway image: New York Times

Earthquake highlights risks of damming Southwest China

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

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

Subs show canceled due to earthquake

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

In addition to the destruction and tragic loss of life Monday's earthquake caused in Wenchuan and elsewhere in Sichuan, many events in Sichuan and surrounding provinces including Yunnan have been canceled. One such event is the Kunming stop on the Subs' tour of west China.

Local music promoter Xiao Gui, posting on the Rock Yunnan BBS, announced the cancellation of the Subs show in Kunming originally scheduled for next Wednesday:

"Because of the earthquake, the band is unable to make it to Kunming from Gansu, there's no way around it, the performance has to be cancelled. This month has been truly unlucky, but we pray with devotion for the fortune of our compatriots. There will be loads of shows after the Olympics, let's all look forward to after the Olympics…"

Sam Debell of Speakeasy Bar, where the Subs/Noise Addiction show was to take place, confirmed that the show had been cancelled and expressed hope that it would be rescheduled for later this year. Debell said that the band was currently in Sichuan and was in good shape but unable to make it to Kunming.

Related articles:

Contribute to Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts

Sichuan, Beijing earthquakes shake China

Beijing garage rockers Subs to play Kunming

Contribute to Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

Editor's note: We have received many queries from readers about how they can contribute to the earthquake relief efforts in Wenchuan and elsewhere in Sichuan, here is information on how to help, courtesy of Shanghaiist:

For those who are looking to contribute to current aid efforts underway, you can now donate money to the Red Cross Society of China which has formed a disaster relief working group to be dispatched to the earthquake-stricken Wenchuan County in Sichuan.

They have also published an emergency relief hotline, along with bank account information to receive donations to assist their cause:

Account name: Red Cross Society of China
开户单位：中国红十字会总会

For those who want to donate in RMB: you can send money to the RMB account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branch below:
人民币开户行: 中国工商银行北京分行东四南支行
人民币账号: 0200001009014413252

For those who want to donate in foreign currency, you can send money to the foreign currency account at the CITIC Bank branch below:
外币开户行：中信银行酒仙桥支行
外币账号: 7112111482600000209

Hotline: (8610) 65139999
Online donations: Red Cross Society of China website: www.redcross.org.cn
Click the tab for online donations

Kunming lawyer suing CNN

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

Anti-CNN fervor in China has died down somewhat in recent days, but the movement still appears to have some legs, with one Kunming lawyer suing CNN and commentator Jack Cafferty for Cafferty's reference to China as "goons and thugs". Danwei reports:

"…Life News, a Yunnan newspaper, reported on its front page about a Yunnan lawyer who has launched a lawsuit against CNN and its commentator Jack Cafferty. This is latest of a string of similar legal actions both in China and abroad."

"The lawyer, Wu Kaiguo, filed a lawsuit with the Kunming Intermediate Court demanding a public apology by CNN on the "international mainstream media", and one yuan in damages. In an interview with the newspaper, the lawyer denied that self-promotion played any part in his motivation."

Related article: Kunming protestors vent anger at Carrefour

Sichuan, Beijing earthquakes shake China

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 with its epicenter in northeast Sichuan province's Wenchuan County took place today just 90 km (55 miles) west-northwest of the provincial capital Chengdu, population 11 million. Tremors from the quake were felt throughout China.

Reports of damage or casualties have yet to emerge, but Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is now headed to Sichuan to survey the damage and the People's Liberation Army has been mobilized to assist in any aid and rescue efforts.

The earthquake took place at 2:28 pm Beijing time, with tremors being felt in Kunming around 2:35. Tremors were also felt in Beijing, 1,545 km (960 miles) northeast of Wenchuan, but their origin is still unclear. Xinhua is reporting that a second earthquake took place in Tongzhou, part of Beijing Municipality, at 2:35 pm today.

Chengdu's airport has been closed, with some flights being diverted to Kunming Wujiaba International Airport.

GoKunming has contacted friends in Chengdu who are reporting widespread building evacuations but no major damage due to the Wenchuan quake. Utilities and public transportation are also reportedly unaffected.

Update: At least 10,000 are dead, with that number expected to rise. The Chinese military is sending 27,000 troops - including 3,000 special forces - to assist affected areas.

