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67-758: Born in Kunming in the Chinese province of Yunnan , she began playing the pipa at the age of 6. Her first solo public performance was at the age of 9. In 1986, at age 11, she played for Queen Elizabeth II . Her studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music broadened her musical range and allowed her to study the guzheng . At the age of 22, Liu Fang immigrated to Canada and is now a Canadian citizen, currently residing in Montreal . The decision to move to Quebec allowed her virtuosic playing to reach

134-677: A treaty port opening to foreign trade in 1908 and became a commercial center soon after. A university was set up in 1922. In the 1930s the first highways connected to Kunming were built, linking Kunming with Chongqing in Sichuan and Guiyang in Guizhou to the east. The local warlord General Tang Jiyao established the Wujiaba Aerodrome in 1922; an additional 23 airports would be established in Yunnan from 1922 to 1929. Kunming

201-497: A canal. The river receives sewage and wastewater from surrounding pipes. The center is an area of importance to Kunming's Hui population, with Shuncheng Street, one of the last old streets in the center of the city, previously forming a Muslim quarter. Until shortly before 2005, this street was full of wind-dried beef and mutton carcasses, pitta bread and raisin sellers, and huge woks of roasting coffee beans being stirred with shovels. Under Kunming's rapid modernisation, however,

268-697: A green space rate of 21.7 percent. The city's smoke control area is 115 square kilometres (44 square miles) and noise control area 87 square kilometres (34 square miles). Kunming is a significant horticultural center in China, providing products such as grain, wheat, horsebeans, corn, potato and fruit such as peaches, apples, oranges, grapes and chestnuts. Kunming is world-famous for its flowers and flower-growing exports. More than 400 types of flowers are commonly grown in Kunming. The camellia , Yulan magnolia , azalea , fairy primrose , lily and orchid are known as

335-686: A modern commercial district, residential zones, and university areas. The city is also one of the major centers for scientific research and education in Southwestern China . As of 2024, it was listed among the top 100 cities in the world by scientific research output . The city has an astronomical observatory , and its institutions of higher learning include Yunnan University , Kunming University of Science and Technology , Yunnan University of Finance and Economics , Kunming Medical University , Yunnan Normal University , Yunnan Agricultural University and Southwest Forestry University . Kunming

402-489: A number of national and international radio and TV appearances, produced several CDs. Liu Fang was invited as one of the featured artists by BBC World Service for the concert on November 7, 2003, dedicated to World AIDS Day. She performed at the 60th anniversary of UNESCO in Paris on November 16, 2005, and has also been honored by the government of Canada. She has performed with orchestras, string quartets and various instruments

469-581: A role it fulfills to this day. When the city of Nanning fell to the Japanese during the Battle of South Guangxi , China's sea-access was cut off. However, the Chinese victory at the Battle of Kunlun Pass kept the Burma Road open. When the Japanese began occupying French Indochina in 1940, the Burma Road that linked Kunming and the outside-world with unoccupied China grew increasingly vital as much of

536-471: A total area of 21,600 square kilometres (8,340 square miles). Its widest stretch from the east to the west amounts to 140 kilometres (87 miles) and its largest expansion from the north to the south amounts to 220 kilometres (137 miles). Situated in a fertile lake basin on the northern shore of the Lake Dian and surrounded by mountains to the north, west, and east, Kunming has always played a pivotal role in

603-606: A wider international audience. Since 1999, she has performed hundreds of solo concerts featuring Chinese traditional and classical music on her two solo instruments - pipa and guzheng . Her profile has risen due to her rich and deeply spiritual performances as well as a wide-ranging repertoire that features music from Chinese classical and folk traditions (including pieces rarely heard) as well as contemporary works from both east and west. Apart from her numerous solo concerts, Liu Fang has also many intercultural collaborations in terms of "Silk and Steel Projects", where "Silk" represents

670-548: Is 5,542,314, accounting for 86.16%; the population of all ethnic minorities add up to 889,898, accounting for 13.84%. Some of the 26 nationalities in the province live in Kunming, and the average life expectancy of the city's population is 76 years old. The city center has three major squares and six major streets: Jinma Biji Square, Nanping Square and Dongfeng Square are the main squares, while Nanping Street, Zhengyi Road, Renmin Road, Dongfeng Road, Jinbi Road, and Qingnian Road are

