- Mandarin Immersion (Part 1)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 2)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 3)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 4)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 5)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 6)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 7)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 8)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 9)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 10)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 11)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 12)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 13)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 14)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 15)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 16)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 17)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 18)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 19)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 20)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 21)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 22)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 23)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 24)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 25)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 26)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 27)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 28)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 29)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 30)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 31)
- Mandarin Immersion (Part 32)
June 10, 2023
Mandarin Immersion (Part 27)
By Simon J. Lau
For my last day in Kunming, I visited the Yunnan Railway Museum. Throughout much of its history, Yunnan has been isolated from the rest of China and the world due to its rugged terrain. Before the construction of the railway, travel to the region was arduous and challenging.
In 1910, everything changed when Yunnan welcomed a new era of railroad transport, facilitating increased trade with Southeast Asian countries. Over time, this railway connection also fostered greater integration with other regions of China. Overall, I find China’s railway system to be fascinating, serving as a testament to the country’s development and connectivity efforts.
For instance, China embarked on high-speed rail (HSR) development in the 2000s, and since then, it has matured rapidly. Today, China stands as the global leader in HSR infrastructure, boasting extensive coverage and high utilization rates. Having extensively utilized China’s HSR system myself, I can attest to its remarkable efficiency and convenience.
In the afternoon, I visited Yunnan University, an institution recognized for its significant role in the development of China’s western region. Designated as an important national university, it ranks among China’s elite academic institutions.
It’s worth noting that it’s the only college I’ve been permitted to visit since arriving in China. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many Chinese universities have restricted access to outsiders. Therefore, I was pleased to finally receive permission to visit a Chinese university.
Finally, I had dinner with my friend, Huyue. She treated me to mushroom hotpot, a Yunnan delicacy. The restaurant has a very precise way of cooking these mushrooms; in fact, they don’t even allow customers to cook them on their own. They don’t provide chopsticks to customers until after the mushrooms have been cooked. If they did, there would be a risk that customers might undercook them, leading to a serious risk of mild food poisoning or worse, death.
I’ve been thinking about these mushrooms since I arrived in Yunnan. There would have been no way for me to figure out how to order them on my own, so I was very pleased to try them with a local! This was my favorite meal in Yunnan.
Comments are closed.