Cultural Activities, What is worth experiencing in Kunming

Kunming is not only the capital of Yunnan but also a city rich in diverse ethnic cultures and traditions. Here you can take part in many immersive activities that bring local heritage to life. Try a flower cake making class, using fresh Yunnan roses to bake this famous pastry. Visit a copper-and-silver inlay workshop (Wutong Zouyin), where you can meet artisans and experience this intricate national intangible cultural heritage craft. Join the Torch Festival to appreciate the culture of Yi people. Enjoy Purple pottery or black pottery class. Through these experiences, you’ll discover the charm of Kunming, relax at your own pace, and enjoy both its culture and lifestyle.

Flower cake making class

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Food & Art
• Duration: 1-2 hour
• Location: Kunming

Yunnan is known as the “Kingdom of Flowers,” producing over 70% of China’s fresh-cut flowers. Among them, the double-petal red rose, with its thick petals and rich fragrance, provides the finest ingredient for the famous flower cake. Originating in the Qing Dynasty as an imperial delicacy, the cake is crafted with great care, emphasizing the marination of rose petals and precise baking techniques. With its crispy crust, sweet floral filling, and health benefits such as enhancing beauty and nourishing the body, the flower cake has become one of Yunnan’s most iconic souvenirs.

Join a hands-on flower cake making class in Kunming, where you’ll learn how to prepare one of the city’s most beloved pastries. Guided by a local chef, discover the process of making the delicate rose-filled pastry, from kneading the dough to shaping and baking. Families and kids will enjoy the fun of creating their own treats, and of course, tasting the freshly baked flower cakes at the end.

Experience Wutong Zouyin (Black Copper with Silver Inlay)

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Art & Architecture
• Duration: 2-3 hour
• Location: Kunming Guandu Ancient Town

Wutong Zouyin (Black Copper with Silver Inlay) is a traditional copper art unique to Yunnan and listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, with a history of over 300 years. Renowned as one of the “Two Great Copper Arts of China,” alongside Beijing’s cloisonné enamel, this craft uses copper as the base. Intricate patterns are engraved and then filled with molten silver or gold, creating a striking black-and-white contrast with an antique yet elegant charm.

At the Wutong Zouyin Heritage Museum, visitors can explore the rich history and cultural background of this craft while observing masters at work. The process is highly intricate, involving more than ten steps, including copper refining, plate beating, pattern drawing, carving, silver inlay, polishing, assembling, welding, and darkening treatment. You can even try their hand at the craft through interactive workshops. The museum also features a sales area where you can purchase exquisite Wutong Zouyin artworks and souvenirs to take home.

Purple pottery or black pottery class

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Art & Architecture
• Duration: 1-2 hour
• Location: Jianshui County/ Nixi Village

Jianshui pottery has about 3,500 years of history, dated back to the Neolithic Period. While Nixi Village has a long history of making black pottery. Food cooked using these two types of potteries are more delicious. Black pottery is widely used by Tibetan for cooking, cultural and religious ceremonies. In Nixi Village, almost every household know how to make black pottery and it is a source of income for many families. In this short session either in Jianshui or Nixi, you will learn how to knead the clay to get the air out of it and technique of shaping the clay from the artisan. Shaping is a tango between skill and speed as you need to control your strength when shaping the dough while the wheel is spinning. Due to time limit, we will dry the purple pottery under the sun instead of firing in kiln.

Experience the Torch Festival

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Art & Architecture
• Duration: 1-2 hour
• Location: Stone Forest, Kunming

Celebrated according to the Yi lunar calendar, the Torch Festival is a vibrant cultural event where the Yi people pray for a good harvest and drive away pests. Participants wear traditional festival attire and play the Yu-kin and the great three-stringed instrument. In Kunming, areas such as Shilin and Luquan host lively celebrations, including fire rituals, bonfire gatherings, and colorful ethnic song and dance performances.

Experience the Torch Festival in the Stone Forest Yi area, the liveliest place around Kunming during this time. Visitors can enjoy vibrant Yi ethnic song and dance performances, take part in the Sani people’s traditional blessing ceremony, and even learn how to make a torch. The festival also features the dazzling intangible cultural heritage performance of “iron flower fireworks,” where molten metal sparks create a spectacular night show.

Pu’er Tea Ceremony Culture

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Art & Tea
• Duration: 1-2 hour
• Location: Kunming

Pu-erh tea or dark tea is a type of fermented tea that is produced in Yunnan. Farmers in Yunnan have been growing tea for thousands of years. Drinking Pu-erh tea has a lot of health benefit, including aiding in weight loss, strengthening immune system, and reducing cholesterol.

In Kunming, you can join a traditional tea ceremony at a local teahouse or tea culture center to appreciate the art of Pu’er tea, which originates from Yunnan Province. During the ceremony, you will observe the graceful brewing techniques, taste the rich layers of flavor unique to aged Pu’er, and learn about its deep cultural significance in local life. This experience not only allows you to savor an authentic Yunnan specialty but also offers insight into the harmony, mindfulness, and respect for nature that lie at the heart of Chinese tea culture.

Admire Dynamic Yunnan

• Type: Cultural Immersion/ Art & Architecture
• Duration: 1-2 hour
• Location: Kunming

Dynamic Yunnan is an unmissable performance in Kunming. This large-scale original song and dance production is directed by the renowned Chinese dancer Yang Liping, who also serves as the artistic director and lead performer. About 70% of the performers come directly from Yunnan’s villages, and their costumes are designed based on the traditional dress of different ethnic groups, giving the show an authentic and vibrant feel.

The performance showcases dances and songs of the Yi, Wa, Dai, and many other ethnic groups, bringing to life the beauty of their traditions, music, and rituals. With its raw energy, natural beauty, and deep vitality, Dynamic Yunnan offers audiences an unforgettable journey into the cultural soul of Yunnan.

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