Taking Laos-China Railway to Wuhua District of Kunming to enjoy Jacaranda

The D887 Fuxing bullet train exiting from the Laos-China Railway’s Friendship Tunnel.

The Laos-China Railway links Vientiane, Laos to the south and Kunming, China to the North. Since its opening in December 2021, the Laos-China Railway has injected strong impetus into regional economic development. On April 13, 2023, the Laos-China Railway launched its cross-border passenger train service, allowing passengers to reach Kunming from Vientiane on the same day.

As the terminus of the Laos-China Railway’s Chinese section, the city Kunming in Yunnan Province, is known as the “Spring City” due to its excellent natural conditions and mild climate throughout the year. Today, let’s have a closer look at Kunming in May, and get to know a goddess of flower that has lived in Wuhua District of Kunming for 39 years, Jacaranda.

Jacaranda scenery on Jiaochang Middle Road.

Flowers blossom everywhere in the Spring City. In late spring and early summer every year, the city will be painted in Jacaranda’s dreamy mauve-blue color, attracting citizens and tourists to stop under Jacaranda trees and admire the swaying flowers.

The blooming period of Jacaranda is from April to June every year. The flower was introduced to Kunming in 1997. In 2020, based on the existing 250 Jacaranda trees lining on Jiaochang Middle Road in Wuhua District, 301 more Jacaranda trees were planted and a Jacaranda theme park was built. After years of careful maintenance, the total number of Jacaranda trees along the road has reached 551, making Jiaochang Middle Road an internet-famous site among citizens and tourists.

Jacaranda scenery on Jiaochang Middle Road.

Although Jacaranda in full bloom is ravishingly beautiful, it’s ephemeral with a blooming period of only two to three months. Therefore, in recent years, Wuhua District of Kunming has continued to explore ways to combine Jacaranda scenery with cultural tourism, cultural and creative products, and cultural activities, to build up “unfading” Jacaranda, adding new vigor and vitality to the Spring City.

Jacaranda scenery on Jiaochang Middle Road.

From April to May every year, the Jiaochang Middle Road embellished by the brightly colored Jacaranda becomes a mauve-blue cascade of flowers, and the beautiful blooms are reflected in the water along the Panlong River. With the flowering of the Jacaranda, Lianhua Street in Wuhua District has held the “Jacaranda Cultural Art Festival” for five consecutive years. A series of cultural and creative products have been coming out, such as Jacaranda-themed ice cream, Jacaranda stickers, and Jacaranda lollipops, which have helped Kunming establish a new city brand, presenting art, culture and education, entertainment, public welfare, popular science, and fashion in various forms.

The cultural and creative products of the Jacaranda Cultural Art Festival.

It is reported that the 5th Jacaranda Cultural Art Festival is held from April 22 to June 30, 2023, in the Jacaranda-themed block on Jiaochang Road. During the festival, Wuhua District will promote the Jacaranda-themed music festival, the Jacaranda-themed special show, walking activities, skateboarding competitions, and other themed events both online and offline, shaping Jacaranda as Kunming’s cultural IP.

It is worth mentioning that the IP image “Lanyingying”, integrating Jacaranda elements into the design, appears at the art festival, representing the Spring City to welcome guests from all over the world.

Jacaranda scenery on Jiaochang Middle Road.

With the increasing popularity of the Jacaranda Avenue, the number of tourists has increased year by year, driving the development of the tourism industry and further effectively boosting the growth of market consumption in surrounding areas. In 2022, more than 400,000 people poured to Jiaochang Middle Road in Wuhua District to enjoy the Jacaranda. Driven by the 4th Jacaranda Cultural Art Festival, Wuhua District has received nearly 640,000 visitors during the May Day holiday, achieving a comprehensive tourism income of 444 million yuan. Currently, the Jacaranda Cultural Art Festival has initially gained certain brand value and has become a business card of the Spring City Kunming.

In Wuhua District, Kunming, except for the romantic Jacaranda in early summer, there is Cuihu Lake full of the city’s cultural heritage, and Nanqiang Street which is of hustle and bustle at night. Why not take a trip to Kunming via the Laos-China Railway and visit Jiaochang Road in Wuhua District for a date with flowers this summer, and experience a lifestyle called Yunnan?