Kunming, China's 'City of Eternal Spring'

As I was to discover, the railways of southwestern China remain as some of post-1949 China's great engineering achievements. Indeed the story continues today with the opening in December 2016 of a high-speed line connecting Shanghai via Guiyang in around 10 hours compared to over 40 hours by conventional train. As a rail enthusiast I was gripped by the story of Yunnan, of Kunming and of its opening up. However, my first short two-day visit to Kunming, in 1994, was by air from Xian followed by an onward flight to Guangzhou. But that excursion inspired me to return in July 1995, for the first of what would be several lengthy explorations of Yunnan.

Through much of history, Yunnan really was seen as a remote borderland reached only by long, difficult journeys, for example from Beijing. Caravan trade routes tended to focus on movement between southeastern Asia and Tibet, following the famed "Tea Horse" trails. Early Kunming sat at a junction of two major routes — one west to Burma via Dali with connections up to Tibet, the other south via Mengzi County to the Red River and today's Vietnam. Another, extremely difficult route allowed mule trains to cross the mountains north to Guiyang and on to Hunan. It was not until the 1930s that the first real highways were laid, connecting Kunming with Chongqing and also to Guiyang.

In the mid 13th century Kunming came under Yuan Dynasty control but by the 14th century it was retaken by the Ming Dynasty. City walls were built and its position as a regional market and transport centre developed. However, it remained isolated from much of the country.