737-694: Is also home to the Golden Temple , China's largest bronze temple dating from the Ming dynasty. Kunming is a major economic center in Western China. The city's economic importance derives from its geographical position, as it shares a border with various Southeast Asian countries, serving them as a transportation hub in Southwest China, linking by rail to Vietnam and Laos , and by road to Myanmar and Thailand . This positioning also makes

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804-553: Is covered with blossoms and lush vegetation all-year round. The period from May to October is the monsoon season and the rest of the year is dry. The city has an annual mean temperature of 15.52 °C (59.9 °F), rainfall of 979 millimetres (38.5 in) (nearly three-fifths occurring from June to August) and a frost-free period of 230 days. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in July to 69% in February and March,

871-689: Is known as the "City of Eternal Spring". The weather has seldom reached high temperatures in summer, only exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) on a handful of occasions. However, freak snowfalls occur in occasional winters. Controlled by a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen Cwb ), the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8.9 °C (48.0 °F) in January to 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) in June, with daily high temperatures reaching their lowest point and peak in December and May, respectively. The city

938-508: Is part of the larger karst-based landscape of the area. Located at an elevation of 1,890 metres (6,200 feet) on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau with low latitude and high elevation, Kunming has one of the mildest climates in China, characterized by short, cool dry winters with mild days and crisp nights, and long, balmy and humid summers. With its perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, Kunming

1005-654: Is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China . The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II , Kunming was a Chinese military center and the location of the headquarters for the US Army Forces China-Burma-India. Wujiaba Airport served as the home of the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of

1072-707: Is the joint of the Xiao River and the Jinsha River in Dongchuan District , with an elevation of 695 metres (2,280 feet). Its downtown area is 1,891 metres (6,204 feet) above sea level . About 96 km (60 mi) southeast of the city centre is the Stone Forest in Shilin County , a karst formation developed as a tourist attraction consisting of rock caves, arches, and pavilions. It

1139-472: The 1999 World Horticultural Exposition . It was primarily during 1997 and 1998 that much of the city's roads, bridges and high rises were built. The World Horticultural Expo was widely regarded as a public relations success for Kunming. Today the after-effects of the Expo are apparent in more than just the physical improvements to the city—it was the Expo that made the outside world take notice of Kunming, which

1206-529: The ASEAN Regional Forum , China, Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma) agreed to construct a highway from Kunming to Chittagong through Mandalay for trade and development. On 1 March 2014, 29 people were killed, and more than 130 were injured at Kunming Railway Station in a terrorist attack . Kunming is located in east-central Yunnan province. It is located between north latitude 24°23' and 26°22' N, and east longitude 102°10' and 103°40' E, with

1273-533: The Battle of Chongqing and Chengdu , Kunming was not out of the reach of Japanese air raids, and faced attacks by IJAAF and IJNAF bombers; military assets and infrastructure were under regular attack, while the RoCAF 18th Fighter Squadron and units of the Air Force Academy at Wujiaba were tasked with aerial defense of Kunming. The city of Kunming was prepared as an alternate National Redoubt in case

1340-697: The Canada Council for the Arts to three artists of different disciplines under 30 years of age. The words of the jury summed up her achievements rather succinctly: "Liu Fang's mastery of the pipa and the guzheng has established her international reputation as a highly talented young interpreter of traditional Chinese music. She aspires to combine her knowledge and practice of eastern traditions with western classical music, contemporary music and improvisation, thereby creating new musical forms, uniting different cultures and discovering new audiences." Liu Fang has made

1407-624: The Lake Dian area later. "Kunming" has acted as a place name since the Three Kingdoms period, but the reference was not clear because this ethnicity occupied a large region. In the Yuan dynasty , the central government set up "Kunming County" in modern Kunming; the name "Kunming" has continued to this day. A 2009 research paper proposes that the name "Kunming" of Kunming Yi is a cognate word of " Khmer " and " Khmu " that originally meant "people". Kunming long profited from its position on

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1474-718: The Republic of China Air Force , nicknamed the Flying Tigers . Kunming was also a transport terminus for the Burma Road . Kunming is at an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,234 feet) above sea level and a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer , and is situated in the middle of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau . Kunming is the fourth most populous city in Western China , after Chongqing , Chengdu , and Xi'an , and

