Anyone have any news on the status of this thing? Is it still opening this month as originally announced?

Great article and vivid descriptions of teas and tea mountains.

Just one tiny anal geographic note...

Shuangjiang County is a part of Lincang Prefecture.

Where the article refers to "Lincang Prefecture", it actually ought to refer to Linxiang District (临翔区), which is the administrative center of Lincang, a prefecture-level city.

Thanks for posting this. I got a library card here 3 years ago, and then promptly forgot all about it and never set foot inside the door. Inspired by your article, I stepped in the door again finally after all this time and was delighted by what I found.

My library card had long since expired, but to browse the collections you don't need a card at all; you can just walk in.

To me, the most interesting collection by far is on the 5th floor. The room in the southeast corner is filled with multiple volumes of the annals of every single locality in Yunnan Province. I'm talking about the 126 counties of Yunnan, and the 16 prefectures. Each one publishes a "yearbook" (县志,or 年鉴) every year, and the library has all the back issues going back to the 90s and in a few cases the 80s.

These books are full of information about the economy, geography, and cultural resources of the various counties of Yunnan.

You may call me for dwelling on semantics, but sometimes semantics are important.

I've always thought it's stupid that the Kunming government referred to the original six lines of its planned urban mass transit system as "Light Rail". No, it's not. Light rail systems primarily operate at street level, and are not grade separated (meaning cars and other cross traffic are controlled so that light rail vehicles can cross intersections unobstructed).

Kunming's original six lines are an real, honest to gosh subway system. Yes, the majority of the track is actually above ground. Only the lines in the city center are underground. In the suburbs they run on elevated viaducts. Being part underground and part above ground does not mean it is not still a subway system (or a "metro" system as it is called in some cities). The New York Subway has massive sections above ground as well, but they are still called the New York Subway.

Now that they have announced that the 8 new lines will become Kunming's "subway" it makes the original light rail moniker all the more ridiculous. What's the difference? They should just call the whole 14 line system the Kunming Subway, or Kunming Metro.

I found Lincang city to be pretty boring personally. But some of the other counties of Lincang prefecture are beautiful. Places I've been to and would recommend include Cangyuan (沧源), Gengma (耿马), Wengding (翁定), Mengding (孟定), Nansan (南伞), Fengqing (凤庆), and Lushi (鲁史).

Cangyuan is on the Myanmar border, home to the Wa nationality (佤族), and hosts the annual mud-throwing festival (摸你黑).

Wengding is a Wa village in the mountains above Cangyuan. The houses are made of wood and thatched roofs. It's not authentic. The government gave the residents money to rebuild their houses in the traditional manner 5 years ago, and now there's a 50 yuan fee to enter the village. However, since the traditional Wa architecture is difficult to find these days, Wengding is still an interesting place to visit.

Gengma is home to the Dai and Wa nationalities. The small city is surrounded by beautiful hills, mountains, and flowers. There's a terrific spicy shrimp restaurant.

Although Mengding is technically only a "town" within Gengma county, it's actually much bigger and busier than Gengma county seat. It's set in the fertile Nanting River (南汀河) plain, at a far lower altitude than Gengma county seat, so it has a hot an tropical climate. Many Dai here, and many Burmese traders as well, thanks to the Myanmar border just 20 km away. The town itself has a very southeast Asian vibe, with lots of tropical fruit, and Burmese food. Waterfalls outside of town are a popular hangout spot for local teenagers.

Nansan (the county seat of Zhenkang County), is in a semi-tropical valley 1000 m above Mengding and the Nanting River valley. It is surrounded by massive karst formations. The old city is a Dai village. The new city is growing like gangbusters. Due to its location right next to Myanmar, the local government wants to turn Nansan into a major port, boasting that it's closer to Kunming than Ruili or Daluo.

Fengqing is a county seat on the old tea horse road. The old city is set on the hill above the new city, with lots of historic architecture and temples.

Lushi is a town on the old tea horse road. It used to be a transit point between Kunming, Dali, Lincang, and Baoshan, but today it is very isolated and one of the best preserved secrets in Yunnan. It boasts an astounding collection of historical buildings, all on cobblestone stepped streets up and down the side of the mountain. The old town is pedestrian and horse only, and there are as of yet no tourist-themed guesthouses.