Kunming according to Lilly K.

How does my partner describes Kunming
Kunming is called "Sping City" due to its mild weather. The average temperatur is quite warm and the climate is ageeable making spring an eternal season. But if you live in Kunming there will be also some days that won´t be like in spring.

Kunming is also known for its biodiversity. Many difeerent species live there. For this reason the 15th Conference ot the Parties is taking place in the "Spring City".

The most known animal of Kunming is undeniably the seagull. These birds come from Siberia and spend the winter in Kunming.

Another word to describe Kunming is " revolution culture". The city has a famous military school and many important figures were trained there.

Talking about the population of Kunming you will probably here the word "minority". Because the city is culturally very diverse. 52 minorities live there.

Classes
The classes in Kunming are definitely larger than the my class or the classes in Germany in general. An average class in Kunming includes about 40-60 students. There are also more classes in one grade. At my school the 10th grade contains four glasses. However, a grade in Kunming includes 20 classes.

Course subjects
Cicis subjects are quite similar to mine. You can divide them into different types.

science: biology, physics and chemistry

liberal art : history, politics and geography

main subjects: Chinese, maths and English

Besides,  music, PE, art, information technology, and technology are taught. I would be very interested in learning Chinese because I think it is an extremely important language since it is spoken by so many people. Furthermore the subject technology seems to be fascinating as well. We don´t have something similar at my school. Accordinly I´d be excited to learn about patent rights and how machines work.

School day
Cici usually gets up at 7a.m. Her school starts at 7:30 am with the "morning reading". The school day is divided into the morning classes and the afternoon classes which is completely diffenrent compared to a german school day. After the morning reading, classes start at 8:00 am. One lesson is 40 minutes long and between two classes ther is a ten minutes break. After three classes the students have a 30 minutes break followed by two more lessons. Accordingly, the morning classes ent at 12:20 am.

Now it is time for the noon break. This is the time students can basically do what they want but most students have lunch then. The afternoon classes start at 14:30 pm. After the first two classes there is a 15 minutes break. Sometimes, the students do a special exercise then to exercise and relax their eys. This break is followed by another lesson and a class for examination. This it also totaly different in Germany. If I write an English exam for example, I will do this in my normal English class.

Cicis school day ends at about 6:00 pm. She is usually picked up by one of her parents.

Homework
It usually takes Cici three hours  to finish her homework. But the noon break is a good time to do this. Further, it is important to revise knowledge. Doing this takes Cici about one hour or maybe longer on the weekends.

Options after graduation
1) The first option is going to a university. If you want to get a respected and well-paid job, you will habe to chose this option and study. In the case that you have failed the final exam, it might be possible to repeat the last school year or the final exam. But this depends on the school. Good education seems to be very important in China since you need good grades for studying at a prestigious university. The better your education is, the better your future opportunities are.

2) Going to a professional school is also possible.

3) Thirdly, you can start working directly. However, the job you will get then won´t be paid very well.

Three tips for Goslar students exchanging in Kunming
1) A good time managment is really important. Because the school day is a lot longer than in Germany but you get even more homework and tasks to do. So try to get as much sleep as possible.

2) Use the noon break for doing your homework.

3) Education is extremely important in China. You need to focus on school but also try to use your weekends to explore Kunming and its beautiful and biodiverse environment.

A one-day excursion
Lets begin the day by having breakfast. What about a flower pie? Maybe you will find one in a bakery. Cici recommended climbing the "Western Hills" to me. You can take the subway to get there. From the highest point you have an amazing view of the city and the beautiful Dian Lake. The "Gate of the dragon" is the next great place to visit. While crossing is think of your goals because you will achieve them after doing this according to an old legend.

It´s lunchtime time now! Try those rise noodles which are very famous for Kunming. There ist also a legend about them and I am really interested in learning more about the food in Kunming.

After that, you shouln´t miss taking the bus to Yunnan Nationalities Village which is a famous tourist attraction. On the the way there, you can admire sculptures made of flowers. This valley introduces different cultures to you.

I think visiting Yunnan Nationalities Village would be extremely interesting because this is not a museum where you can just look at exhibits in showcases but experience those cultures by trying on their clothes which is really colorful. Exploring the valley will take a least three hours but I guess even one day would be too less to see everything.

