Not quite Central Park, but Kunming’s Cuihu or Green Lake Park reveals the true spirit of China’s senior citizens. Only my second time to the park, I came to see the famed annual migration of the black-headed gulls. The park was swarming with the birds as thousands flocked in sweeping patterns over the lake and through the sky. I could have sat for hours, mesmerized by their flight. However, my ears were enticed by the faint melodies that called from within the parks’ many hidden nooks and pathways.
In one corner, women with drums tied across their torsos were dancing to their own rhythmic beats. In another, an orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments was playing to the delight of an elderly crowd. Watching these weathered musicians and hearing their music made me wonder what their lives had been like throughout this country’s recent and complicated history. And is this traditional music dying as China’s youth of today is mostly occupied with shopping for the latest Korean fashions, as they’re climbing the corporate ladder?
As I pondered this and wandered the park, I continued to stumble upon these informal and spontaneous-seeming folk ensembles. In the center of the park, there was a large group of elderly people singing. At least 100 of them were gathered around, singing tunes they were reading from books of sheet music. These same books popped up all over the park and I finally understood when I saw a street vendor hawking pages of the sheet music. On a pavilion, stretching out over an area of the lake, women were dancing with the long, white sleeves of Chinese opera characters.
Beneath a pagoda-style gate, other women were dancing with large, red fans to the feminine high-pitched, nasal singing voice that is so characteristically Chinese.
What a wonderful culture where the senior population can re-live their cultural heritage daily, through this artistic expression of communal music and dancing. And though I felt quite alien amidst this culture, the people of Kunming allow me to feel at home with their smiles or complete indifference to my strikingly different appearance.
Speaking with seasoned foreigners who have spent time in other Chinese cities, I have learned that Kunming is fairly unique in this regard. I’ve been told that in other cities, the locals stare, gawk and even shout “lowai” (foreigner). I wonder if Kunming’s lack of gawking is due to its rich cultural makeup. As there are over 25 ethnic minorities living together under one skyline, faces aren’t as similar as perhaps in a dominantly Han Chinese community. The Han ethnicity accounts for 94% of China’s population.
Throughout history, the Yunnan province has been both a refuge for minorities fleeing persecution and a dumping ground for political “undesirables”. With these factors and more importantly, Yunnan’s geographic location, the province enjoys a mingling of Chinese, Tibetan, Thai, Burmese, Muslim and numerous other ethnic affiliations. I am anxious to begin exploring the other regions of Yunnan, where villages are traditional and these various cultures are more obvious.
Not quite Central Park, but Kunming’s Cuihu or Green Lake Park reveals the true spirit of China’s senior citizens. Only my second time to the park, I came to see the famed annual migration of the black-headed gulls. The park was swarming with the birds as thousands flocked in sweeping patterns over the lake and through the sky. I could have sat for hours, mesmerized by their flight. However, my ears were enticed by the faint melodies that called from within the parks’ many hidden nooks and pathways. 
In one corner, women with drums tied across their torsos were dancing to their own rhythmic beats. In another, an orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments was playing to the delight of an elderly crowd. Watching these weathered musicians and hearing their music made me wonder what their lives had been like throughout this country’s recent and complicated history. And is this traditional music dying as China’s youth of today is mostly occupied with shopping for the latest Korean fashions, as they’re climbing the corporate ladder? 
As I pondered this and wandered the park, I continued to stumble upon these informal and spontaneous-seeming folk ensembles. In the center of the park, there was a large group of elderly people singing. At least 100 of them were gathered around, singing tunes they were reading from books of sheet music. These same books popped up all over the park and I finally understood when I saw a street vendor hawking pages of the sheet music. On a pavilion, stretching out over an area of the lake, women were dancing with the long, white sleeves of Chinese opera characters. 
Beneath a pagoda-style gate, other women were dancing with large, red fans to the feminine high-pitched, nasal singing voice that is so characteristically Chinese.
What a wonderful culture where the senior population can re-live their cultural heritage daily, through this artistic expression of communal music and dancing. And though I felt quite alien amidst this culture, the people of Kunming allow me to feel at home with their smiles or complete indifference to my strikingly different appearance. 
Speaking with seasoned foreigners who have spent time in other Chinese cities, I have learned that Kunming is fairly unique in this regard. I’ve been told that in other cities, the locals stare, gawk and even shout “lowai” (foreigner). I wonder if Kunming’s lack of gawking is due to its rich cultural makeup. As there are over 25 ethnic minorities living together under one skyline, faces aren’t as similar as perhaps in a dominantly Han Chinese community. The Han ethnicity accounts for 94% of China’s population. 
Throughout history, the Yunnan province has been both a refuge for minorities fleeing persecution and a dumping ground for political “undesirables”. With these factors and more importantly, Yunnan’s geographic location, the province enjoys a mingling of Chinese, Tibetan, Thai, Burmese, Muslim and numerous other ethnic affiliations. I am anxious to begin exploring the other regions of Yunnan, where villages are traditional and these various cultures are more obvious.
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