1541-586: The West Pagoda is along a narrow lane on the right. In the tiny surrounding courtyard, sociable idlers while away sunny afternoons playing cards and sipping tea in the peaceful, ramshackle surroundings. The East Pagoda is a more cosmetic, slightly tilted duplicate standing in an ornamental garden a few minutes' walk east on Shulin Jie. The temples associated with both pagodas are closed to the public. Burma Road Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1608-631: The communications of southwestern China . Lake Dian, known as "the Pearl of the Plateau", is the largest lake in Yunnan and the sixth largest fresh water lake in China. It has an area of approximately 340 square kilometres (130 square miles). Kunming's highest point is Mazong Ridge of the Jiaozi Snow Mountain in Luquan with an elevation of 4,247 metres (13,934 feet), and its lowest point

1675-480: The economic reforms of the mid-1980s, Kunming has enjoyed increased tourism and foreign investment . Several Thai Chinese banks have offices in Kunming, for example, Kasikorn Bank and Krung Thai Bank . Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand has visited Kunming many times to study Chinese culture and promote friendly relations. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city center was rebuilt, with Swiss help, in its current 'modern' style to impress visitors attending

1742-540: The 13th-century Venetian traveler Marco Polo . The area was first dubbed Kunming during the decline of the Yuan Dynasty. In the 14th century, Kunming was retaken from Mongolian control when the Ming dynasty defeated the Yuan dynasty . The Ming later built a wall surrounding present-day Kunming. 300 years later, Ming General Wu Sangui defected to Manchu invaders and held the city until his death in 1678, long after

1809-582: The 2010 establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The FTA made Kunming a trade and financial center for Southeast Asia. In addition to physical improvements to enhance Kunming's trade with Southeast Asia, the central and provincial governments have made financial preparations to assist the city's emergence. At the end of 2004, the central government approved Kunming to be one of the 18 mainland cities in which foreign banks could conduct business in renminbi . In July 2006, talks at

1876-621: The Himalayas from British bases in India to port-of-entry Kunming. The Office of Strategic Services ' Service Unit Detachment 101 (predecessor to the 1st Special Forces Group ) was also headquartered in Kunming. Its mission was to divert and disrupt Japanese combat operations in Burma. Kunming, the northern terminus of all three of the Burma Road, the Ledo Road , and The Hump supply-line,

1943-712: The West, especially from the French Empire . In the late 1800s, the French started to build the Kunming-Haiphong railway between Kunming and Haiphong in what was then French Indochina . In the 1890s, an uprising against working conditions on the Kunming–Haiphong rail line saw many laborers executed after France shipped in weapons to suppress the revolt. The meter-gauge rail line, only completed by around 1911,

2010-481: The battered but regrouped Chinese Air Force in which Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault took command of cadet training duties in the summer of 1938. The Chinese Air Force command established the 41st Pursuit Squadron based in Kunming, also known as the French Volunteer Group squadron in June 1938, and with them they brought Dewoitine D.510 fighters, with the intention of securing the sale of

2077-469: The caravan route through to Southeast Asia , India and Tibet . Early townships on the southern edge of Lake Dian (outside the contemporary city perimeter) can be dated back to 279 BC, although they have been long lost to history. Early settlements in the area around Lake Dian date back to Neolithic times. The Dian Kingdom , whose original language likely belonged to the Tibeto-Burman languages ,

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2144-641: The city an important commercial center of trade in the region. The city also acts as a gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia , the Kunming Changshui International Airport is one of the top 40- busiest airports in the world. As of 2024, the city is also home to six consulates from ASEAN countries. The headquarters of many of Yunnan's biggest corporations are based in the city, such as Hongta Group , Yunnan Copper Group , Hongyun Group, Yunnan Power Grid Co, and Fudian Bank. Kunming also houses some manufacturing, chiefly

2211-420: The city back into Qing hands. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the seat of the superior prefecture of Yunnan . In 1832, the beginnings of a real city were acknowledged within the city walls and there were significant structures within their confines. The founding of the city can therefore be said to have been a predominantly 19th century affair. It was also in this century that the city grew to become

2278-458: The city came under the control of the Yuan dynasty during its invasion of the southwest in 1252–1253. During the reign of provincial governor Ajall Shams al-Din Omar , a "Chinese Style" city named Zhongjing was founded where modern Kunming is today. Shams al-Din ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple, a Confucian temple, and two mosques in the city. The Confucian temple, doubling as a school,

