Thank you everyone for 16,000 subscribers!! How awesome. If you want to check out where we are preparing to go, watch it on my larger channel here this weekend! Subscribe here: www.youtube.com/@josieliftsthings Where do you think we are going?!! 🙂

Let’s go Josie ❤

Friendly suggestions: 1. instead of saying "duo shao?", it is better to say "duo shao qian?" “qian钱” means money, "duo shao qian?" means "how much is it?" it is much better than just say "duo shao?" because "duo shao" also means "how many" when you want to count numbers. 2. "mei wei" is fine, but it is usually used in written language. When you want to say delicious, "hao chi" is a better choice. when your food is delicious, then use "hao chi", when your drinks are delicious, then use "hao he". Hope these helps, have a great trip!😆

Josie did a really good job, eventhough she only knew few Chinese vocabullary, but speaking Chinese in the beginning of a conversation, will show the friendly and respect. For Chinese, if you do so, even you know just few words, we will think you are on our side. Good job, Josie.

昆明有超過2000年的歷史，我的家鄉，在香港祝福你們旅途愉快

Kunming is called “spring city” because it’s agreeable weather and how green it is.

Kunming. Where my grandparents settled during Japanese invasion. The street vender actually said, “oh your Chinese speaking is fairly good.” Where you found the “flowers” is a tea shop. Teas are sometimes made with flowers. Kunming is already high in altitude. I’m guessing you are heading further up like toward Tibet. Yes, that’s Chinese Chess.

I think the reason why most Chinese hotels don't have fringes is that Chinese people, especially the elder ones are used to drinking warm water instead of cold water. And letting the basin be far from the toilet is a way to separate dry from wet, which is a newer decoration method, creating a cleaner environment

Traditional Chinese medicines usually need to be dissolved in hot water, and using ice water may reduce their effectiveness. you can dissolve it in hot water and wait for it to get cold.

Love your interaction with locals! Most Chinese learnt English at school, it's a mandatory course, but they never got the chance to speak it.

In China, most pharmacies will sell Chinese Traditional Medicines Rhodiola Rosea - Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Hong Jing Tian (written as 红景天 in Chinese), Rhodiola Rosea, also called golden root and roseroot, is a plant that grows naturally in arctic environments and high altitudes and has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries

I'm a Chinese, and I'm overseas now. I really want to go back to Kunming to meet you. I will take you to eat a lot of delicious food and see a lot of interesting things.🥰

I am from Singapore, I had lived in Kunming for 8 years and now I am back in Singapore but I still long to go back to Kunming. You should try the famous small beans yunnan coffee while in Kunming and buy some flowers for yourself because it is the most cheapest place to buy in the whole world.

Not all hotels in China have the basin outside, it really depends. The one you stayed is about a 3-star hotel, mainly targeting the economical travellers who expect quality of the stay as well as cost-effectiveness. In this way, outside basin can give more room to the living area (increase quality) without increasing the cost to furniture the room. You can tell this from the money you paid vs. the square feet you get. However, if this place is a closet like the traditional way, travellers in this cost range do not usually need. This layout is taylored to Chinese market due to the competition. You can also get this layout from those 3 star international brand hotel, like Farfield, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Macure. But if you go to a 4/5 star hotel, the layout will become more traditional because their targeting customers are more willing to pay and care more about other stuff from the hotel.

The seller said yr Chinese wording were so good!@ 2:45

I’m from kunmimg now living in Melbourne, hope I was there so I can take u everywhere in kunming, hope u have a great time there in my home town ❤

Two friendly suggestions: 1. No one says “how are you” (ni hao ma) in China. It is indeed a good way to show your friendliness and to start a conversation in English, but in China, we never say that. It is more common to just jump into what you want to say after saying ni hao. “Ni hao ma” is never used in Chinese conversation. 2. Since you can say “duo shao”, I strongly recommend that you learn how numbers are said in Chinese, at least from one to twenty, so that you can understand the price. If the numbers in Chinese is too hard, you should learn what the hand gestures of six to ten are. One to five is roughly the same across the globe. Six is thumb and little finger extended and other three fingers folded. It resembles the Chinese character of six. You can google what the others are. It is pretty interesting to learn. And you can communicate with local Chinese better.

