我的城市像公园 | My Park City

“Kunming is green everywhere. Each day when I walk around in the city, I feel like I’m strolling through in a park. It relaxes the mind while also being good exercise for the body. This is my favorite thing about Kunming.” At each dusk, Mr. Li, who lives in the Lake Kunming Neighborhood, loves to walk along the banks of Panlong River. He enjoys listening to the water of the river and look up at the bright moon. Sometimes he also plays Chinese chess with his friends in the Riverside Park.

The greening endeavor that fosters Kunming’s picturesque park views and the city’s considerate urban management create happiness for its residents, as more and more residents are enjoying their lives in the park-like Spring City.

Flowers are always blooming in the Spring City and no visitors are left untouched by the splendid environment.

“The flowers don’t bloom like they do in Kunming.” “All plants in Kunming bloom in each of the four seasons.” In famous writer Wang Zengqi’s articles, his admiration on the flowers in Kunming is clear for everyone to read, but for Kunming, this is all normal. After all, one cannot find a city like the Spring City with its floral abundance ceaselessly fascinating the internet community and inspiring generations of poets to compose masterpieces.

“The view of spring is as grandeur as the sea, the flourishing age is like blooming flowers…” lamented Li Guangtian in his prose The Floral Tide after having visited Mount Yuantong in Kunming. In his poem The Verse of Dianhai, Yang Shen a scholar in the Ming Dynasty vividly depicted the thrilling floral views of the four seasons in Kunming, “It is as if it is always February or March, there is endless blooming.” Mrs. Sun, who lived overseas for a long period, is also fascinated by the full bloom in Kunming, “Stepping on the land of Kunming, I was enchanted by the view. Red flowers and green trees are everywhere. It suddenly felt the happiness of being home.”

Scholars, travelers and returned fellows have all been enchanted by the flowers in the “Big Garden”, Kunming. Residents who have grown up and livedhere for a long time in this “Big Garden” are living their lives with the flowers. Camellias in January, cherry blossoms in March, lotuses in June, chrysanthemums in September, plum blossoms at the end of the year, that is the agenda of the residents of the “Big Garden”.

“Taking my kid to school is just like taking a walk in a park!” exclaimed Liu Xiaohong, a resident living at Jiaochang Middle Road, a street famous for its jacarandas. In the year of 2020, Jiaochang Middle Road was given a facelift by the planting of jacaranda trees, turning the pavement along the road into a great place for residents and travelers to relax and appreciate the flowers and scenic views. Strolling down the road, one can enjoy culture themed walls, pavement decoration, recreation facilities, rest lounges for sanitation workers and walking trails, which have turned Jiaochang Middle Road into a flourishing violet scenic line in the Spring City.

While walking in parks, Cao Youyou loves to feed sea gulls, pose for photos and have a good time. Of course, she never misses out on the opportunity to go boating, a habit that she fostered in childhood and still enjoys. “The best place to go boating is Cuihu Park, it is convenient and full of options and it reminds me of spring outings from my childhood.” Cao Youyou turned the pages of the photo album in her hands to find a photo from her third birthday when her parents took her to Cuihu Park. The photo embodies a common memory of those growing up in Kunming during the 90s — visiting Cuihu Park, going on a small boat, and taking group photos. By flashing back all those moments, we still feel happy.

“As a child I just thought boating was fun, but doing it as a grown-up gives me a completely different kind of fulfillment.” Cao Youyou often goes to Cuihu Lake when she feels distressed and being in the small boat floating on the water allows her to empty her thoughts. After half an hour of boating, her bad mood drifts away with the waves.

For hundreds of years, the Panlong River has run through the city like a dragon from the north to the south, nourishing generation after generation of Kunming people. It has also bestowed the Spring City a unique river culture. At the Taoyuan Wharf Station of Panlong River, Kunming native Mr. Pu disembarked from a cruise that recently resumed operation. He took the cruise to rediscover the memories of his childhood. “On the ship, I could appreciate the scenic views along both banks. Although those old stores, old residences and old professions have all disappeared, the Panlong River is still flowing, and both banks are as bustling as they used to be. “Mr. Pu was very happy with the cruise, as it helped him regain contact with the slow life of the Spring City.

As a saying goes, a garden cannot be made without water. Dianchi Lake, as the bright eye of the city, outlines a very spiritual scene in Kunming, the "Big Park".

At 6:00 pm, as youstanding by the Dianchi Dam with a wide view and walking along the street, the walls of the park are out of sight, and you only see the beautiful and colorful landscapes created by the great diversity of plants. Corridors and flagstone roads meander forward in the grass, extending from the road into the distance...

In this transparent ecological space, Kunming gives off a strong belief: this is a park.

"I’ve lived in many cities and finally chose to stay here in Kunming. It is green wherever I go, and I like living in such a cozy and comfortable city," said Liu Wei from Gansu. After graduating from university, she first went to Shanghai to work, then to Guangzhou, before eventually choosing to settle down in Kunming.

"In Kunming, you don't have to go to an actual park to enjoy the leisure of walking in a park." Liu Wei recalled that when she first arrived in Kunming, what left her the deepest impression was the streets of Kunming, full of scenery. The one she likes best is Hongta West Road. "In autumn and winter, it snows in many parts of the country, but Hongta West Road are still tinged with pink." Still full of smiles, she recalled the scenes from that day, "Beaming through the floral twigs, the sun shed light on the ground, water from Dianchi Lake cooled down the joggers running along it, and the vehicles pass through the cherry blossom trees without haste, just like a romantic scene from a comic book."

Liu Wei's experience is a result of the creation of Kunming's gardens. In the city's main roads, branch roads, parks, squares, and river banks, you can see patches of trees, forming a garden atmosphere unique to Kunming. "We often feel that Kunming is like a huge park. You can see all kinds of amazing green landscapes everywhere, even on the roads, and you don't need to go to a park to do so." Liu Wei said.

Chen Li is a greening worker in Wuhua District. In her more than 20 years of working, she has personally participated in the greening of many areas in Wuhua District. "The city has changed a lot! In the past, Cuihu Park was a good place for residents to relax and enjoy life, because there were flowers, water, and playgrounds in the Cuihu Park. But now it's different. There are small gardens, flower beds, and playgrounds on the streets. The unique street trees and flower belts gives the public easy access to visual pleasures.”

Chen Li stressed that the city is becoming more and more like a park as a result of the close connection between parks and the city. Taking Cuihu Park as an example, she explained, "There are more and more varieties of flowers and plants in the park, and the shapes of the flowerbeds are also new and diverse. The tulip business card created this year is already become a hot-spot for young people. The most important thing is the extension of the park's atmosphere and the improvement and transformation of the entire surrounding area. Now, Cuihu Park is no longer kept within its limits, but it has been immersed in the surrounding area.”

Chen Li told our reporter that the Spring City in her heart is a city full of greenery, with high-rise buildings and green vegetation everywhere.

The Spring City is like a park. Residents walk through the city as if they are wandering in a huge park. Surrounded by red flowers, green trees, and clear water, their smiles beam on their faces. That is happiness.