Once you have finished visiting Yunnan Nationalities Village, you could take the bus to Green Lake Park. Arround the park there are many other sights like the famous military school Jiangwu Hall or the Southwest Assiciated University. During the winter seegulls from Siberia migrate to Green Lake entertaining crowds of visitors. Cici recommended me going there later on because of this crowds. Due to Corona almost all tourists come from China and many of them try to escape the cold of their home by traveling to Kunming.

Therefore I will have dinner first before walking arround Green Lake Park. There are several reataurants selling western food. Maybe it would be interesting to taste western food made by a Chinese cook. If you are more into landscape than city, another option for a one-day excursion is visiting the "Stone Forest". This is a special kind of landscape consisting of karst stones. The tall rocks seem to arise from the ground like stone trees. According to my internet research a part of this "forest" is an UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the South China Karst. However, the train to "Stone Forest" takes quite a long time. Accordingly, going there would be another activity for another day.

How to make it "greener"
The best way to get from on place to another is of course to walk or ride a bike. You can share bikes in Kunming. But I think public transportation is already very green. Further, it is important to avoid plastic whereever it is possible. Use your own reusable bottle and do not throw your trash in the environment! Concerning the food, it would be better or "greener" to by local and eat no meat. Apart from this, you should save water and electricity.

Food
Rice noodles are one of the most famous dishes in the Yunnan province. And Kunming could be called "the hometown of rice noodles". You will find many different kinds of them there. They differ in how they are prepared. For example Douhua Rice Noodles or Xiaoguo Rice Noodles.

However, Cici introduced Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles to me. This dish consists of a bowl of soup as well as rice noodles and other ingredients which will be put into the soup step by step. And here is how to make it:


 * 1) The first step ist to prepare the soup (chicken stock) by using a  pressure cooker for example. This is extremely important because if you don´t make an effort preparing the soup, the whole dish will not taste very well.
 * 2) Next, you prepare the other ingredients. They include thin slices of fresh meat (pork and ham), fish filet and vegetables like peashoots or leek.
 * 3) When ready to eat, it is time for adding those ingredients. First you add meat and fish and allow them to cook properly.  Then you add the vegetables and leave the soup for two minutes. After that you add the rice noodles and wait for another two minutes.
 * 4) Ready to eat! Enjoy it!

There is a legend behind the Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles. It begins with a man studing for an exam on an island. He had a wife carrying a lot about him. She brought him food but due to the way to the place where he studied the soup got could and the noodles soggy. As a soultion she invented this kind of dish. She kept the noodles and other ingredients in a separate container, and when she arrived, she mixed everything together for a warm soup.

Eating habits
Kunmings residents eat variously. They like spicy and fresh food. Rice is part of most dishes and very common. But western food is also popular.

The Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival which is also known as the Moon festival is celebrated at the 15 August according to the lunar calendar. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back a long long time. The moon is an important symbol in Chinese culture and therefore it is admired at this special festival. Cici told me that the moon represents a woman according to an old legend. In the distant past there was a woman called Chang'e. Her husband was the famous archer Hou Yi. Back than there where ten suns. Hou Yi shoot down nine suns to protect humanity. For that reason he recieved an elixir of immortality. But he didn´t want to live without his wife. But one day on of his students tried to steal the elixir and Chang'e took it to protect it. She flew to the moon and became its godness. Hou Yi missed his wife so much that he made offerings to the moon.

Customs
To remember this legend Chinese people woship the moon. They eat special moon-shaped desserts. These mooncakes include different stuffings. If you talk about food at the Mid-Autumn Festival, you should also mention a special wine made of the sweet osmanthus. Both have a long tradition.

Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes the family reunion. This is really important. Hence, the family members meet and admire the moon during dinner. If you celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kunming, you can also see the power of the moon by watching the tides. Walking through the streets, you will see many lanterns creating an incredible atmosphere. There are riddles on the lanterns and if you solve on, you will get a little present. But usually the soultions are quiete hard to find. Further, the Mid-Autumn Festival is very popular in the whole country and there are also many TV shows dealing with this topic.