Chengdu image: Xinhua

Related article: Pu'er hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake

Up in tha club: Jezz

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

The music scene in Kunming is still a work in progress, but many big steps have been taken in the last years to lay the foundation for what should eventually be one of the more vibrant music scenes in China.

The 'hardware' for a music scene is coming into place as there are a growing number of venues around the city serving as platforms for performers. At the same time, the 'software' is improving as well, with a growing number of Kunming-based bands - and DJs - performing around town.

One of those DJs, Jezz aka Jeremy Elrick, is focusing on further developing his own DJ skills - as well as the Kunming club scene – through a regular series of parties he throws with fellow UK DJ Menace. Jezz recently won a YouTube Ten Minute Mix competition for DJs around the world, earning him a spot for one of his mixes on Ministry of Sound Radio.

GoKunming sat down with Jezz to find out more about the direction he sees the Kunming club scene heading:

GoKunming: Why are you based in China, and more specifically Kunming?

Jezz: "I'm based in China in general as it's a chance to get access to nightclubs and experience that I feel I wouldn't have elsewhere. That's not to say I'm out there blagging, just that the system in the West makes it very difficult for a DJ in limbo between the bedroom and nightclub... China is an ideal training ground. Kunming is, at least in my humble opinion, one of the most exciting cities in China. It is relatively small and the scene is still in its infancy but already there are some great people, the vibe is really positive and I see a lot of potential."

GK: With regard to the club scene in Kunming, what do you see as the main advantages and challenges?

Jezz: "I love the fact that the scene is small, everyone knows each other and there's a very Bohemian feeling about it all. I can go to a party and at the same table there'll be DJs, VJs, Bar managers, MCs, Party Organisers.... all putting their heads together.... and I love being in a certain place in time where I feel like something positive will emerge."

"At the same time I feel like despite all the creativity floating around there are often not enough people out and about to enjoy it all. I would say in Kunming at the moment there are only enough partygoers at any given time for one party, which is a shame as the development of a scene requires more options and more people to appreciate those options."

GK: What are your current goals with regard to Kunming and China?

Jezz: "When I was growing up listening to electronica, Ibiza was always the dream. A Utopian ideal of great music, sunsets, beaches and clubs full of like-minded people who simply wanted to party. It's unrealistic to presume that Kunming could emulate that but there is, without doubt, potential for development of the scene. The weather here is great, the vibe is good, we are on several major backpacking routes. I've heard about small places in Thailand becoming mini meccas for clubbers and I don't see why, with a little work, Kunming couldn't offer something."

"Uprock, for me at least, was a step in the right direction: a club with music as its most important aspect - as opposed to revenue - has always got to be the basis of a scene and that in itself was a development for Kunming. My own personal goals are simply to develop my skills... I have my own sound which has been well received outside of China but unless you are a Top 10 DJ the majority of the time you are playing music to keep the floor moving... and that takes experience."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jezz and Menace will bring another of their 'Innocence' series of parties to Uprock tomorrow, May 10. Joining them will be DJ Jeffery the Wind. Music starts at ten, admission is free.

Related articles:

Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival

Uprock aiming to put Kunming on Asia's club circuit

This weekend around Kunming

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

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.

Beijing garage rockers Subs to play Kunming

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

Arguably the Chinese band with the biggest buzz swirling around it at the moment, Subs will bring its raucous brand of garage punk to Kunming on May 21 when they return to the stage at Speakeasy Bar.

Based out of Beijing, guitarist Wu Hao, bassist Zhu Lei and drummer Zhang Shun and frequently screaming vocalist Kang Mao are renowned for tight, high-energy shows and their ability to get audiences involved. Subs' Kunming performance is one stop on a west China tour that is taking the band to Chengdu, Guiyang, Lanzhou and even Xining in Qinghai province.

After their April 5 performance in Shanghai (see above video for that evening's performance of the song 'The Man'), Shanghaiist couldn't help but gush about the band's live show:

"The Subs just keep getting better. But what makes their shows wild is 'it'. We don't know exactly what 'it' is but, whatever makes bands take the final step, detach themselves and gain some kind of aura or mystique — The Subs have 'it'. From the second singer Kang Mao hit the stage the packed venue exploded. She was on fine form, leading the crowd with her bottomless pit of energy, telling fans who were not getting in the pit to f*ck themslves (in Mandarin) and finally joining in the crowd surfing."

