After lunch, we wandered off into the grounds of Yunnan University.  Pleasant surroundings and very pleasant walking under a threatening sky, temperature in mid-20’s, humidity high. Located at an altitude of 1892m (6207 ft.) and just north of the Tropic of Cancer, Kunming is often referred to as the Eternal Spring City due mainly to its weather. I’ll let my photos tell the story!

Yunnan University logo

We wandered down a beautiful avenue of Ginkgo trees.

A Faculty building – note the row of Zamia palms.

A bell tower – note sick, leafless trees in front of the tower.

The sick trees were being ‘treated’ by digging a hole, filling it with water and sprinkling a pink powder on the surface. What that was, I don’t know.

This sick plane tree was hooked up to a drip!

Colonial corridor in ‘The House of Huize’, built in 1923.

Another old building – now a restaurant.

Near the university is Green Lake which is surrounded by an attractive park. An ornate fence surrounds the lake.

A sign explained: “The Park was a beautiful bay on the Dianchi Lake before the Ming Dynasty and became a tourist resort at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.  With an area of 21 ha. (52 ac.) the park is nowadays well-known for its richly ornamented traditional pavilions and palaces, blue waves and ripples, green willows, beautiful flowers, fair landscape and quiet elegance of its numerous scenes.”

A patch of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) well established in a corner of the lake.

Lotus flower… impossible to resist a photo of this beauty.

Lotus flower opening up fully. Lovely contrast between petals and seed head.

Fallen beauty

A dried lotus seed head showing seeds about to be released

Unusual purple flowers contrasting with their silver bracts.

A seed-eating finch at home amongst the water plants.

Avenue of bamboo.

Bamboo graffiti

Even the public loo (absolutely spotless) had a dado of bamboo images.

A flower unknown to me!

Walking back towards the apartment, we saw this street sweeper taking a break.

Another sleepy-head !

We passed a small street trolley selling beautiful red ‘crinkled’ capsicum…

… and orange and green ones as well.

By then it was time for a break… a stop at a favourite haunt of my hosts for a coffee and half price cake (Thursday is the day for this treat).  All very pleasant, before we headed back to the apartment to sort out my washing… a much needed chore.

Kenzo cooked tea of steamed chicken and rice after which I gave myself over to diary writing on my computer. Otherwise it was the Chinese TV programmes.  They were no real distraction as I couldn’t understand a thing!  Bed and sleep came easily.

David

All photographs copyright © DY  of  jtdytravels

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