Kunming Is Not Horrendous…Yet
Ever since I discovered him by chance in a second-hand bookstore in Thailand, Paul Theroux has been one of my favorite writers. His travel narratives- characterized by cantankerous, unflattering observations twinned with depictions of pure beauty- have inspired me more than almost any other author I can think of. Yet in this Financial Times piece promoting his new travel anthology, Theroux has this to say about Kunming:
...once a small, self-contained agricultural town in the rural south of China, ancient, visually bewitching, known for its serene parks, Kunming is now a huge horrendous city
Right now I'll admit an obvious bias- I lived in Kunming for three and a half years and have an obvious fondness for the place. But this description doesn't ring true. Kunming hasn't been a 'small, self-contained agricultural town' since perhaps the Qing era, long before Theroux or anyone else alive ever visited. The serene parks- Green Lake and Daguan are what he presumably means- are still alive and well. And while referring to a city as huge and horrendous is certainly a matter of opinion, when I left Kunming last summer it was still possible to cycle from one end to the other in less than an hour.
Yet given the city's building boom, it wouldn't surprise me if in another twenty years Theroux's description of the city is quite accurate. Even still, due to its climate and vibe Kunming is likely to remain one of China's most charming cities, if only by default.
June 3rd, 2011 - 11:49
Paul Theroux has been reduced to selling second hand books in Thailand?! Piracy has clearly hit him hard!
My experience of Kunming is limited. I have a particular loathing for the airport (which, by now, surely should be the former airport?) – although the vintage military aircraft on the tarmac were a plus – but the city itself had a particularly magical vibe to it when I was there.
I guess Mr Theroux’s notes got messed up in the transfer to his second hand bookshop in Thailand and the “huge and horrendous” note that had been in, perhaps, the Shanghai or Tianjin, or even Beijing (some poor, mislead souls do get that impression about Beijing, sadly, and what’s worse is the lack of rehab facilities for such people) folder somehow wound up in the Kunming folder.