I rode by the reservoir near JinDian after that first heavy rain, and it was still 99% dried up.

Personally I'm not a fan of rain at all, particularly in a temperate climate like Kunming. For all I could care, it should be sunny everyday here like during winter and somehow they would have to figure out a way of bringing water here (desalination plant + pipeline from Guangxi or Hainan anyone?)

OK, perhaps a bit expensive and clearly Kunming isn't located in a desert; but last year I hated the weather here...too cloudy or foggy, too much rain and this combination meant going back to boiling water in a tub and mixing it with cold water just to have a shower! Me thinks that perhaps Kunming isn't sunny enough to justify the big investment in solar hot water heating systems...

I find the rain pleasant enough, and it is fun to ride a scooter through the puddles, because they do not splash on you if your scooter is big enough.

My favourite things about the rain.

Firstly, mosquitoes cannot fly in the rain.
Secondly, it knocks back the mozzy population for a few days at least.