Latest Comments

• • June 23, 2011
  • Book Review: Among the Tribes in South-West China
    

    I read this book a year ago and was appalled initially to see that it was in fact written by a missionary. (I would never intentionally give a penny to a missionary.) Having said that, I read the first half of the book since he did try to separate the anthropology from the missionary BS. And there were indeed a few interesting observations about the ethnic groups and he had clearly bothered to learn a lot about the languages.

    Still, even the first part can't help adding in religious judgments and hypocritical nonsense. People are viewed from the perspective of their willingness to accept a load of you-know-what without becoming physically ill.

    I passed my book along to a Christian and still feel guilty for having bought it without paying enough attention to the source/author.

• • July 21, 2010
  • Kunming sets GDP growth record in first half of 2010
    

    Thanks for this article. I'm always interested in the Kunming economy. I've been trying to follow the Kunming residential real estate market in particular. Recently, I heard that the Chinese government regulations to prevent housing bubbles had hit Kunming hard. Anyone know about this? Does that mean that apartment selling prices are down from say, a year ago? Or are prices stable but transactions down? Any info would be greatly appreciated as I can't seem to find anything via googling (outside china right now) but headed back that way soon.

• • January 28, 2010
  • Collapse at new airport kills 7, injures 34
    

    Like Sajeev, I've searched high and lo for any hint about when the new airport is likely to open and can't find anything. I'd really like to know also:)

• • December 30, 2008
  • 2008: The Year in Review
    

    Terrific summary of the year and I really appreciate it as I'm here part of the year but not always.

    Actually, I love this site and am so glad you are doing it. I know it's a lot of work but I hope you will keep doing it anyway!

Latest Forum Posts

• • April 5, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Google Earth blocked?
    

    Funny, I've just recently been noticing the same thing. And this is my 5th year in Kunming. I used to only have to use the VPN occasionally to get to some very specific sites but lately I have to run the VPN almost all the time just to go to sites that normally aren't blocked.

    Still, I am assuming that it is actual blocking and not a slowdown or hop count problem. Sure glad I've got a good VPN but let's hope this is just temporary.

    Like someone else mentioned, I even today had to use it to get to GoKunming site.

• • February 28, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > US Consulate Visit to Kunming
    

    For sunjiangyu

    You can use this link to do voter registration for overseas americans
    http://www.fvap.gov/ if I understood your question right. This is how you register and get the absentee ballot mailed to you.

    I did it a month ago and it works for any state but you do have to sign the form you do online and then either mail it in or fax it I think.

• • February 28, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Exchange money for buying property
    

    Hi all!

    I guess I have the opposite problem soon because I want to sell my property here and have the money wired back to my US bank in dollars. So I have several questions if this group would be willing to help out.
    1) I see that Dry and Easy has managed to find the Foreign Exchange Bureau and that's great because everyone tells me I should go there (with my receipt for exchanging dollars to rmb in the beginning) but all the people I've asked don't know where it is! even realtors didn't know.
    So if you could say where this bureau is, it would be a big help.
    2) I saw online that the Chinese are now also limited to exchange rmb for no more than $50K US per year and something about a daily limit of $10K. This change happened in 2010 they say. Anyone heard about this? And do you think it would apply to wiring money from the chinese account to my US bank?
    OK, I know that's too much for a short forum entry. Thanks for any help

• • January 20, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Buying Property In Kunming
    

    Actually, it happened to me when I bought and I objected (to no avail) because I was afraid the lower 'fake' price would hurt me in capital gains type fees on the sale. But it was clear then that everybody was doing business this way.

• • January 19, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Buying Property In Kunming
    

    Yuantongsi, Thanks so much for that idea. I wouldn't have thought to do that. So the laws in China don't say whether the buyer or seller has to pay each type of fees? that might be the way to go. Of course, I'd like to ask the buyer to settle in USDollars since they are easy for chinese to get and it's hard for me to get RMB changed. Guess that's another problem entirely.

Latest Reviews

• • BBinKMG
    March 23, 2012
    
  • Kunming > Cacao Mexican Restaurant
    墨西哥餐厅

    I decided to try this place again after 6 months away. SO glad I did because they deserve the Most Improved Restaurant award as far as I'm concerned.

    I love Mexican food and went as soon as they opened but was disappointed then. The food was so dry and bland and the drinks so expensive but more like a glass of ice water! I tried Cacao's 3 or 4 times in the first 3 months and then sadly, gave up.

    So here it is, 6 months later, and the food is not dry and not bland....excellent in fact! I haven't been brave enough to try any drink but beer but soon I will. It's a beautiful place with a nice patio and now with Great Mexican food!!!

    So I hope they can get a lot of regular customers and stay in our area for a long time.

• 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