Wow, finally…love your guys, have fun

Kunming is famous for her summer cool weather.

BBC：In fact, it was shot in a film and television special effects studio.

當不同文化互相衝擊時、總是能開出美麗花朵🌺

Waking up on my day off to a Josie video! Perfect! 🤍

02:44 the vendor lady said that your Manderin speak so good. I thought that way,too. Josie has the talent to learn Chinese, your pronounciation is so accurate.

To answer your question, when the roommate using the bathroom for shower, you can still use the basin and mirror for washing your face, brushing your teeth, waring makeup and doing your hair. without separating them, I might need to get up 1 hour earlier than roommate to finish my routine. LOL, every design has a reason.:) Imagin two girls travel together.

I lived in Chengdu, last week I just came back from Lhasa, Tibet for a 4day short trip. It’s quite tough for me to breath enough oxygen especially while sleep at night, luckily my hotel provided an oxygen generator for me to ease the situation. From this video I have learned you have asthma, hopefully I could adapt Lhasa’s altitude

This depends on the hotel market in China. China doesn’t divide hotels into very detailed categories like others. Usually we vaguely divide hotels into express hotels (three-star hotels), mid range express hotels (four-star hotels), and high range hotels (five-star hotels). The hotel you are staying in is a mid range express hotel, and its room area is generally 18-30 sqm. Investors of this type of hotel have high requirements for RevPOS, so they will try to reduce some functional areas that are rarely used by Chinese people and improve more quality. With the development of the capitalized hotel market, similar designs are also used by most hotel designers. And If you have already arrived in Kunming, I suggest you go to Dali and Lijiang to experience the local luxury homestays！

Josie you so good at learning language cause you have the perfect pronunciation in“美味”（yummy）“很好吃”（it taste good）and “我不懂”（I don't understand）😊 welcome to visit China again❤ love from Canton

2:05 It's very common for people in China to sign "ten (10)" by crossing the left & right hand's index finger. It's to represent the chinese character "十" for ten. When you couldn't understand, the lady tried to explain by pulling out 2 x 5-yuan bill to tell you the price. its not because she only accepts cash.😁 p/s : Kunming is called the 'City of Eternal Spring' i.e. it's spring the whole year round. This is due to it's latitude (24 deg N) near the tropics & altitude (~2,000m).

Kids get told not to talk to strangers, so thats why they may ignore you, but it depends, sometime they will say hello spontaneously when they are with their parents.

Omg the watermelon lady is soooooo cute

You're great. You're able to use simple Chinese to get through. Feeling so much respect ❤ some travellers complain of not enough people can speak English.

Hi Josie, welcome to my hometown and I’m so happy you like this place🎉. Enjoy your time, I recommend deep exploring the province of Yu Nan if you have time in the future.

Just a couple of tips Josie. To know how much something costs, ask "duosao" as you do now, then give them the calculator on your mobile...that way they can input the price. That's why the fruit lady brought out the cash, it was solely to communicate the price, not to request payment in cash. There are about 145 cities in China with over 1million population and all of them are pretty much developing their economies, tourism, infrastructure, preserving historical sites and architecture not to mention the different climate zones and landscapes, so there really are heaps of places to visit. I suggest applying for the One year, multiple entry visa available for Australians. You can stay for 90 days at a stretch, then you can go briefly out of China then reenter for another 90 days. You can do this repeatedly over the year.

the lady who sold you watermelon said your Chinese was impressive after you said Xiexie 😂

The Chinese grandpas were playing Chinese chess. It has somewhat similar rules to chess, but overall chess pieces move slower. There are 2 rooks, 2 horses (knights) (walk 2 forwards and 1 sideways), 2 elephants (bishops) (walk 2 diagonals), 5 pawns. Unique pieces includes 2 advisors, and 2 canons. The general (king) moves 1 horizontally/vertically and advisors moves 1 diagonally, and they can only move within a 3x3 area.

