Today marks four years in China for me. Almost three in Hebei province and one here in Kunming. How about you guys? What were your plans when you first came here? Did you stick to your plans? What keeps you here? How often do you visit home? How long will you stay?
When I first came to Kunming, my plan was to study Chinese, then study for a degree here in Yunnan.. eh, but plans change. I originally came to China to get some experience teaching then go to Japan, but turns out during the time I spent here, visa rules got more strict and unless I get that degree I will never be qualified enough for Japan, no matter how much experience I have! I actually don't know if I even want to go there anymore. Haha.

Hmm, what keeps me here? I don't really have much to go to back home and life is easy here, simple as that. I haven't been home at all in four years. I'm really not sure how long I will stay in KM/China.. I'm thinking of moving on to somewhere in SE Asia, but who knows. Let's see what happens!
How about you?

Well only been Nine months here myself but plan on making it a lot longer! I first came here to meet my girlfriend as she had moved back to Kunming from London and wanted to see her again, not just leave it at that lol.
Once in Kunming though I got a feel for the place and thought why not stay longer than just a month or two. Started learning Chinese set a date for our wedding and 'bam' that's it, China has now become my home for at least the next few years :)
Just going to be a lot of learning to fit in here though but learning is something positive not negative anyway, so am looking to enjoy this time of going forward together with my wife!!!
Probably be looking to go back to the UK for xmas as it would of been long over year away then and a good time to hook up with family, I'm lucky in that some are coming here next month so not to bad.
Let's see what happens eh ;o)

I'm just coming up to 7 years in Kunming and 5 more elsewhere in China before that. Originally came to China to work with an NGO, now plying my trade as an English teacher. Married a local woman a couple of years ago and we have a one year old boy. So we'll be here for some years to come, though maybe retire in the UK in due course.

10 years and counting.

Kunming has it's up and downs, like any place. Still I think one of the better options for living.

3yr+ now in Kunming. Honestly, the weather keeps me here. I so wanted to live in Chongqing a few years back, but the unbearable hot and no blue skies was just no match for the mild Kunming climate. It helps I'm usually in LA during the winter too. Also, enjoy the bike-ability of this town and the fact rent is like a third of the tier1 cities. No plan then; no plan now. Though other places like Vietnam still beckon

Having travelled through China earlier I arrived in Guiyang about 12 years ago with the intention of getting nine months work experience before returning to UK to take advanced qualifications. I stayed and moved to Kunming; a relatively cosy city at the time. China is like a big bag of crisps: unhealthy, can be foul tasting and yet strangely addictive and comforting and you just keep dipping in the fathomless bag without any thought of risk assessment. Local people more than the city or weather keep me here. Spring City is as much a bogus caricature as English Gentlemen and French cooking. Students particularly are invariably honest, direct, open and generally have an irreverent sense of humour. The latter is not absent in older people but they can take a while to open up. I've now lived and worked in Kunming longer than any place since the age of 17. Truly shocking and never thought about it until reading this thread.

Over 10 years in Kunming and no plans to leave. Convenient for all of Yunnan, which is a wonderful and varied province, as well as visits to northern Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, and soon, I think, to Myanmar by land.

However, don't think you can really access most of this in a convenient way unless you learn the language - but of course that is true almost everywhere. Many frustrations and misunderstandings for those who think they can skip this completely, as it can lead to a rather narrow existence..

Two years in Beijing and two in Kunming. I originally came to China to start learning about my roots since I've already been living in Europe and been exposed to my European roots for years. From home, I chose Beijing as a the starting hub for exploring the culture and country and was initially quite surprised to see so many high rise buildings (completely the opposite of what was portrayed in Western media at the time) on my way from the airport and so few cultural heritage during my stay.

I decided to start learning Mandarin following my arrival in Kunming after reading an online comment from an African guy who convincingly said that he was missing 90% of what present China had to offer before he managed to read or speak Chinese.
I fly back home twice a year and have family who also come over from time to time.

Thanks for your reply guys! You all seem to have been here a while then, except you Redjon :P

Yes, the weather is great here, though it has been a bit too warm for my liking this past month or so.

I've spent time in several cities in China and I can safely say that Kunming is the nicest: Friendliest people, lots of things to see and do, convenience of travel to other countries in SE Asia, great expat community, relatively clean, hardly any staring and yelling from the locals (this was a big turn off for me in Hebei, Henan and Jiangsu).

I'm baffled why some people don't like it here in KM. I would say it's a safe bet that they haven't spent much time in any of the crumbier provinces (Hebei, Henan)

There's only one bad thing I can think of really about KM, and that's the traffic. When the subway finally has all lines running, and we don't have to use taxi's or buses much any more, I'm sure that won't be a problem. : )

I don't have any plans to leave for at least the next couple of years!

I have been in China for 11 years and spent 10 of those years in Yunnan. I left the USA for good with no intentions of ever going back. For anyone who has really travelled, you will agree that every country has good as well as bad people and good attributes as well as negative ones. Yunnan has been wonderful for me and I am happy to accept the good and a few inconveniences. Overall, China is a great place to live and it continues to change rapidly.

I travel often, at least once per week, and I have been to every nook and crannie in Yunnan and hope to explore more in the future. Going to out of the way places is great because the people enjoy meeting foreigners and are mesmerized when they see a foreigner. Staring has never bothered me and I take it as a complement rather then a burden. Unless you want to have deep conversations with the people, language is not a barrier. Especially, since the places I visit have few people who speak mandarin anyway. With my limited chinese, I have been able to visit so many places and been able to communicate with eye contact, gestures, a smile, and a piece of paper with my final destination written in Chinese and pinyin. With each passing day my vocabulary grows and I feel like Marco Polo travelling in China for the very first time.

When I am not travelling, I teach University students (English majors only) for free as well as a select few of primary school students who can pass PETS 1 test in the 2nd and 3rd (8-9 years old) grade. I dont have to put up with those rich kids who are lazy and dont want to learn because I can pick and choose only the best kids who truly want to learn.