Counting Down the Hottest Internet-Famous Spots in Kunming: Jacarandas on Jiaochang Middle Road Are Sure to Make the List

Appreciating flowers is not a luxury for Kunming locals. In Kunming, where flowers fly everywhere and at all times, no matter the season, flowers are always present. Season after season, blossoms appear and trees turn green, waves of flowers rising and falling in endless succession.

From the end of April to the beginning of May, jacaranda trees become a unique sight on Kunming's streets. Introduced to Kunming only about twenty years ago, these trees have taken root and thrived. They are indispensable in many roadside greening projects and garden beautifications, with their unique colors and beautiful flower shapes creating a misty purple, romantic summer in Kunming.

Although jacarandas can be admired in many places, Jiaochang Middle Road has the densest concentration, and during bloom season it is the most stunning spot. According to a phone map, there is a place called 'Jacaranda Theme Leisure Park' there, which drew us to check it out.

Choosing a sunny day, we went to Jiaochang Middle Road to see the jacarandas. It is a very beautiful place. Among the hottest internet-famous spots in Kunming right now, this one is sure to make the list.

Jiaochang Middle Road is located in northern Kunming, on the south side of the Second Ring Road North. It is an urban road and a major traffic artery with heavy vehicle flow. Both sides of the road are densely lined with residential communities and offices, making parking very tight.

During peak hours, the road is jammed with all kinds of cars. Therefore, it is recommended to take a bus or a taxi to see the flowers on Jiaochang Middle Road, as multiple bus routes have stops there.

Thanks to online sharing and especially to community efforts, the jacaranda landscape on Jiaochang Middle Road has become increasingly beautiful. I remember last year when I came to see the flowers, the road was under renovation, crowded with people and cars, and chaotic. It was a luxury to take a photo without any passersby in the frame... After going this time, I realized big changes have occurred.

The renovation of Jiaochang Middle Road is complete. The road seems to have been widened. On the smooth asphalt surface, irregularly scattered purple flowers lie—fallen jacaranda petals that have been pressed into the asphalt by cars, creating a unique scene. The sidewalks on both sides have been greatly widened. Under the tall jacaranda trees, there is a two-meter-wide sidewalk and a several-meter-wide garden path, with stone benches set at intervals for pedestrians to rest. Many creatively designed small huts and racks are built among the jacaranda groves, in red, purple, and pink colors, perfectly complementing the rows of flowering trees. A long wall is adorned with jacaranda-related paintings, along with wall murals depicting scenes of old Kunming life, evoking a warm memory and serving as a great background for photos.

The most eye-catching sight is naturally the continuous stretch of jacarandas in full bloom. Jacaranda flowers grow in dense clusters, strung together like little bells, hanging from the branches and swaying in the wind—clusters upon clusters, layers upon layers. The trees become romantic purple crowns. The leaves of the jacaranda are also special: a vivid green, full of vibrant energy. Between the leaves are small, evenly spaced openings, like the teeth of a comb. Sunlight filters through the gaps, casting dappled spots that dance with the flowers, creating a lovely effect. As the bloom progresses, the purple flowers vary in shade—deep or light, intense or soft—like a rising purplish mist. It resembles a purple haze drifting along the long road, incredibly beautiful.

If we go back thirty or forty years, old Kunming residents would know a place called Beijiaochang, located in the northern part of the city, north of Lianhuachi. At that time, Kunming was small; beyond the North Railway Station and the Ring Road lay the suburbs. The difference between city and suburb was vast: narrow roads, few buses, and it was not easy to make the trip.

The name 'Beijiaochang' has historical significance. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this area was used for military reviews, drills, and stationing troops, so it was called 'Jiaochang' (drill ground). Because of its location, it was distinguished from the southern drill ground and thus named 'Beijiaochang' (North Drill Ground).

With the development of Kunming city, Beijiaochang has undergone tremendous changes. Jiaochang West Road, Jiaochang North Road, Jiaochang East Road, Jiaochang Middle Road... A crisscrossing network of urban roads has been built, high-rise buildings rise one after another, and there are bustling markets and shops. This area has become a prosperous urban district.

The jacaranda is a deciduous tree native to Brazil in South America. It was introduced to Kunming only in 1984. Through continuous cultivation and adjustment, it has taken root in Kunming. Its use as a city greening tree came even later.

We once read a report that when the Beijiaochang area of Kunming was undergoing urban renovation and new green belts were being built, the jacaranda had just been successfully introduced and was ready for wider application. With a somewhat experimental nature, hundreds of jacaranda trees were planted on various roads in the Beijiaochang area, especially along Jiaochang Middle Road.

That experiment about twenty years ago made Jiaochang Middle Road a beautiful jacaranda avenue, famous far and wide for its romantic flower street.

Over 250 jacaranda trees are planted on Jiaochang Middle Road, about thirty years old, with trunks as thick as a bowl. With large canopies and dense planting, the jacaranda bloom season on Jiaochang Middle Road presents a stunningly beautiful scene that is overwhelming.

Unlike cherry blossoms, which bloom before leaves emerge, jacarandas appear to first produce leaves, then flowers. When all the green leaves fall and the trees are covered in purple and blue flowers, the jacarandas enter full bloom. After that, the flowers gradually fall until they wither, then new green leaves grow again.

Once a barren and empty suburb, Jiaochang Middle Road has become an internet-famous street in Kunming thanks to the use of jacarandas as roadside trees.

If you also love this romantic purple haze, go to Jiaochang Middle Road to see the flowers. Keep a date with the jacarandas—it's incredibly beautiful.

1. To see the jacarandas on Jiaochang Middle Road, it is recommended to take a bus or taxi. Buses 168, 187, and 65 stop at the Jiaochang Middle Road bus station.

2. Jiaochang Middle Road is a major traffic artery, not a park. When admiring the jacarandas there, please pay attention to safety. Also, try to avoid peak traffic hours.