Page 8 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (114)

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Entry into the “Cat’s Parallel World”

走入“猫的平行世界”

Location: Kunming
Narrator: Su Yiheng, founder of “The Cat’s Post Office” Long-Stay Travel Journal
in Kunming

1. Natural Scenery:
Dianchi Lake: Black-headed
gulls (best from November to
March)
Western Hills & Dragon Gate:
Overlook Dianchi Lake and the
city below
Green Lake through the Sea-
sons: Spring cherry blossoms,
summer lotus ponds, and autumn
ginkgo trees
After graduating from Yunnan Arts University in 2024, Su Yiheng
opened a painting studio. His days were shared with a black cat, and from 2. Local Delicacies:
then on, feline motifs began to weave their way steadily into his art. Various rice noodle dishes (a
In recent years, long-stay travel in Yunnan has flourished. While different style for each meal)
many older adults come for wellness and extended retreats, a growing Wild mushroom hotpot (a
number of young digital nomads are also choosing to base themselves in seasonal delight during the rainy
Kunming for shorter stays. This shift has encouraged local cultural and season, June-October)
tourism services to evolve, with more offerings now tailored to younger Flower Feast (rose pancakes,
visitors. “More and more young travelers are looking to connect with jasmine scrambled eggs, and
lively, like-minded communities,” observed Su Yiheng. more)
Thus, an idea began to grow: to create a larger artistic space, one that Explore and eat your way
could not only showcase a range of cat-themed paintings but also bring through Zhuanxin Market
together people who love both cats and art. He wanted to merge art, po-
etry, a sense of wanderlust, and Yunnan’s local culture, imagining new 3. Floral Themes:
forms of long-term stays here for the young. Jacaranda Blooms (Jiaochang
By chance, he and several friends secured a garden apartment in Middle Road and Chuncheng
downtown Kunming. Su named the space “The Cat’s Post Office” and Road, best viewed in May)
appointed a black cat as its “Postmaster.” Dounan Flower Market Night
Inside The Cat’s Post Office, a fountain, vine-covered brick walls, Tour (budget-friendly flower buy-
and 24 rooms named after literary classics, such as One Hundred Years ing guide)
of Solitude, form a quiet retreat from the city’s energy. A coffee roasting Laoyuhe Wetland Tulip Fields
workshop in the courtyard scents the air with Yunnan Arabica, while at (winter floral sea)
the entrance, postcards bearing a custom postmark are ready to be sent.
During a holiday break, Beijing-based programmer Zhang Guangrui made 4. Cultural Experiences:
his way straight to The Cat’s Post Office. “Looking up and seeing egrets glide Southwest Associated Univer-
over Green Lake, it felt as if life had opened to another kind of poetry,” he sity Site / Museum
recalled. Yin Xiaoman, a 38-year-old freelance writer from Hubei, stayed Yunnan Ethnic Village
for more than a month. “Writing here with a view of the century-old Yunnan– Old Quarter Walks (Wenlin
Vietnam Railway outside the window, I realized, with a happy surprise, that Street cafés and heritage architec-
creating and living aren’t separate things at all,” she reflected. ture on Kunming Old Street)
Weekly tea gatherings are now held here regularly. Travelers share
stories of their stays in exchange for custom cat-themed postcards.
Guests who spend a full month receive a “Drift Certificate,” featuring on
the back a hand-drawn map of Kunming by Su that highlights local tips,
such as the pre-dawn mushroom stalls at Zhuanxin Market and the prime
gull-feeding spot on Haigeng Promenade.
“To truly connect with Kunming, you need to walk into its neighbor-
hoods, visit its morning markets, and move to its local rhythm,” Su said. At
six in the morning in Zhuanxin Market, a Bai auntie sells termite mushrooms
over a livestream on her phone, while a stallholder of Vietnamese-Chinese
heritage packs sour papayas to ship to Shanghai. Under the historic Jinma
and Biji Archways, a young woman in Hanfu costume passes an older man
out strolling with his birdcage. These moments are woven into the everyday
life of Spring City, where tradition and vitality breathe together.
Looking ahead, Su Yiheng envisions a collaborative project with
young long-stay visitors: building a “Black Cat Postmaster” intellectual
property and creating more works inspired by Yunnan’s intangible cultur-
al heritage symbol, the tile cat. “I hope these ‘stamps’ can be sent across
the world map,” he said, “inviting more people to post themselves—their
presence and their dreams—to Yunnan.”