That bucket was bought from Canada

Most of the "mud" would incorporate garbage.

I wonder if they consider this mud toxic as I assume factories have been dumping in the pan long river for decades.

Very true..

Bluppfisk."I inquired a bit further. Turns out 80% of Chinese airspace is reserved for military use. That means that when there's difficult weather conditions in those small corridors, planes have no way around it."

China, as a developed / developing nation lags far behind 3 world countries regarding general aviation.

Think of it...you can be in rural areas of Chlie, Nepal, Mexico, India and countless other 3rd world countries and get helicopter rescue and transport to hospitals or other services.....China! nada, nothing, zipo...

Let alone skydive, sight seeing, own an aircraft...come on get on with it China.

In China you can rent or buy any sports car imaginable but you cant operate a small commercial aircraft, Helicopter, light general aircraft "Cessna type" or Ultralight/ microlight aircraft, even if you are fully qualified and certified in other countries...it's absurd.

CAAC will "sell" you a licence to operate an aircraft but you cant get air traffic clearance to fly from the military..totally absurd.

It all has to do with the military controlling 80% of the airspace in China which is the main problem causing the costly delays for airline companies and it's clients. Mind boggling absurd..

As for general aviation the military has plans in process to open up the sky but it's been delayed for many years ..

Here's the article....
China Expected to Expand Opening of Low-altitude Airspace Starting 2012
浏览次数：97 发布时间：2011-11-24

　　an official from the office of china national air traffic control committee said that the pilot reform area of low-altitude airspace management will be expanded to more regions including the entire northeast and south center of china, tangshan, and other five cities; by 2015, the pilot reform area of low-altitude airspace management will be promoted countrywide.　　zhu shicai, deputy director general from the office of china national air traffic control committee, disclosed the above information on nov. 17. according to the reform views of the state council and central military committee, since january 2012, the pilot reform area of low-altitude airspace management will be expanded from the original changchun, guangzhou, and haikou to more regions including the entire northeast of china, southeast china, tangshan, xi'an, qingdao, hangzhou, ningbo and kunming. the pilot area accounts for 31.6% of the national airspace area.　　on august 19, 2010, "on deepening reform of china's low-altitude airspace management view" was issued by the state council and central military commission to vitalize low-altitude airspace resources, improve airspace utilization and promote aviation development.　　through a year of pilot reform and experience accumulation, the great economic value and social value concealed in the low-altitude field have been increasingly attached with importance. "12th five-year plan" clearly indicates to positively promote the development of general aviation, to reform airspace management system, to increase the efficiency of airspace resources, and list the construction of new type china-made major and regional aircraft, general aviation aircraft and helicopter industry platform into innovation and development projects of strategic new industry.　　"it is the first time in history to promote airspace management reform and development of general aviation to the high degree of national development strategies." zhu shicai said.　　china national air traffic control committee also disclosed that it is necessary to fix eyes on the classified management and use of the current airspace and aim at the future trends of general aviation industry. besides, the need for low-altitude flights will also be considered to solve the flying problems between medium and small-sized cities.

Very true Yuantongsi..profit driven decision.

They'll adapt..

"So Changshui may be cheap land compared to places like KunYang where they were also thinking about location the airport, and for sure cost was a factor when setting the location of the new airport,,,but the guy who selected one of the most foggy places in the whole Kunming area is now either very rich,,or with a very very red face."

I assume the old military "flying tigers" airport knew about this fog problem or it was a coincidence or convenient location they built it near the lake.

Dianchi lake acts like a huge heat reservoir which I assume cancels out the fog.

www.crh.noaa.gov/jkl/?n=fog_types

Which dates did the hike take place?