2345-510: The city center, each a solid thirteen stories of whitewashed brick crowned with four iron cockerels. The West Pagoda was built between 824 and 859, during the Tang dynasty ; its original counterpart, the East Pagoda, was built at the same time, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1833 and rebuilt in the same Tang style in 1882. South down Dongsi Road, past another mosque , the entrance to

2412-428: The city receives 2,198 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extreme temperatures in the city have ranged from −7.8 to 32.9 °C (18 to 91 °F) on 29 December 1983 and 25 May 2014 respectively. Mineral resources include phosphorus, salt, magnesium, titanium, coal, quartz sand, clay, silica, copper. Phosphorus and salt mines are the most plentiful. Kunyang Phosphorus Mine is one of the three major phosphorus mines in

2479-588: The city, with Kunming's huge Bird and Flower Market convening daily in the streets connecting it with the northerly, parallel Guanghua Street. The market offers many plants such as orchids that have been collected and farmed across the province. In the small grounds of a now vanished Confucian temple off the western end of Changchun Road, there is an avenue of pines, an ancient pond and pavilion, and beds of bamboo, azaleas and potted palms. Jinbi Road runs south of Dongfeng Road. Both of them connect to Beijing Road. Two large Chinese pagodas rise south of Jinbi Road and

2546-495: The construction of large iron and steel and chemical complexes, along with Chongqing , Chengdu and Guiyang in the southwest . A Minorities' Institute was set up in the 1950s to promote mutual understanding and access to university education among Yunnan's multiethnic population. The city consolidated its position as a supply depot during the Vietnam War and subsequent border clashes . Until Mao Zedong's death, in much of

2613-708: The country. Rock salt reserves are 1.222 billion tonnes (1.203  billion long tons ; 1.347 billion short tons ) and mirabilite reserves are 1.908 billion tonnes (1.878 billion long tons; 2.103 billion short tons). Dongchuan is a major copper production base. Proven reserves of Coal bed gas is about 500 billion cubic metres (18,000  billion cubic feet ), equal to 720 million tonnes (710 million long tons ; 790 million short tons ) of standard coal. Geothermal resources are widely distributed. Kunming has 2,585 hectares (6,390 acres ) of lawns, trees and flowers, averaging 4.96 square metres (53.4 square feet) per capita and

2680-525: The east bank of the Panlong River outside of the old city walls at the intersection of Beijing Road and Dongfeng Road, where in the mornings there are crowds doing taijiquan and playing badminton . Weekend amateur theatre is also performed in the square. The Panlong River has had an artificial flow ever since the construction of the Songhua Dam, and the river has been developed into effectively

2747-605: The end of 1938, many more of China's military forces and civilians retreated to cities outside the reach of the Japanese military ground forces a year prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe in 1939, including the relocation of the Chinese Air Force Academy from Jianqiao Airbase to Kunming's Wujiaba Airbase , where the airfield was vastly expanded, becoming the new training hub for

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2814-575: The essential support and materials were imported through Burma . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , and the start of the Pacific War in December 1941, Kunming acted as an Allied military command center, which grouped the Chinese, American, British and French forces together for operations in Southeast Asia. Kunming became the northern and easternmost terminus of the vital war-supply line into China known as " The Hump ' , which stretched over

2881-408: The main streets. While Beijing Road is arguably the main street of the city as a whole, it runs to the east of the city center. Jingxing Street, Guanghua Street, Zhengyi Road, Nanping Street, Qingnian Road, and Renmin Road are the main commercial areas in Kunming; the most popular pedestrian streets are Nanping Street, Zhengyi Road, and Jingxing Street. Kunming's modern city center is Nanping Square on

2948-632: The major market and transport centre for the region. Many of the city's inhabitants were displaced as a result of the 1833 Kunming earthquake . The rebel leader Du Wenxiu , the Muslim Han Sultan of Dali , attacked and besieged the city several times between 1858 and 1868. A great part of the city's wealth did not survive the 1856 Panthay Rebellion , when most of the Buddhist sites in the capital were badly damaged, converted to mosques or razed. Decades later, Kunming began to be influenced by

3015-751: The name of an ancient ethnic group named Kunming Yi or Kunming Barbarian ( 昆明夷 ), which was a branch of the Di - Qiang people. The Kunming Yi lived in the neighbouring region of Erhai Lake during the Western Han dynasty. The Han dynasty incorporated the territory of the Dian Kingdom and set up a commandery called Yizhou in 109 BC; the Han dynasty also incorporated the Kunming Yi into Yizhou Commandery soon after. Therefore, Kunming Yi expanded east to

