Kunming
昆明市 | |
|---|---|
Jinma Biji Gate Kunming Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center Aerial view of Chenggong District and Lake Dian | |
| Nickname(s): City of Eternal Spring Formerly known as Yunnan-Fu | |
 | |
 Location of Kunming City jurisdiction in Yunnan | |
  Kunming Location in China | |
| Coordinates (Yunnan People's Government): 25°02′47″N 102°42′34″E / 25.0464°N 102.7094°E | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Yunnan |
| County-level divisions | 14 |
| Township divisions | 137 |
| Settled | c. 279 BC[citation needed] |
| City seat | Chenggong |
| Admin units | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Prefecture-level city |
| • Body | Kunming Municipal People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Liu Hongting |
| • Congress Chairman | Yan Zhengxiao |
| • Mayor | Liu Jiachen |
| • CPPCC Chairman | Xiong Ruili |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 21,473 km2 (8,291 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 4,013 km2 (1,549 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,622 km2 (1,012 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,892 m (6,207 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[1] | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 8,460,088 |
| • Density | 390/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,950,578 |
| • Urban density | 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 5,604,310 |
| • Metro density | 2,100/km2 (5,500/sq mi) |
| • Rank in China | 16th |
| GDP[2] | |
| • Prefecture-level city | CN¥ 754.1 billion US$ 111.2 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥ 88,193 US$ 13,008 |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 650000 |
| Area code | 0871 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-YN-01 |
| License plate prefixes | 云A |
| Climate | Cwb |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Camellia japonica |
| Tree | Magnolia denudata |
| Kunming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg){kind=small} "Kūnmíng" in Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 昆明 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (transcription of an ancient tribal name) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Former names | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yunnan-Fu (former name used during imperial dynasties) | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 雲南府 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 云南府 | ||||||||||||||
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Kunming[a] is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China.[4] 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.[5] Wujiaba Airport served as the home of the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers.[6] 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 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.[7]
Kunming consists of an old, previously walled city, 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 2023, it was listed among the top 125 cities in the world by scientific research output.[8] 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 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 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.[9][10] As of 2024, the city is also home to six consulates from ASEAN countries.[11]
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.[12][13] Kunming also houses some manufacturing, chiefly 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.
- ^ "China: Yúnnán (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
- ^ 云南省统计局、国家统计局云南调查总队 (December 2023). 《云南统计年鉴－2023》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-9653-1.
- ^ "Kunming". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Illuminating China's Provinces, Municipalities and Autonomous Regions". PRC Central Government Official Website. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ "Records of U.S. Army Forces in the China-Burma-India Theaters of Operations". www.archives.gov. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Bergin, Bob. "Kunming Remembers the Flying Tigers". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "South China Karst". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Leading 200 science cities 2023| | Supplements | Nature Index". www.nature.com. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "2020 Airport Traffic Report" (PDF). Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. July 2021. p. 30. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ 2019 Annual Airport Traffic Report (PDF). United States: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 2020.
- ^ "Foreign consulates in Kunming". www.embassypages.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Horton, Chris (13 November 2007). "Rankings: Yunnan's strongest companies". GoKunming. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Fudian Bank". english.fudian-bank.com. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
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