The alleyways of Kunming are often hidden in tall buildings and are far away from the busy streets. In the alleys, historical and worldly stories are told. When appreciating Kunming, we should start from the alleys. This article explores Wenlin Street to learn more about the memories and smells of the city.

Wenlin Street is located on a slope across from Cuihu North Road in front of the Yunnan Federation Building.

Wenlin Street. Photo/Yangliu

It was made in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which was originally a small dirt road. Because of its proximity to the Imperial College (the site of today's Yunnan University), it was a gathering place for imperial examination candidates. Therefore, it was called Wenlin Street to describe "candidates are like forests". Later, it was renamed Qingyun Road in 1952 and reclaimed its original name in 1983.

Over the past century, in this street, Shen Congwen and Zhu Ziqing talked and laughed in the tea house, Hua Luogeng hurried across bluestone path to the Southwest Associated University for class, female college students squatted on the edge of the stall in the night market to buy jewellery, Korean shop-owners sat behind the cash register and thanked customers with a smile, and blond foreigners sipped coffee in "Salvador"...Countless people passed by and found the light of their life.

Salvador coffee shop. File Photo. 

In 1937, the War of Resistance against Japan broke out in an all-encompassing way. Universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nankai University etc. were firstly destroyed by the Japanese. These universities were also the first to move south to Changsha, Hunan Province, becoming Changsha’s Temporary University. Later, as the Japanese approached Hunan, they had to move to Kunming again in February of 1938 to establish the Southwest Associated University.

It was also when the Southwest United University, which was relocated to Kunming, built a school building in the north of the city. All the teachers and students had to walk through "Cangma Alley" before entering the city and returning to the campus. Scholars, such as Shen Congwen, Bing Xin, and Li Gongpu, often sat in a small teahouse here, chatting and laughing. Gradually, this alley was renamed "Wenhua Alley".

Wenhua Alley. Photo/Zhangyuan 

From 1938 to 1940, Yang Zhenning, who was at the age of 16, was admitted to the Southwest United University. His father, Yang Wuzhi, who was the head of the Mathematics department of the university at that time, came to Kunming and lived at No. 11, Wenhua Alley. A year later, Qian Zhongshu also came to this university and moved into the same house. At present, the small block of houses that was once attacked by the Japanese army and later rebuilt has become No. 27, Wenhua Alley. The houses are dilapidated and the space is cramped, so they have been separated into small houses for rent. Perhaps as Qian Zhongshu wrote in his Cold House Essay, "The house is as small as a boat".

In the same year, Wang Zengqi came to the Chinese Department of the Southwest United University to study, who did not leave the Spring City until 1946. At that time, the head of the Chinese Department was Luo Changpei, and the teachers were Zhu Ziqing, Liu Wendian, Wen Yiduo, Wang Li, Pu Jiangqing, Shen Congwen, Xu Weitong, Yu Guanying, Chen Mengjia, etc. In his later years, Wang Zengqi wrote many short articles about this period of his life, which were vivid and even became important perceptual material for people to study and learn about the Southwest United University. He talked about the rain in Kunming, the tea-houses, and the wild mushrooms grown up after rainfall... These are just daily things, but they have a unique and local flavor.

Today, the blue-stone paths have been replaced by the tarred roads, and tea-houses have disappeared. At this place, however, people still sit with a cup of coffee to read for a whole day.

Manlin bookstore. 

Whether it be the current best-selling books, fashion magazines, or English books, that are often hard to find on the market, you can find their traces here. The"Manlin bookstore" is a "secret base" for many people. When you choose to sit down here, you will find another way to explore the world.

In the south of Wenlin Street, there is a slope leading to Cuihu Lake, called "The Men Slope", which is named after the men, who once lived here to transcribe examination papers and prepare examination work. It is now a small alley sandwiched between residential buildings and lined with chess and card rooms. In addition, the two corridors of Wenlin Street, Xiaojipo, Fuyong Road, Wenhua Alley and Qianju Street are connected successively, and each alley, regardless of its history or name, has cultural influence. The one that doesn't possess a cultural influence is named Xicang Alley, which is connected to the Fu Corridor. Its name means nothing special, and it has probably been taken from the warehouse in years gone by.

The Men Slope. Photo/Lu Kaiqi

Wenlin Street is a place where people live in peace and tranquility. They live their lives by shuffling back and forth in the alleys.