When I first moved here all the things listed above seemed to jump out and disgust/annoy me. Obviously it wasn't bad enough to make me leave and I would say the same is true for all the above that are still living here. Now I don't even notice the things listed above anymore. I am glad I am still living here. I enjoy getting suprised by strange behavior after almost 5 years i have known Kunming. And if you think the day to day stuff is bad, try starting a business. If you don't like it you can always leave. Lets throw some positives down:

1. Far less fat people. Always the first thing I notice when I visit the states is how the doorways look narrower.
2. Cigarettes, health care, dining out, taxis, and pretty much anything but cars and computers are cheap.
3. There is food for sale everywhere.
4. Many more happy people then anywhere I have lived before.
5. Different minority cultures and foreigners from all over.
6. Night life variety from rietous Kundu, to classy Green Lake, and laid back Wei Lin Jie. There are a ton of parks and now minigolf. Other China cities I have been to seem boring.
7. Run of the mill foreign stuff is new and interesting here.
8. There is always more room on the bus or elevator. If you think its full 10 more people will get on/in.

I am sure I can go on about this for awhile. Only thing I can find wrong is Kunming is changing too fast and Xiaoximen Wal-Mart is insane on a Saturday. Kunming has its own life and grove that is different than anywhere else. I like it! ;)

*PerNordin* To be honest, as I am at times and, of course, said anonymously, I go out of my way to make them fall off their bikes! At one time, I even stopped a police car - they just smiled sheepishly. It made my day.

wei wei wei wei... WAAA! WAAA!
gei wo yi kuai qian. wo yao yi kuai qian.

WAA.
wo jiao dong dong.

*Tiger*, as for me, I would never purposefully try to trip anyone or do damage or even intentionally offend or irritate. I love the people. I have simply learned to look more carefully, even though I have a green light and they dont. But it takes me by surprise when a cyclist almost rams me or I see one ramming into a crowd across the street bringing themselves and 5 others to the ground (and they cuss at the pedestrians who have a green light). :) On the other hand... as I mentioned before, even WE (at least, even _I_) have sides that offend or disturb or discomfort or makes the local KunMingneese laugh or shake their head.

*Dr Doom* I agree.
There is so much I love about KunMing and its people that it by far outweighs the things that I dont like.... well, maybe with the exception of the blurting-out-broken-speaker syndrome. Being a composer, it is _really_ hard on my ears, drains me and makes me totally exhausted. I quickly learned to navigate around whatever I dont like or makes me sad or dont understand, except the broken speakers at 100dB-plus each, all trying to overpower the sound of the traffic. It makes me tired, just to think of it!
BUT, still, I can tell you more of what I dont like in my native city Uppsala Sweden, than what I dont like about KunMing. :)

I just remembered one. I don't mind eating at (almost) all sorts of tiny food places but there is one thing that annoys the hell out of me. Whenever the cook pours the food into your styrofoam whateveritscalled and some of it falls onto the kitchen table the cook or waitress will just scoop it up with their hands and put it back onto your food. It happens quite often but since there isn't much I can do about it my "solution" so far has been to not look at the cook-at-work. Out of sight out of mind. Unless someone can teach me how to say "I'd rather have a little less food than to eat something that fell onto the table where you cut the raw chicken 5 mins ago" hehe,, but I guess if I had to say that it would already be too late :-)

To foreigners with negative thinking:
1. Think of your home country, is that perfect? 0 criminal and everyone behaves gentle no matter when or what?
2. Think of yourself, why don't you just go back home when you ask for a paradise on earth.
3. Does your home country educate people to shit at where you eat? Don't you know we need to enjoy where we are and there is always a chance to leave. Ask yourself what's the point you keep on complaining while still eat,sleep,live there.

This is a kind of outlet for foreigners living in a foreign environment...don't take it to heart! Sometimes, by picking out things that are different than what we are used to at home, helps us relate. It's a coping mechanism, I guess?

Nowhere is perfect...but it would be silly to turn a blind eye to things that need improving. I think it's clear that most people who stay here, like it here..and despite small annoyances Kunming is a nice place to live, the food is good, and (most) of the people are really friendly and cool.

Gotta love the "Get the f... out of the country" responses you always get from a certain kind of people whenever you dare to open your mouth in some areas of the world. Leolu,, I can't really be bothered with you but read timkunming's post a couple of times. We complain at least as much about things we think are counterproductive or just plain nuts back in our own countries. It's called living. I think the good things outweigh the bad in Kunming by a pretty big margin but everyone has the right to express his oppinion if there is something he finds weird, disgusting or plain wrong. Deal with it.

the hatest part of this city:the people.
less educated,no polite at all, so many thieves everywhere,snobbish people,hypocritical

of course i believe there are good people and bad people in every city,but kunming's people can not be the reason to make me love this city.

just personal feeling,no offense

This is my 3rd time to China, and my first time living somewhere as opposed to vacation. I've been here [Kunming] nearly 4 weeks now, and perhaps I am more 'tolerant' but I cannot find an awful lot that is genuinely specific to Kunming as opposed to China.

1. Smoking
My big bugbear - but prevalent throughout China and Japan for that matter (where I was going to live before the split with my ex-girlfriend).

2. Spitting
Am I the only one who thinks that spitting here in Kunming is much better than other places in China? The sheer amount of spitting and hawking in Lijiang, felt like the Government mandated it as a new Olympic sport and people were trying out for the Olympics in 2012!

3. Lack of green parks i.e. grass that one can sit on
London has spoilt me in one important regard: availability of green, open spaces (Regent's Park, Hyde Park, Hamstead Heath, etc). This was my biggest gripe when I first arrived, and is still a bone of contention. However, I am adapting and am arranging with Chinese friends to go hiking, visit Anning i.e. outdoor stuff outside Kunming.

4. Lack of cultural pursuits
Museums, galleries etc. But if this bothered me I would have chosen another city.

5. Night-life
Kundu is an argument against democracy! I originally thought that the choice of music and Lady Gaga on constant rotation was a post-modern joke. Sadly, David 1855 is what passes for night-life in Kundu.

Bars are equally limited. That said, I didn't choose this city for it's night-life, and am in a relationship (once I stopped looking in all the wrong places), so no biggie. But thought I'd mention it because an American girl on Chinese-Forums.com is considering Kunming, and one of her questions was quality of night-life.

6. Construction work 24/7

7. Damn trucks that blurt out 'Happy Birthday' or what sounds like 'Scarborough Fair' at stupid o'clock in the morning (then again, I do live on Dong Feng Dong Lu).

There was a similar thread on Gaijinpot (Japanese forum) and it was used by regulars to vent now and again. This thread may serve a similar purpose.

Cheers!