Is someone's request about living in Kunming the best place for a pissing contest?
For the actual relevant questions posted:
1) HK vs Kunming Pollution. There is more to pollution than air pollution. Kunming's air pollution rates can be just as high as HKs, even though we get more blue sky (an effect of the altitude, not pollution). However, Kunming has higher levels of pollution in water and animal protein. These may not make someone sick immediately, but they can have health effects in the long-run. Similarly smoking is more prevalent, so if someone or a member of their family is particularly sensitive to it (example, someone having recently undergone cancer treatment or who is prone to recurrence) then Kunming may not be the best place. This is also a general problem in China, as CERTAIN health problems connected to pollution are much higher here than elsewhere, but only manifest in late-life.
2) Medical Care: There is good medical care in Kunming that will cover a majority of problems someone would face. However, if a person has very specific problems, Kunming would be a bad idea. Orthopedic surgery is really lacking here, so people with chronic joint pain/back pain or who has sustained injuries that would require precise surgery would do well to think twice before relocating. Similarly, if someone had a child/spouse/etc who required ongoing mental health care, then probably stay in the larger cities or outside China. The infrastructure is simply not here.
3) Location based problems: Different people have different sensitivities to their environment, so yes where they live can affect their health. For example, actually yes if someone is prone to current headaches or has chemical sensitivities, then SLC, UT may be a better option. Lower altitude, fewer plants, and a long winter that kills everything off in the air would have many benefits for someone like that. My stepmother had severe allergies living in SoCal, to the point that she (as a restaurant critic) lost her sense of smell and taste. She relocated to Boston where the plants are different and the winter freezes everything—surprise, she can smell and taste again.
Sidepoint, SLC, UT is awesome. Amazing food and environment there.
Interview: Economic ecologist Yi Zhuangfang
Posted by@voltaire. "greedy axe of capitalism" is a bit of a misnomer. Most of the damage in China (and the former USSR) was done under state-run initiatives. Providing people in the area with a long-term solution that creates sustainable income without cannabilizing their livelihoods is absolutely a capitalist venture, depending on how you look at it.
Riding into Kunming's future
Posted byI flew out of the old airport and in to the new one this weekend, and there is a stark difference. All the signs are clearly marked in English and Chinese, staff are extremely helpful, everything is laid out logically and in general it is just a pleasure to walk through the gorgeous architecture.
The metro system was a bit less impressive as it actually ran far slower than most cars on the highway next to the track...but I expect things will speed up as the system is broken in. In all fairness, being able to walk down from the airport directly into the metro station is great, and the machines that sell the tickets for the metro system are easy to use. The cars were not bad, but at least for airport line it seemed they skimped on some of the extras (like a durable floor that doesn't show a million stains, handles to hold on to, or signs printed without typos). All in all really amazing to see how far Kunming is reaching.