3082-442: The new street, Qingnian Lu, after them. The existence of the walls still echoes today at place names like the district of Xiaoximen ( 小西门 ; 'Lesser West Gate') and Beimen Jie ( 北门街 ; 'North Gate Street'). There are also less obvious connections to the wall, such as Qingnian Lu ( 青年路 ; 'Youth Road'), in the location of Kunming's east wall. After 1949, Kunming developed rapidly into an industrial metropolis with

3149-649: The northeast was a well-established trade trail to Yibin in Sichuan province on the Yangtze River . But these trails were all extremely difficult, passable only by mule trains or pack-carrying porters. Kunming reverted to county status in 1912, under the name Kunming, and became a municipality in 1935. The opening of the Kunming area began in earnest with the completion in 1906–1910 of the Kunming-Haiphong Railway to Haiphong in north Vietnam (part of French Indochina ). Kunming became

3216-589: The planes to the Chinese Air Force; the French participated in some combat engagements against Japanese raids, including dogfights against Mitsubishi A5M fighters with Chinese Hawk III fighters over Nanchang , but after several setbacks, including a fighter pilot KIA , the group was disbanded in October 1938. Although the Empire of Japan was focusing on ending the Chinese war of resistance at

3283-466: The processing of copper, as well as various chemicals, machinery, textiles, paper and cement. Kunming has a nearly 2,400-year history, but its modern prosperity dates only to 1910, when the railway from Hanoi was built. The city has continued to develop rapidly under China's modernization efforts. Kunming was designated a special tourism center and, as such, has experienced a proliferation of high-rises and luxury hotels . The name "Kunming" evolved from

3350-467: The range of Japanese bombers. In addition, a number of universities and institutes of higher education were evacuated there. The increased trade and expertise quickly established Kunming as an industrial and manufacturing base for the wartime government in Chongqing . As the battles of Shanghai, Taiyuan and Nanjing were lost by the end of 1937, and with Wuhan falling into Japanese occupation by

3417-641: The rest of China had fallen under Manchu rule. During the beginning of Qing rule, the entirety of Yunnan and Guizhou were ruled from Kunming and Wu. During the Revolt of the Three Feudatories , the seat of Wu's newly declared Zhou dynasty was moved to Hengzhou in Hunan . Later in 1678, when Wu died, his grandson Wu Shifan resisted the Qing for two more months before committing suicide, reverting control of

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3484-494: The rest of the country Kunming was still generally thought as a remote frontier settlement. Accordingly, the government utilized Kunming as a place where to exile people who had fallen politically out of favor, especially during the Cultural Revolution . In 1957, Kunming's rail link to Haiphong and Hanoi was re-opened (after being cut during World War II). It was cut again in 1979 and re-opened again in 1996. Since

3551-533: The six famous flowers of the city. The camellia was confirmed by the Municipality of Kunming as its city flower in 1983. The Kunming city government plans to create an environmental trial court to deal with environment-related lawsuits. It is to be part of the city's intermediate people's court and will have jurisdiction over appeals by companies that have been found guilty of violating environmental laws in cities throughout Yunnan. The population of Han

3618-419: The street has been demolished to make way for apartments and shopping centers. Rising behind a supermarket one block north off Zhengyi Road, Nancheng Qingzhen Si is the city's new mosque, its green dome and chevron-patterned minaret visible from afar and built on the site of an earlier Qing edifice. Running west off Zhengyi Road just past the mosque, Jingxing Street leads into one of the more bizarre corners of

3685-581: The temporary capital in Chongqing fell, with an elaborate system of caves to serve as offices, barracks and factories, but it was never utilised. Kunming was to have served again in this role during the ensuing Chinese Civil War , but the Nationalist garrison there switched sides and joined the Communists. Instead, Taiwan would become the last redoubt and home of the Republic of China government,

3752-417: The third most populous city in Southwestern China after Chongqing and Chengdu. As of the 2020 census, Kunming had a total population of 8,460,088 inhabitants, of whom 5,604,310 lived in its built-up (or metro) area made of all urban districts except Jinning . It is at the northern edge of Dian Lake , surrounded by temples and lakes and karst topography . Kunming consists of an old, previously walled city,

