Latest Comments

• • November 10, 2011
  • Interview: Xiang Rong
    

    I have a suggestion. Would it make sense to title the excellent GoKunming interviews with something that gives the reader an idea of who the person interviewed might be? Because just saying "Interview: so and so" gives the reader nothing to go on and less likely to actually click on it and read it. Just a thought.

• • January 27, 2011
  • GoKunming Year of the Rabbit Holiday Preview
    

    Can't swear to it, but I heard Vintage Cafe will stay open.

• • January 9, 2011
  • Kunming pursuing closer ties with Nepal
    

    China is going to help Nepal develop its education system and industrial sector? Oh dear.

• • November 20, 2010
  • Starbucks moving into Yunnan to support China expansion
    

    The insatiably greedy, swallow up the little guy with our vast reserves of capital American corporate behemoth known as Starbucks has been driving locally owned cafes out of business all over the globe, while it treats its employees like dirt. I see no cause for celebration at the news that Yunnan is one step closer to being corporatized and globalized. If you can't live without your Starbucks fix, go back where you came from instead of cheering on the ruination of wonderful, funky, unique Yunnan. A Starbucks in Dali?! I hope I never live to see that day arrive. Wake up.

Latest Classifieds

• • March 20
    
    Respond
  • Anyone know an English speaking computer whiz?
    

    Classifieds > Jobs > Jobs Offered

    I tried to speed up my Windows XP OS the other day and did a "registry cleanup" which ended up causing more problems than it solved, and my attempts to do a "system restore" have not succeeded for some reason that's beyond my limited abilities to resolve. So now I'm looking for a laowai or English speaking Chinese computer geek who can straighten it out as my Chinese is crap. Happy to pay for the service but don't really feel like just randomly going to the computer mart and bumbling my way through trying to make myself understood.

Latest Forum Posts

• • March 20, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Forest fire news
    

    Does anyone know a reliable source of news about the forest fire that started in Yuxi county and has now reached the outskirts of Kunming? Xinhua says the fire was put out but this is patently ridiculous, as the city is full of smoke and the internet is full of bloggers trying to get the truth out there but their websites have mostly been translated into Chinglish.

• • September 22, 2011
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Is there really nothing that can be done?
    

    [actually i don't mean to offend any of the posters above but that man who you talking about can move can walk after he got his job done every night and also later he puts on his coat .!]

    No offense taken. This is one of the reasons that we are taking a cautious approach to the situation, exactly because it is so difficult, even for the locals sometimes, to figure out what is really going on.

    Thanks to the other posters for your insights. We'll be talking to our Chinese friends and let you know what develops. And please continue to offer advice, by all means.

• • September 21, 2011
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Is there really nothing that can be done?
    

    I'm sure many people who read this forum have seen the poor, helpless "beggar" on the sidewalk on Wen Lin Jie near the movie theater. His keepers bring him there every day and leave him (since he obviously can't move himself) all day and late into the evening in all kinds of weather with no protection against the elements except a rag covering the lower part of his body. I assume that the police, even if pressed to do something about this unspeakably cruel situation, would not intervene because even if they chased away or arrested the pigs who collect the money at the end of the day, they would then be faced with the dilemma of what to do with this poor soul.

    So my question is, is there no charity or organization in this city that might take this man in before he dies of exposure on the street as thousands of people pass by every day? My wife and I are willing to try to help in any way we can, but our Chinese is crap so we would definitely need a Chinese or a foreigner who is bilingual if there is any avenue that we could pursue to try to help this man.

• • June 2, 2011
    
  • Forums > Travel Yunnan > Buses from Kunming to Shangri-La
    

    A friend of mine has taken the overnight bus from Kunming to Shangri-La many times, and I believe this would be the only direct one, but he's left town now and I don't know which station it leaves from. I would guess the west one. So if you don't mind sleeper buses, that might be a good option for you. It's certainly the cheapest way to get there.

• • May 24, 2011
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Beware long running fraud and theft of services racket!
    

    I know, I know, I said I was going to take a break, but I hadn't realized how many threads there were on this and how out of hand the "discussion" had gotten. But this is it, I promise.

    As for all the discussion about contracts, I should point out that the eight or nine foreign extras who were hired to work the day I met Jasmine had all been working on this movie for a couple of weeks already and had worked longer hours and been paid less than promised by Jasmine on several occasions. They were so frustrated at being repeatedly lied to by her that they asked me, as the eldest one there that day, I suppose (I am [18 x 3] + 2!), to write a simple contract stating the hourly rate and payment schedule, which I did. After about an hour of trying to get her to read it and having her ignore us, she finally signed it and threw it in my face with a few choice epitaphs. What the well meaning people on this and the other threads that Jasmine started don't understand is that Jasmine doesn't need advice about contracts because her fundamental lack of decency makes her terrified of them. And of course, at the end of the day she didn't honor the contract that she had signed only that morning, to no one's surprise.

    All this whining by Jasmine about how tough it is to be an agent is really of no concern to the people she hires, whether they be daily extras, professional actors, Chinese, foreign, have work visas or not. The people she hires have no control over the people she works for. She needs to figure out a way to do her job in a professional manner or do something else.

    One last thing; I am also surprised to see the depth of animosity between some Chinese and foreigners in Kunming expressed on these threads. I hope they are the minority. Speaking for myself, with one notable exception (guess who?), I have been overwhelmed with kindness, generosity and true friendship by the vast majority of Chinese I have met during my time here. Maybe exercising good judgment about who you associate with is a good idea no matter where on the planet you live, whether you are a foreigner or a local in whatever country you find yourself. I wouldn't trade my Kunming experience and my wonderful Chinese friends for anything. And I do feel very lucky to be a foreigner in China at this time, but I don't think I'm spoiled. I work hard at what I do, give good value for money, and make much less than I would in my home country. And it's pointless to compare my salary with my Chinese counterparts, because I have skills that they simply don't. I'm not putting them down, that's just the reality of the situation. That's why the government issues work visas and foreign expert certificates, because right now, China needs them. It's as simple as that.

Latest Reviews

• • explorerred
    January 26, 2010
    
  • Kunming > Totem Village
    长生村

    The Korean restaurant at 18 Wen Lin Jie is under new management and I recommend it highly. It is chef owned, the owner (Ivan) and his wife speak a little English, and they are very friendly and helpful. Fast service, excellent Korean food and good prices. No, I'm not related to them, I just really enjoyed our evening there recently and want to spread the word in hopes that they'll do well and be around for a long time so we can keep going back!

• The Old Theatre Inn
• Lost Garden Guesthouse & Restaurant
• Chicago Coffee
• Kunming Mei's Mandarin School
• As You Like
• Keats School
• Moondog
• GoKunming
• YMCA Club 1933
• Slice of Heaven
• Kingsway Tented Resorts
• Camel Bar
• The Mask
• Bakery 88
• Kunming College of Eastern Language and Culture
• My Favor Restaurant
• Chapter One
• Wonders Of Yunnan Travel
• O'Reilly's Irish Pub
• Salvador's Coffee House
• Wangtianshu Restaurant & Deli
• Tenwest Mandarin School
• Cacao Mexican Restaurant
• Flying Tigers Restaurant
• Kunming Yu-Cong Enterprise Management Company
• Huiying Dental Clinic