A wisp of coffee aroma from the red-soil plateau is drifting from Kunming to the world, drawing coffee lovers to follow the scent. Following the global invitation of “A Letter from Kunming” the international communication program “Kunming Coffee, Global Vibe” has officially kicked off. Kunming invites the world to a rendezvous with Yunnan coffee—here you’ll find both the rich flavors born in Yunnan’s coffee regions and the everyday warmth of city life steeped in fragrance amid lakes and mountains. We warmly invite you to savor, cup in hand, the distinctive flavors, cultural richness, and unique charm of the Spring City.

A Century of Coffee, Deepening the City’s Character

Kunming’s bond with coffee stretches back more than a century.

In 1910, the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway wound its way through the mountains, bringing coffee as an imported product into Kunming along its tracks. In the 1930s, aroma wafted from the Nanlaisheng Western Restaurant on Jinbi Road, where faculty and students of the wartime National Southwest Associated University, along with travelers from north and south, gathered to share the richness of freshly ground coffee. In 1992, China’s first modern coffee processing plant—the Yunnan Coffee Factory—was established in Kunming, opening a new chapter for the nation’s coffee industry.

Over the course of a century, coffee has become woven into Kunming’s urban fabric; the city’s openness has carried this fragrance even farther afield. Today, Kunming is both a key gateway for Yunnan coffee to reach global markets and a bridge that links industry excellence with the warmth of everyday life.

A cup of coffee Connecting global flavors

In June 2026, the International Jury Week of the 2nd Gem of Yunnan Green Coffee Competition (Yunnan CoE Pilot Program) concluded in Kunming. Eleven international judges from eight countries—including the United States, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam—evaluated the flavor profiles of Yunnan coffee beans under professional international standards, moving between Green Lake, Haiyan Village, and factory sites for an immersive experience of Kunming’s coffee culture.

“The cafés here blend seamlessly with their surroundings,” remarked Kristopher Schackman, co-founder of German specialty brand Five Elephant, in Haiyan Village. What impressed them was not only the outstanding quality of the beans, but also the city’s relaxed charm that lets coffee take root naturally and integrate unhurriedly into daily life.

What draws the world’s attention goes beyond the professional flavors in the cup—or the judges and industry insiders. This summer, a coffee feast for everyone is unfurling Yunnan coffee’s aroma from the cupping table to Kunming’s lanes and lakeshores, permeating the city’s everyday rhythms from dawn to dusk.

Encounter Kunming’s Warmth in Coffee‑Fragrant Daily Life

If international competitions measure Yunnan coffee’s professional caliber, then Kunming’s everyday bustle holds its truest and most touching street-level warmth.

After a morning run around Green Lake, some people start their day energized with a cup of coffee; by afternoon, cafés along Wenlin Street fill with patrons as sunlight filters through plane-tree leaves, dappling the cups with shifting light and shadow. In Zhuanxin Wet Market, shoppers carrying fresh flowers, produce, and wild mushrooms also pick up a quick “market coffee” to ease the day’s fatigue.

In Kunming, coffee knows no boundaries. It belongs by the lakeside and along the streets; to visitors from afar and to residents in their daily routines; to meticulous specialty baristas and to ordinary folks hurrying to the morning market. Like rice noodles and fresh flowers, it has long coursed through the city’s veins, becoming the most natural part of everyday life.

There’s no need for a special search or or a grand journey—the cup at the street corner is the Spring City’s simplest invitation. Step into the heart of daily life and discover warmth and vitality within easy reach.

Savor coffee amid lakes and mountains

In Kunming, coffee and scenery are always meeting by happy chance. A café may be tucked along a vintage alley—or face the sweeping vistas of 500-li Dianchi Lake.

The 600-year-old Haiyan Ancient Village rests on the east bank of Dianchi, dotted with cafés converted from traditional dwellings. By Green Lake, trees cast dancing shadows and gulls wheel about; with a morning coffee, time quietly slows. At dusk, lift a cup of Yunnan coffee and watch the sun sink into Dianchi, the golden ripples filled with romance. Along Xunjin Street, French-style architecture pairs charmingly with distinctive coffee shops—memories of the old street entwine with rich aroma, and every sip becomes a dialogue between past and present.

The gifts of nature give Kunming the confidence to slow down; a cup of coffee invites people to linger longer and take in the scenery. What you drink here isn’t just coffee, but an easy way of life—at one with lakes and mountains, in symbiosis with the city.

Keep your date with Kunming—sip a cup of Yunnan coffee amid Dianchi’s sunset glow, Green Lake’s shifting shadows, or the arcades of old streets, capturing the essence of the Spring City in its rich aroma.

Your role goes far beyond a “coffee lover”

We invite you to:

Be an explorer: wander through the Spring City’s streets and along its lakes and hills, and savor the full-bodied flavors of Yunnan coffee.

Be a storyteller: capture Kunming’s coffee tales through the lens and words, and share the red plateau’s rich aromas and humanistic charm with friends around the world.

Be a connector: let a cup of coffee bring you together with kindred spirits worldwide, building deep bonds across mountains and seas through conversations on flavor and culture.

Friends are welcome to share your wonderful moments with Kunming coffee on Weibo, Douyin, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms. Use the hashtag #ALetterfromKunming春城有请 and join us in this fragrant rendezvous in the Spring City!

Appendix: “A Letter from Kunming” Participation Guide

Click here to view the Chinese report

(Editors: Flynn, Doe)