I travel all over China, I think it is kind of a newer design to have basin outside bathroom so that one person using the bathroom does not stop the other person using the basin who can then avoid potentially getting bothered by the noise and smell…

小姐姐总是以一种乐观积极的态度面对大家！

I’m sure you’ve come across but “blondie in China” is a really awesome Australian food vlogger in China

The game those old uncles playing is “Chinese Chess”. Lots of the elderly love to play it in the park in China 😊

OMG！This is my hometown. I just came back home for the holidays. If I knew you were coming in advance, I would really like to be your tour guide and take you to have a good time in Kunming. In fact, Kunming is a city that is very worth exploring, although many people regard it as a transit station.But I hope you had a happy time in Kunming. If there is a chance next time, I hope to take you to have a good time in Kunming.

By having basin outside of the toilet, others can use it when someone’s doing his business. Also it’s handy to have water for cleaning stuff cleaning fruit with it outside of the toilet. It’s more practical way to utilise the limited space in a small area.

Very happy to see you are in Kunming. Have a nice trip! (From a Kunming local living in London ❤)

I live exactly in the area you guys explored, not far from the Joy City. Watching your vlog is just like watching one day of my daily life, it's fantastic! Enjoy your trip!

Good choice, Kunming is a perfect place to escape from the heat in summer.

I think the basin is multi purpose to be usable by anyone anytime (say washing fruit) hence it's outside of the bathroom and toilet.

The sink is designed in this way so that you can wash your hands or do your makeup while someone else is using the toilet. There is no need for unnecessary waiting，which is a little more convenient.Also you can get a larger bathroom.❤

Kunming is a city call 春城，which means spring city of China because the weather is so nice whole years long.

I feel you guys are the type of people that can live in China for a long time. You are so appreciative of China. Get a longer Chinese VISA next time, get a conversation tranlator so you can you can do your daily life like natives. Stay out of the super big cities like Shanghai, Beijing... to see the beautifull nature of China

Don't miss to check out the flower market. you will like it.

I think the reasons Chinese hotels put the sink+mirror out side of the bathroom is for the lady to do make-up more comfortable and enough times, if they do it inside of the bathroom,,, some take hours, that would be pissed off by the guys, who may need to go to the bathroom, maybe?

It’s the mushroom season in Yunnan. You’ll be able to eat super fresh in season/dozens of kinds of mushrooms in Kunming. Do find some nice restaurants that’s known for the mushrooms 菌子。

Now it's Visa-Free for Ausie!!! LOL Hope to see you in China again!

In fact, you can take Rhodiola rosea a few days before going to the plateau. It is a pure plant medicine. You don't need to take too many western medicines. The local butter tea can also relieve altitude sickness. Try not to take a bath or drink alcohol on the first day. Just don't be too excited or too tired.

Josie, really enjoy your videos. it’s like listening to a friend 😊

At the end, you asked why the sink is separated from the bathroom in China. When decorating in China, there is a theory called dry and wet separation. Dry refers to the sink, because it is just a simple hand washing and brushing of teeth, and water will not be spilled on the ground, and the smell of the toilet will not affect the sink. Wet refers to the shower, because there will be water on the ground. So this is also the concept of home decoration in some Chinese families. The same difference between China and the West is also in the kitchen. Western kitchens are basically open kitchens because they have less smoke. Chinese cooking will produce a lot of smoke, so Chinese kitchens are separated by doors. These two examples are the differences caused by the different living habits of China and the West. 看到最后你有提问，为什么在中国洗手台会和浴室分离在外面。在中国装修的时候，有一个理论叫做干湿分离，干就是指的洗手池，因为只是简单的洗手刷牙，并不会把水弄到地上，同时避免马桶冲洗的时候气味影响到洗手台。湿指的是淋浴，因为地上会有水。所以这也是中国一部分家庭装修的理念。同样的中西方不同还有厨房，西式厨房因为油烟少，所以基本都是开放式的厨房。而中式的烹饪会产生很多油烟，所以中国的厨房都会有门隔离开。这两个例子就是中西方生活习惯的不同而产生的差异。

Game at 39.50 is chinese chess. It needs 2 people to play. Similar like chess. Not mahjong which needs 4 people

If the seller uses 2 index fingers to indicate a cross sign it means ten as the Chinese character for ten looks like a cross ie 十 while If he/dhe shows the thumb and little finger together it means six as in 六 😊

Sooooo funny when you said you dont understand and the lady kept speaking chinese. It was so cute

Just a tip for Chinese medicine: We usually put them in a small cup and in hot/warm water, then drink them all in one go. because they always taste really bad. Looking forward to the next video.

josie is just so cute❤❤😊genuinely hope you guys travel to Chongqing,China my hometown.❤❤

Kunming is awesome. It has the best climate all year round and the food is so interest. I hope you guys goto Dali and Lijiang.

