We have never had problem taking taxi FROM airport to anywhere in the city, only the other way is troublesome.

The taxis from airport (the official ones behind the usually empty queue - not the people picking you up inside and outside of the airport) have always used meter without requesting to do so.

The only problem could be if your Chinese is not good and are unable to give the exact address to the driver.

We use taxi almost exclusively to get to and from airport, train and bus stations when we have too much luggage for other transport options. Taxis from airport use meter, but the other way it's always haggling.

Recently we used Didi to get a car in "early" morning to the airport and it was a pleasant experience compared to Kunming taxis.

www.gokunming.com/[...]

The Jinxing swimming pool (金星游泳池) reviewed in that article should still be there.

I faintly recall reading about Kunming mall or other sight which at the time had just aquarium but the article mentioned wanting to expand to more animals in future. Was it penguins or something, I can't remember, but definitely something exotic.

To follow up on Goldie's earlier post and related discussion about the petition for this bear, CCTV News (state TV's English news channel) had following in their daily WeChat news articles today, clearly showing that the petition had effect:

'World's saddest and loneliest' polar bear lives in mall
2016-07-27 CCTVNEWS

A polar bear dubbed "the world's saddest" is living at the Grandview Aquarium in the Grandview Mall in Guangzhou city, south China's Guangdong Province.

Pizza lives alone in an enclosed glass box, measuring just 40 square meters. The polar bear spends its days lying in the small space, occasionally moving lethargically, while shoppers take selfies.

Visitors and netizens have expressed alarm about Pizza's living conditions and questioned whether it is appropriate for the bear to live in Guangzhou, a city which has a subtropical monsoon climate.

Concerns were exacerbated after photos emerged online of visitors crowding in front of Pizza, snapping photos and tapping the glass.

"The space is too small," Xinhua News Agency quoted a visitor as saying. "Pizza looks depressed and is eager to get free."

Li Chengbing, the deputy manager of the aquarium, insisted that because Pizza came into the world through artificial breeding it has adapted to the room temperature, which is regulated at 18 degrees Celsius. He claimed that the bear receives a monthly health check and more than 120,000 yuan is spent on its food each year.

However, it seems that animal protection experts don't accept the aquarium's defense. Sun Quanhui, the senior scientific advisor of World Animal Protection, stated that although delivered through artificial breeding, Pizza, in essence, remains a wild animal suited to his species' natural habitat.

"Settling the polar bear in such a crowded shopping mall would affect its psychology, immunity and life expectancy due to his frequent exposure to people," Sun added.

Animals Asia, a Hong Kong-based animal protection charity, initiated a petition to ask for the closure of the mall's aquarium in March this year. It has attracted nearly 500,000 signatures.

Dave Neale, the animal welfare director of Animals Asia, stated in the petition: "There is no excuse for any animal to be trapped this way but it's widely believed that polar bears are one of the hardest of all animals to effectively provide for in captivity. Polar bears often exhibit 'stereotypic' behavior as captivity restricts their natural instincts such as the need to forage."

"We are calling on the Chinese public not to attend this attraction. We are calling for it to be closed down. This is a bear that suffers for what? For selfies? For shopping?"

Facing a profusion of controversies, the aquarium plans to build an outdoor space for Pizza and says it will find a partner for Pizza in the future.

The aquarium maintains that it is operating within the law. Last Sunday, it held a press briefing during which Li presented a business license and permit for the use of aquatic and wild animals issued by the Forestry Bureau and Ocean and Fishery Administration of Guangdong Province, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

A draft amendment to the law on wildlife protection, due to take effect in 2017, specifies that artificially-bred wild animals must be guaranteed suitable space. Breeders must provide sufficient funds, infrastructure and room for animals to be taken care of properly and must not mistreat wild species.

Would you visit the lonely polar bear in Guangzhou? And do you think it should be freed from the small enclosure? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.