Kunming Old Street 昆明老街

About Kunming Old Street

The district holds 8 cultural-relic protection units and 20 listed protected buildings, including the restored former residence of the musician Nie Er, the Ma family compound, the former Fuchunheng trading-firm site, the Fu family residence and others. Yongdao Street, about 135 metres long, takes its name from having been the access passage to the Qing-dynasty Yunnan-Guizhou Governor-General's yamen, and by the early 1980s had become a combined market for birds, flowers, jewellery, second-hand books and antiques; Nie Er's former residence stands at Nos. 73-74, a two-storey 'single-seal' courtyard house restored to its appearance in his lifetime, with a display room of photographs, instruments, scores and belongings from his life. Wenming Street, lined with more than thirty shopfronts on each side, was built up around 1920 under Zhu De, then head of Yunnan's provincial police department; Wenmiao Zhijie, facing the Confucius Temple, began trial operation in December 2017. The Ma family compound, in Xiaoyingui Lane, was built in 1923 as the residence of Ma Zhen, a Republic-protection elder statesman, Yunnan army general and Kunming's first mayor, in a classic 'three-wings-and-a-screen-wall' Bai-ethnic courtyard style combining woodcarving and stonecarving.

The district's name was formally approved by the Kunming Civil Affairs Bureau at the end of 2005, covering eight traditional streets, and in June 2014 it was recommended for designation as a national historic and cultural block. Visitors can find xiaoguo mixian (small-pot rice noodles), Yunnan antiques and century-old pharmacies along the streets, and Qianwang Street mixes old and new with shops run by craftspeople alongside old houses.

What to look for

• Nie Er's former residence on Yongdao Street, a restored 'single-seal' courtyard house with a display room of his photographs, instruments and scores.
• The Ma family compound in Xiaoyingui Lane, a 1923 Bai-ethnic courtyard house combining woodcarving and stonecarving.
• Wenming Street's more than thirty shopfronts, built up around 1920 under Zhu De's oversight.
• Yongdao Street's markets for birds, flowers, jewellery and antiques.
• Local food such as xiaoguo mixian along the district's streets.

Location & getting there

Getting to Kunming Old Street

Choose a precise starting address and return transport stop. Access to individual buildings, performances or viewing platforms is separate from access to public streets.

• Search for 昆明老街 with 昆明市 and 五华区.