Let me answer your question. We call this layout ‘Dry wet separation’. You know, a sealed and humid environment is prone to bacterial growth. And it also can prevent bacteria splashing from the closestool from spreading to the toothbrush.

Hi Joise, that pancake we have it in Melbourne (boxhill &city) and Sydney. That’s how we survived in Melbourne for home sick. Haha love your video.

I suggest you go to Lijiang 麗江. Lijiang is a very beautiful ancient city and the most famous tourist attraction in Yunnan. It is worth your visit.

Welcome to my hometown,really hope you guys enjoy there 🎉

You guys visited 铁皮巷 for coffee , amazing ! My boyfriend and I like that area, many boutique coffee shops , we usually spent weekend afternoon there . Have a good trip in Kunming !

50 yuan double cup of coffee I think is a little expensive, you can choose 9.9 yuan luckin

The taste of food varies greatly from place to place.

Yunan is one of the bigest Coffee bean production Region in the whole world, also the wine and Flowers, highly recommend to have another trip in Yunan Country side.

The game that the old people are playing is called Xiangqi or Chinese Chess. It's a rather popular game among old people all across China.

Although the translation of "How are you" exists in Mandarin, people don't really say it to greet each other. Ni hao is enough when you meet someone for the first time~

Wash basin outside bathroom, could accommodate 2 people using bathroom at the same time in the busy morning. One person can use the shower or toilet with privacy with the bathroom door closed, while the other person can use the outside wash basin brush teeth, shave, putting on make-up, etc...

The sink outside the bathing/toilet area isn't that weird a setup. I've been to several hotels/motels in Canada and USA that had the same set up. It's just easier if there's two people, someone can still use the sink/vanity while someone else is taking a dump or having a shower at the same time. Plus, more vanity space to lay out your toiletries and the mirror won't get fogged up. No fridge is annoying if you're used to it, but food is really cheap there so most people would just buy from venders outside rather than store any water/food inside the hotel room fridge.

The most young people are more nice because they have more educated than the old people, forgive the old people when some of them are rude

Thanks for showing us everyday China and everyday folks!

You're smart! Go to local small shop to eat which is cheap and tasty. Enjoy the local snacks😊😊

你们是真的很会选择旅游城市，昆明非常的不错。

Hello, Josie! I really enjoy your China travel series videos and hope you can update more often. From your videos, I can tell that you're very easygoing and talkative. Although you mentioned that you don't fully understand or speak Chinese, your pronunciation of some simple Chinese words is quite standard. Your husband gives off a very down-to-earth and reassuring vibe. Kunming, known as the "City of Eternal Spring" in China, boasts a pleasant climate all year round, neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter, making it a delightful place to visit. Here are some suggestions for you, hoping they'll be helpful: When preparing traditional Chinese medicine, it's best to use a small glass to pour in the granules and mix them with hot water until thoroughly dissolved. Using cold water directly may not dissolve the medicine properly. The bicycles or electric bikes parked everywhere are called "shared bikes," designed for convenient personal transportation. Simply scan the QR code to unlock and pay. The sink outside the bathroom in your hotel room is intended for brushing your teeth and washing up at night. This setup, known as "wet and dry separation," ensures that someone showering in the bathroom won't interfere with your personal hygiene routine. It also contributes to a cleaner and more organized environment.

Kunming is called Spring City, so the weather there is one of the best in China.

17:20 the lady says the shop just open and need time for the pan to heat it up

Kunming's weather is nice at this time of year, no so hot. It is called " flower city", because variety of flowers bloom all the year there. You are right, this city as well as Guangzhou are tourist friendly than super city, especially northern cities. People in the south cities not normally much more friendly. Enjoy your trip. Try some mushroom there. Kunming's mushrooms are famous. There is a video by a Irish pair ventured into a mushroom hot pot restaurant and they absolutely love it.

