Yunnan Information
The things nobody tells you until you need them. Short, practical, and written for someone who has just arrived.
The basics
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Getting around
Kunming has a metro that is cheap, clean and easy to read once you know the line colours. For everything else, the ride-hailing apps work well; keep a screenshot of the destination in Chinese, because drivers navigate by it.
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Healthcare
Large public hospitals are busy and run on queues; international clinics are calmer and cost more. For anything non-urgent, go early in the morning. Bring your passport and a payment app.
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Phones and money
A local number and a working payment app unlock almost everything. Sort both in your first week. Keep some cash for the rare place that still prefers it.
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The seasons
Yunnan is often described as eternal spring, and Kunming largely is: mild days, cool nights. Travel three hours north and you are in mountains. Pack layers rather than a wardrobe.
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Internet
Some sites are slow or unreachable. Arrange whatever you rely on for work before you arrive, and expect video calls to behave differently from home.
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Customs worth knowing
Food is shared, tea is poured for others before yourself, and a polite refusal is often repeated twice before it is believed. A little Mandarin goes a very long way.
Before you arrive
Check the visa category that matches what you are actually doing, not the one that is easiest to obtain. Rules change, and the cost of getting this wrong is a trip home.
If you are coming for a semester, a job, or a business, ask us first. We would rather spend twenty minutes on the right question now than a week on the wrong answer later.