Kunming is considered one of China's most liveable cities with weather that feels like spring all year round. But there's much more to its appeal than the cool breeze. CGTN's Yang Jinghao takes a look at how Kunming and other Chinese cities have evolved over the past few decades.

YERETH JANSON DUTCHMAN LIVING IN KUNMING "My name is Yereth Janson. I have been in Kunming for ten years, running a company here called Cloud Bridge. I've chosen this city, Kunming because of the great weather, the access to all the beautiful places in Yunnan, access to Southeast Asia and because of the really comfortable environment."

Time passes by, but the gifts from nature remain unchanged. Yet, Kunming - the capital of Yunnan Province - has itself undergone a type of facelift to keep up with the times.

YERETH JANSON DUTCHMAN LIVING IN KUNMING "One of the impressive things for a lot of westerners, I think is how the infrastructure moves. We had no high-speed railway line at all when we first arrived here."

YANG JINGHAO KUNMING "This is the biggest railway station of Kunming which went into operation in 2016. Each day, hundreds of high-speed trains take some 100 thousand passengers in and out of the city. In the coming years, the trains will even take people to neighboring Southeast Asian countries."

But the infrastructural development here just mirrors what's happening in the rest of China. Back in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was just founded, most cities were trying to recover from years of war and uncertainty.

Indeed, the priority back then was simple - get enough food for the country's tens of millions of people.

Seven decades later, and most city dwellers are relatively comfortable, with various amounts of disposable income and having access to a range of public services. Meanwhile, modern technology continues to bring more accessibility and convenience.

With this kind of stability in place, most Chinese cities are now looking to take the next step and are pursuing a customised development model.

YU LIYING URBAN PLANNING RESEARCHER, YUNNAN UNIVERSITY "People today have a stronger desire for quality life. Their expectations for the environment in which they live are also higher. Each city has its own unique natural, historical and cultural resources, which should be explored in great depth to improve each city and satisfy its people."

And this is something authorities are well aware of. Tremendous progress is being seen, in terms of living environments, right across the country. Huge amounts are being spent on one of China's most documented and enduring problems - pollution. Here in Kunming, for instance, the local government has put a lot of resources into cleaning the city's major source of water as well as a popular tourist attraction- the Dianchi Lake.

WU TAO VICE MAYOR, KUNMING CITY "I believe that with our persistent efforts, this 'pearl embedded in the plateau' will sparkle again. In my perspective, the Dianchi Lake is a mirror that reflects the city's past, present, and future."

China says it will keep opening up wider to the world. As the country's gateway to the burgeoning economies of South and Southeast Asia, Kunming is eyeing up future opportunities and benefits. Janson says he hopes this will help the city mature further, become more cosmopolitan in its outlook and welcome in a range of colorful and diverse cultures. YJH, CGTN, Kunming, Yunnan Province.