Subs will be joined by opening band Pretty in Punk, formerly known in English as No Answer and still known in Chinese as 打死我也不说 (loose translation: 'Beat me to death and I still won't talk'). The video below is from PiP's first show with new lead singer Bai Cai at last month's Kunming Outdoor Music Festival

Tickets to see Subs, Pretty in Punk and a second opening band to be announced are available at Speakeasy Bar for 30 yuan – the first band will take the stage at 9:30.

Update: We have been notified that Pretty in Punk will not be playing the show as originally scheduled - the opening band will be Noise Addiction.

Image: Shanghaiist

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Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival

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Olympics drawing nearer, another international event 'postponed'

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

With the Olympics around the corner, it appears to be becoming increasingly difficult to hold large events in China, especially events with an international flavor.

Beijing's popular Midi Festival, originally scheduled to be held May 1-4, was canceled in late April by the city's Public Security Bureau and is reportedly trying to reschedule a time after the Olympics. The music festival was to feature some international acts as well as attract an international audience.

Music festivals aren't the only events getting shut down – even anthropologists are being prevented from holding a conference in Kunming that was originally scheduled to take place in July.

The International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES), based at Leiden University in the Netherlands, has been notified by the Chinese organizers of the 16th IUAES World Congress that the event, originally scheduled to be held July 15-23, had been postponed.

A letter from the China Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (CUAES) posted on the IUAES website gives the official explanation for the decision to postpone the IUAES Congress in Kunming:

"…it is very regretful that CUAES has encountered complex difficulties hard to resolve in its preparation work recently, which makes impossible for us to hold the Congress at the time originally planned.

"Therefore, we propose to postpone the Congress to a later time, where details are undergoing close discussions and negotiations with IUAES. It is advised that all participants interested in the Congress suspend such efforts as processing visas, reserving hotels or booking tickets, and the like."

The Associated Press spoke with Zhang Jijiao, organizer and professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, who gave no reason for the postponement.

"We have postponed the July conference, but I am not at liberty to tell you the reason why," he said, adding that more than 6,500 people had registered to attend the event.

Related articles:

Music under the stars at Kunming Outdoor Music Festival

Yunfest 2007 postponed

Olympic torch winding its way through China

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

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

Yunnan reports hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

The Yunnan Provincial Hygiene Department announced that as of noon on Monday, 113 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) had been diagnosed in Yunnan, apparently caused by intestinal virus Enterovirus 71 (EV71). The announcement comes one day after Kunming announced that all Kindergarten students would be checked for the disease.

59 of the reported cases, more than half of the provincial total, were diagnosed in Kunming. Other affected areas include Chuxiong (19 cases), Yuxi (13), Baoshan (12), Dali (5), Honghe (3) and Zhaotong and Lincang, which reported one case each. No deaths have been reported.

Although highly contagious among children, HFMD has a low fatality rate and is expected to be contained well before the Olympics. With SARS still in people's minds and the Olympics around the corner, the Chinese government has shown a greater degree of openness and transparency at both the central and local levels than with previous outbreaks.

As Jeremy Goldkorn at Danwei puts it:

"Despite foreign cable news reports screaming about a 'deadly' virus, the virus is treatable and not that deadly. On the other hand, Xinhua and CCTV have not shied away from reporting about the disease, a welcome change from the days of SARS in 2003, when a disease outbreak was treated as something to be ashamed of and covered up."

Related article:

Kindergartens to check for hand, foot and mouth disease

New Kunming airport in search of investment

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 08:00:00 +0800

Kunming's new international airport – which upon completion is projected to be China's fourth largest airport – is in search of foreign investment of US$400 million to fund its development, according to a China Knowledge article published on Monday. Restrictions on foreign investment in China's airports were recently relaxed from a limit of 35 percent to 49 percent.

The report stated that Macquarie, Goldman Sachs and Singapore's Changi Airport had expressed interest in investing in Kunming's new airport, which is expected to greatly increase the city's access to international destinations via direct flights to Europe, Australia, the Americas and elsewhere in Asia. The airport will be developed by Yunnan Airport Group.

The new airport's first two runways are scheduled for completion sometime next year and will be able to handle 25 million passengers yearly, compared to the current capacity of 20 million at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, which will reportedly remain operational until 2010.

Related articles:

UK's Arup lands Kunming airport deal

Kunming to build China's 4th-largest airport