Hot summer days hit China starting July 6, though the highest temperature in Kunming on that day was just 26 C.

“Kunming's weather is pretty good, and it's like spring all year round. In Shantou, the summer temperature is always more than 30 C, and sometimes the temperature is almost 40 C. Here in Kunming, the highest temperature is 30 C,” said Yang Yingqun, a retired university teacher from Guangdong.

Yang Yingqun chose Kunming as his destination to get away from the heat. He has spent his summer in Kunming for seven years.

In the last three years, more and more people chose to spend their summer in Kunming. Statistics show that 25 percent of the people who spend their summer in Kunming are between 50 to 60 years old.

The increasing number of elderly spending summer in Kunming puts big pressure on accommodations. The Xianghe elderly accommodation opened in 2005, and it has become a top choice for elderly tourists.“Our rooms for summer are all booked until June 20,” said Zhou Yu, manager of the Xianghe elderly accommodation.

Another elderly accommodation in Baishou has also been fully booked in the summer for the last two years. Statistics show that in the summer of 2012, roughly 60 elderly spent their summer in Baishou while in 2013 the number increased to 180.

“It can be seen from the development of elderly accommodations that Kunming has changed from a tourism distributing center to a tourism destination,” said Yin Jun, an official in Kunming.

By Ge Jieru and edited by Michael Thai