3819-460: The traditional culture of China whereas "steel" is a metaphor for modernity and western culture. Her last album entitled "Silk Sound" (Le son de soie) featured musical dialogues with artists from three different continents and was awarded the grand prize of L'Académie Charles Cros , the French equivalent of the US Recording Academy . Back in 2001, Liu Fang was the only musician to receive the prestigious "Future Generation Millennium Prize" awarded by

3886-404: The west bank of the Panlong River , at the intersection of Nanping Street and Zhengyi Street. This area is where Kunming's southern city wall once stood. Rapidly being modernized, this area is a crowded and dense shopping precinct packed with clothing and electronics stores. Surrounding the area are plenty of new high-rises. The area formerly considered the city center is Dongfeng Square, located on

3953-513: The works of many contemporary composers, including R. Murray Schafer , Tan Dun , Philip Glass , Janet Maguire , Ian Wilson , José Evangelista , Zhou Long , Melissa Hui , Diego Luzuriaga, Chen Yi , Toshiyuki Hiraoka, Yoshiharu Takahashi, David Loeb , Hugue Leclair, Simon Bertrand and Chantale Laplante, to mention a few, and has performed frequently with guitarist Michael O'Toole and the violinist Malcolm Goldstein . Albums solo  : Collaborations  : Kunming Kunming

4020-492: Was also established near the area. Dian was subjugated by the Chinese Han dynasty under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in 109 BC. The Han dynasty incorporated the territory of the Dian Kingdom into their Yizhou Commandery , but left the King of Dian as the local ruler. The Han dynasty (205 BC–AD 220), seeking control over the Southern Silk Road running to Burma and India, brought small parts of Yunnan into China's orbit, but subsequent dynasties could do little to tame what

4087-468: Was designed by the French so that they could tap into Yunnan's mineral resources for their colonies in Indochina. Kunming was a communications center during this time and a junction of two major trading routes, one westward via Dali and Tengchong County into Myanmar , the other southward through Mengzi County to the Red River in Indochina . Eastward, a difficult mountain route led to Guiyang in Guizhou province and thence to Hunan province. To

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4154-430: Was increasingly targeted by the IJAAF. When the Burma Road was lost to the Japanese, the Hump became China's primary lifeline to the outside world. The 1st American Volunteer Group, known as the " Flying Tigers ", was based in Kunming and tasked with defense of The Hump supply-line against Japanese aerial interceptions. Industry became important in Kunming during World War II . The large state-owned Central Machine Works

4221-540: Was relatively unknown at the time. In July 2005, the second Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit was held in Kunming, with government leaders from China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam participating. There, China agreed to lend its neighbors more than $ 1 billion for a series of projects. China promoted GMS cooperation as a first step toward building an eventual China- ASEAN Free Trade Area . Infrastructure improvements were underway to improve links between Kunming and Southeast Asia in time for

4288-472: Was the first of its kind in Yunnan, attracting students from minority groups across the province. Coupled with his promotion of Confucian ceremonies and customs, Shams al-Din has been largely credited with the sinicization of the region. The city grew as a trading center between the southwest and the rest of China. It is considered by scholars to have been the city of Yachi Fu (鸭池府) where people had used cowries as cash and ate their meat raw, as described by

4355-473: Was then a remote and wild borderland until the 13th century. During the Sui dynasty (581–618), two military expeditions were launched against the area, and it was renamed Kunzhou in Chinese sources. Founded in 765, Kunming was known to the Chinese as Tuodong ( 拓東 ) city in the Kingdom of Nanzhao (737–902) during the 8th and 9th centuries. Tuodong later became part of the successor Kingdom of Dali (937–1253). The possession of Tuodong changed hands when

4422-420: Was transferred there from Hunan , while the manufacture of electrical products, copper, cement, steel, paper, and textiles expanded. Until 1952, Kunming was a walled city. The city government in 1952 ordered hundreds of young people to tear down the wall and use its bricks to make a new road running north–south. To show its appreciation for the young people that demolished the east wall, the city government named

4489-448: Was transformed into a modern city as a result of fighting of the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II in 1937 with the outbreak of the Battles of Shanghai , Nanking and Taiyuan , forcing a great movement of refugees from the north and eastern coastal regions of China, bringing much commerce and industry into the southwest of China, including Kunming. They carried dismantled industrial plants with them, which were then re-erected beyond

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