Stories from China (Part 27)

This entry is part 27 of 40 in the series Stories from China

June 10, 2023

Stories from China (Part 27)

By Simon J. Lau

For my last day in Kunming, I visited the Yunnan Railway Museum. For much of its history, Yunnan was cut off from the rest of China and the world because of its rugged terrain. Before the railway, traveling to the region was slow, exhausting, and often dangerous.

That changed in 1910 when Yunnan entered a new era of rail transport. The railway made it easier to trade with Southeast Asia and helped connect Yunnan to the rest of China. It was the first real link between this remote corner of the country and the outside world, and it changed everything from commerce to culture.

I’ve always found China’s railway system fascinating because it shows how much effort has gone into building connections across this vast country. Take high-speed rail, for example. China began developing it in the 2000s, and in just a few decades, it has become the world leader in both scale and usage. I’ve taken China’s high-speed trains many times, and every trip leaves the same impression: the speed, efficiency, and sheer convenience are hard to overstate.

In the afternoon, I visited Yunnan University, an institution known for its role in shaping the development of China’s western region. As a designated national key university, it ranks among China’s top academic institutions and has produced many of the country’s leading scholars and officials.

It was also the only college I’ve been able to visit since arriving in China. Because of COVID restrictions, most universities have limited access to outsiders. So I was glad to finally be allowed onto a Chinese campus, to walk past its old lecture halls and tree-lined paths, and to see students going about their day. A class was graduating that afternoon, so there were students and families taking photos in their caps and gowns, which gave the campus a festive atmosphere.

Finally, I had dinner with my friend Huyue. She treated me to mushroom hotpot, a Yunnan specialty I’d been hearing about since I arrived. The restaurant had a very precise way of cooking the mushrooms and didn’t allow customers to cook them themselves. Chopsticks weren’t even provided until after the mushrooms were fully cooked since undercooking them could lead to mild food poisoning or, in the worst case, death.

I’d been curious about these mushrooms the whole time I was in Yunnan. There was no way I could have figured out how to order them on my own, so I was glad to finally try them with a local. It ended up being my favorite meal in Yunnan and probably my favorite meal this trip.