Yes, the sky train is certainly being built... and quickly I might add. Plus, the new LuoSiwan is in a cleaner more open environment. That area is far from downtown, but a lot of people already live close to the new location and there are MANY living communities being built close by. Plus it is right next to the bus station.

wow, that's amazing! I only know that the local like to drink roasted tea. I tried it before, it's so easy to get drunk.

William Gray is the current team manager. Please call him on 15925137349 if you want to play football.

While I think it's fine to regulate prepared food sellers I really don't have a problem with people selling fruit or vegetables out of a van or a cart. These people are usually sensible enough to set up where they don't bother traffic as opposed to say the morons in huge black show off cars being absolutely fine with parking on the sidewalk so nobody can pass.

In my area they recently closed the two nearest outdoor markets and opened a new one below a brand new apartment complex. Our regular go-to-cha-shao-rou seller moved there and he told us rent was up 400 percent. It's not hard to understand why many people would consider an alternative. We roughly pay twice as much for our greens as the vendors buy them for, so again, not hard to see why some farmers would try to sell their stuff themselves.

The "First offence,," idea is meaningless -to no one's surprise, it's a government proposal after all- so hopefully they can come up with something better.

Bruce: It's probably enough just to stand there and look at them. Filming or pretending to film can get you in trouble, especially as a foreigner. It's grounds for deportation to film government officials, government buildings and the police or military "in action".

I like the fact that they're knocking down all the markets and throwing up all these developments with carrefours in them. Nobody should have to buy vegetables that aren't wrapped in a kilo of plastic.

I haven't lived long enough in Kunming to see how the chengguan do their job. But I have seen chengguan all over China, particularly in Shenzhen, get violent with street vendors and beggars.

The new guidelines in Kunming will do nothing to stop extreme actions by chengguan. Who is to say that a given vendor is or is not committing a "first offense"?

Some readers might be thinking, why don't these vendors just "get a license"? My experience is that such permits can cost a huge amount of money, entirely beyond a typical street vendor. In Shenzhen, only licensed vendors can sell newspapers; such a franchise in Luohu, Shenzhen's oldest and somewhat dilapidated, runs at a minimum of RMB80,000.

Change will not come easily. In the meantime, foreign visitors to Kunming should not underestimate their potential power. If you see a chengguan getting nasty, speak up; if that doesn't work, take out your mobile and pretend to film the incident. I have done so, and many chengguan immediately conduct themselves in a more civilized manner.

Fighting between rival groups of miners was common in the 19th century. The famous Panthay Revolt (1856=1873) began that way.

Shaxi is definately worth a visit! So quiet and peaceful compared to Lijiang or Dali.

There is a guest house on the main street of the "old town" which served me one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had, and not just in China. I don't recall the name of the place, but it is run by a nice, young taiwanese couple.

I have spent five months in Shaxi and have loved every minute. And I'd say that Chris's review is pretty spot-on. Shaxi is still a quiet haven, where people are friendly and seem genuinely pleased to see you. There's some kind of local Bai festival almost every week, and the Friday market is not to be missed: the Yi women in their wonderful traditional clothes; the old Bai women selling a few seeds or herbs, or the younger ones selling their hair...

Hiking and biking around is fabulous, with almost endless opportunities - I did the hike to Maping just last week and the autumn colours were fabulous. There are no roads to this mountain village so everything is transported by horse or mule.

Shaxi's worth a visit at any time of year, although it obviously gets busier during the holiday season. But you're right in the countryside - and if you're not a city person, will find the rural activities endlessly fascinating.

There is a sustainability plan for the area. If you're interested in how the redevelopment project came about, check out: www.nsl.ethz.ch/irl/shaxi/frameset/frameOverview.htm It gives reasonably accurate information on getting to Shaxi, but the guest house information is not up-to-date. There are now about 25 guest houses in the 'new' and old town, and more will be opening up as its reputation grows.

I have been staying at Horse Pen 46 (www.horsepen46.com) which opened in February 2010, and it's been a great "home from home".

I can only agree with the street trader Li. In other cities where there are specific places where people can trade, the traders themselves police the area and make sure that anyone trying to work in an unassigned place is stopped.

Street vending brings life to the streets of Kunming. When it is cleared away, it feels like the pulse of the city went with it.

Street vendors who behave sensibly are an asset to the city, not a curse.

And if its going to be reformed, its about time outdoor eating was allowed again too, so long as it is on private ground.

I really enjoyed this. It dovetails nicely with the book I'm reading right now, "Forgotten Kingdom" by Peter Goullart. In the beginning of the book the author gives a nice and vivid description of journeying to Lijiang in one of these carvans during the 40s.

When my daughter had her fourth birthday, we came into Kunming from a small town in this province. Rocco was very kind and made my girl an entire Tiramisu for her just to wish her a happy birthday! This was the old days in Wenhuaxiang! We still go to Roccos today and the food is still the best! Thank you, Rocco...and bless you and your family! When you go, try to Tortelini ham and mushrooms in white sauce or the pumpkin ravioli! They are just the best!

the local hiking guide and guesthouse connected with www.teahorse.net is my suggestion for anyone planning a trip to shaxi. they have an amazing guesthouse with some of the best local food around. the 2 day hike to maping guan and on to misha is still one of my favorite hikes in yunnan. i've done it 4 times. that trail is just asking for mountain bikes.

I just met Michael's brothers, Paul and Sam at the temporary store they have set up here in Santa Barbara, CA to sell the remaining inventory of thier late brother Michael's hemp clothing line. I didn't know Michael but his clothing line is fantastic and if his brother's are any indication of what kind of person he was, then he was a very good person indeed. If anyone reading this finds themselves near Southern California in November and December 2010 please come to Santa Barbara and visit Southerland Creations at 11 West Ortega St / +702.501.7941 and support their efforts to find good homes for their late brother's beautiful work. They are open everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM through the month of December.

Thank you for this lovely tip!

Id love to have these travel tips accompanied with a link to e.g. google earth.