I had one of the most amazing Christmas Eves of my life this year, but right now that story will have to wait.  Christmas here in Huaihua, Hunan was lazy and a tad bizarre with all the amusement park rides, Chinese food, beer, and disco roller skating that occurred.  I was also left with a depressed mood when I was personally reminded, again, that relations between foreigners and the Chinese are not as perfect as we would all hope.

Then today while taking in my daily dose of China blogs I came across this story in the Lost Laowai blog:  Disturbing Violence in Kunming.  It was written by an American who now lives in Kunming, Yunnan province and describes two incidents of recent violence towards foreigners in the city.  You may remember that I lived and studied in Kunming two years ago for 7 months and wrote about my time there in this blog, which used to be called “My Life in Kunming.”  It is a city that I love dearly and a place I have considered living in somewhere down the line.  This violence is shocking and I’m at a loss of what to think.

The big incident was that the cafe Salvador’s, which is owned by four Americans who are long-time residents of China and are good people and good citizens of Kunming, was partially blown up (maybe more than that) by a (suicide?) bomber.  A Chinese man brought a homemade bomb made of ammonium nitrate into the restaurant on the morning of Christmas Eve.  The bomb fatally injured the man but apparently injured no one else severely.  It was originally incorrectly reported that the explosion was caused by someone mishandling a gas canister, this story is fake.  A good explanation of what went down and new updates on the situation can be found on GoKunming.  Please see specific articles here and here.  I just talked to my college classmate who is living and studying in Kunming and he says that Salvador’s is not totally destroyed and right now looks like it is just closed.

This past spring Kunming had been already been the site of unexpected terrorism when two public buses were blown up.  Those attacks killed two people and injured many more.  The culprits were never really discovered.  An interesting twist is that the Salvador’s bomber was recorded by the Chinese police as confessing to the bus bombings while he was on his way to the hospital, where he later died.  This seems to me to be a very tidy answer that only the Chinese government will appreciate.  The 8,500 RMB and paper with 9 thumbprints in the bomber’s pocket seem to point to a different story.  Who knows what the truth is.

This is, I think, the most shocking piece of news I have read since I moved to China this past July.  While this bombing is not going to drastically change China or international relations with China it has shocked me so completely because it has hit far too close to home.  No, I don’t live in Kunming anymore and I haven’t visited the city since late September but nonetheless I am shocked, utterly shocked.

Salvador’s was my home away from home for the many months I lived in Kunming.  The cafe is located on Wen Hua Xiang (Culture Avenue).  Culture Ave. is a hip area of restaurants, cafes, boutiques, foreign bookstores, and is in general one of the city’s centers of culture, cuisine, and anything and everything international.  I lived a short 15 minute walk from the street, the university I attended was even closer (Culture Avenue is in Kunming’s university district).  I was there practically everyday.  Of all the places where one can eat foreign food and drink good coffee in Kunming Salvador’s was always the city’s best and brightest example (Lonely Planet lists it first before all other Kunming restaurants).

Culture Avenue.  2006.

It was where I would go to splurge on homemade ice cream with gooey chocolate chip cookies (this is Salvador’s famous UFO) and eat the occasional burrito.  I would study there over a cup of coffee and meet new friends from all over the world, including many Chinese people.  It was where people would meet up before a night out or to have intellectual conversations.  The wireless internet was one of the only places where I could connect to the internet with my own computer (we didn’t have internet in our apartment then).  The staff of many cheerful young women were kind, helpful, and were all receiving free English lessons (courtesy of the American owners) when I last visited.  I celebrated Thanksgiving there in 2006 with many other foreigners and Chinese friends.  When my parents visited we went to Salvador’s several times; we often went for breakfast, the same time the bomber stepped into the cafe.

I think I love Salvador’s more than any other cafe/restaurant/bar in China.  When I was at teaching orientation this summer in Changsha I would talk on and on to my American colleagues about the splendid delicacies available at Salvador’s.  I bought a Salvador’s T-shirt and wear it to this day.  I have missed its warm embrace almost everyday here in no-foreign-cafes Huaihua.  For someone to try and blow up such a place of happiness and peace in this chaotic China that we all live in is hitting far to close to the heart for me and the tens of thousands of foreigners living in Kunming and all over China.  This is utterly shocking.

When I last visited Kunming my train arrived early on the morning of September the 12th.  I knew exactly where I wanted to go first and that place was Salvador’s.  I got to the cafe too early (they open at 9) but instead of finding some other breakfast I waited and took a walk around Green Lake park.  I was one of the first customers to walk in the door and I sat down in the upstairs loft.  I drank my strong coffee, ate my Mexican breakfast (an old favorite from the days when I lived in Kunming), and wrote an entry in my journal (this is word for word):

Oh Salvador’s, sweet Salvador’s!  My Mexican breakfast just arrived.  It is absolutely delicious!  So f**king good.  Strong coffee, Kunming’s wonderfully crisp mornings, a belly full of good food and a comfy seat to sit on – my life is better than one at a European resort.  I am unbelievably comfortable.  It will be hard to leave this city.  I just can’t get over how comfortable I am.  And Kunming – my glorious city – you look better than ever.  The city is not just good by Chinese standards but would be a good in America as well.  I want to move here and make a home for myself.  So comfortable….

This entry may seem a little exaggerated and flamboyant, but believe me there are few places in the world as peaceful and comfortable as a fall morning in Kunming sipping coffee at Salvador’s.  That morning I happily talked with a few random foreigners, asking how Kunming had been since my days living there.  In China it is easier to strike up conversations with strangers, in Kunming it is even easier, and in Salvador’s it is not only easy but enjoyable.  That day I walked out of Salvador’s around 10:30, the same time the bomber walked into the cafe on Christmas Eve.

Kunming is called “the city of eternal Spring” and it’s weather is in fact nice year round.  It’s also called the “flower city” because of it’s lush greenery and diverse vegetation.  It is a city like no other Chinese city, which often come off as lifeless and devoid of culture.  The citizens of Kunming are warmhearted and are ethnically diverse while still being modern and fun-loving.  Importantly Kunming is also home to many foreigners and the expat scene is as exciting as it is community focused.  For these reasons and many more my Alma Mater, the University of Vermont, has had its Chinese language students study abroad in Kunming for several years now.  It was an experience I enjoyed immensely and in my future I know I will continue to return to Kunming.  This Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) I will be returning to Kunming on my way to Xishuangbanna and Laos.  As usual Salvador’s will be my first stop, though this time I will not go for the atmosphere and coffee but rather to lay a bouquet of flowers at the door.

The Salvador’s I know and love.  September, 2008.

A bit of peace.  Salvador’s 2006.