• The 14th Asia-Pacific Web Conference (APWeb)
• April 11-13, 2012, Kunming, China

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Kunming(昆明) is the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province, a primarily agricultural province of 45 million. Kunming has a population of five million and is located in one of the world’s most geographically, ethnically, biologically and linguistically diverse regions. Situated at 1,900 meters (6,233ft) above sea level and 25° north of the Equator it has a rather unique and pleasant climate for a Chinese city.

As the provincial capital, Kunming’s variety of people, languages, customs and food is a reflection of the variety found in Yunnan province itself. Roughly the size of California, Yunnan borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar (Burma), Guangxi and Tibet autonomous regions and Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. Yunnan is also less than 150 km from northeast India and northern Thailand.

Kunming weather is typically mild, except for two months of hot days usually around April and May and two months of cold nights and chilly days typically spanning from late December to early February. Otherwise, high temperatures average around 21°C (69°F) and lows are typically around 10°C (50°F). Weather in Kunming is influenced heavily by Indian monsoons as well as weather patterns in Tibet to the northwest.Because of its high altitude Kunming weather is typically characterized by intense sunlight during the daytime and a slight chill at night. When the rest of China is hot, Kunming is one of the country’s coolest cities. When the northern half of the country is frozen and covered with snow, flowers are blooming. Hence, Kunming’s nickname in Chinese is ‘Spring City’.

Kunming sits upon the Yunnan Plateau, which rises toward the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau heading northwest and yields to lower altitude tropical jungle heading southward toward Southeast Asia. The city is surrounded by mountains and is just northeast of Dianchi Lake, the largest lake in the province and the sixth-largest freshwater lake in China.