I feel that the bathroom is a popular design at the moment in China, dividing the wet and dry areas into different functions.

When buying medications in foreign countries, it is best to list your medications in generic and not brand names. The same medication may have a variety of brand names but one generic name.

The biggest feature of Luckin coffee is that every latte tastes different.

Kunming is called spring city in China which means the city with good weather.

If you are going to Tibet or Shangri-la next (that’s what I m guessing), you can buy small oxygen bottles when you arrive there. That’s what I used to use when I go there. Nothing helps you better than a bottle of oxygen in high altitude. Also , some hotels are equipped with Oxygenated Rooms which will help you a lot. Enjoy your in-depth trip in China!

For the washroom question, I think it’s so that if two ppl live in a room together, one can use the toilet while another person gets ready and put makeup on

Hope you guys have fun.

My guess you are heading to hualong and jiuzhaghou national park to see the color pool it is high elevation 3500 to 4000 metor good choice one of my favorites park with beautiful landscape been there 3 time it is too commercial and too many tourist now just take it slow I never need any high elevation medicine but carry oxygen to help breathing just in case.

What a cute city! When I first moved to L.A. I toured a few apartments where the sink was outside the bathroom because it was shared between the bathroom and the kitchen 🤢

In China, you will find that the bill is for a certain amount and there are rarely any surprises out of budget.

One tip, my friends, don't say "Ni Hao Ma" in China, because that means "Are you well?", "You are not sick, are you?", or even "What's wrong with you" depending on your tones. In any cases "Ni Hao Ma" is not a good greeting, that might feel too direct, abrupt, or even intimidating. Simply say "Ni Hao" followed directly by your requests, and don't pause and wait for "Ni Hao" back.

If you have time, I actually recommend you guys can meet Amy from @blondie in China. She is also Aussie and have been living in China for long time and she is doing good vlog. I feel like if you guys can do a video together, that would be very interesting ❤😊

For the 144 transit visa many tourist will leave to Hong Kong or Singapore then return back for another transit visa but I do recommend just get a 10 year multiple entries visa so many place to see in china it is worth the cost.

I’m guessing you guys were heading to Lijiang. Tbh I was in Lijiang last December and went to ShangriLa as well. The altitude at Lijiang is about 2km and the Yulong Mountain is 3500-4500m. ShangriLa is a lot higher which is 3500m+ even just in the town area. You don’t need much medicine for altitude actually. The most necessary thing is to buy bunch of oxygen tanks when you arrive in Lijiang. Oxygen is the most effective way to get you through the altitude sickness. Normally you can get 10-15 rmb per bottle but some places might charge you a lot more like 50 so just keep that in mind. Lijiang is a touristy spot so prices can vary a lot. Also drink energy drink or redbull Gatorade or some Chinese brands or even just coke to help you with the altitude. The reason is that sugary drink gives you instant energy refill that mobilizes your body, increase your blood’s capacity to carry and transfer oxygen. Thus sugary drinks can alleviate some of that dizziness really quickly. If you ever decide to go to anywhere like 3000m+ above, be sure to have some sugary drinks or snickers with you.

the basen ist seprated from bathroom is during the one on toilet and the other one can still brush teeth, actually many chinese renovated at home like this

Visited Kunming only once and I absolutely loved the city.

Hi, I noticed that you are going to somewhere with a high sea level. Buying Rhodiola is a good idea, but we normally start taking it 2 weeks before going to high altitude areas. It just needs some time to take effect. But anyway, good luck to you. Have a nice trip ~

the mushroom is so delicious in this season in yunnan.please dont miss this opportunity to try it

The main difference between "Hello" and "How are you" in Chinese is the formality of the tone and whether it contains a question. "Hello" is a basic greeting, usually used to say hello or to express politeness, while "how are you" may have more of a concern or inquiry meaning, and is usually used to ask about the other person's current situation or health status. . So when you greet someone, just say "Hello!（你好！）" instead of "How are you?（你好吗？）" It felt strange to say both words at the same time.