Friday, October 17, 2008
Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County
Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County is located in Lincang Prefecture, Yunnan, China.
Gejiu
Gejiu is a county-level city and the capital of prefecture, Yunnan , China, and has 136,000 inhabitants . It is the site of the country's largest tin deposits and its main industry is mining.
Gejiu is located on top of a mountain to the north of the valley, which flows from Tibet to Vietnam. To the south-west in this valley is , which lies directly below the town of . To the north-west lies Jianshui, and to the north Jijie. lies 12 miles to the west.
The town is located in a crater-like depression around a lake on top of a mountain. The main road enters the town from the north through a thin pass. To the east and west are steep cliffs. Those to the west are too steep to inhabit, however extensive new construction along the eastern side has created many new districts.
Originally a small mining settlement Gejiu was called ''Gejiuli''. Under the Yuan and Ming dynasties the mining of silver was begun there.
In the late 17th and 18th centuries, mining in Yunnan boomed , but tin mining in Gejiu did not develop until the second half of the 18th century.
In the 1880s the city was created a subprefecture under Mengzi County, about 30 km to the east.
Gejiu only began to be developed after the French connected the area to the railway down off the Yunnan plateau into Vietnam. After the 1911 it was further developed due to its location up in the mountains, surrounded by abundant tin reserves.
In 1889 Mengzi was opened as a treaty port, its trade being almost entirely with Hanoi and Haiphong in what was then French Indochina. One of the main purposes in constructing the French-built railway from Haiphong to Kunming, completed in 1910, was to service the mines. A branchline was built from Gejiu to Mengzi between 1915 and 1928. During the last years of the Qing dynasty , the mines were organized by the Chinese-owned Gejiu Tin Company, but the company was deficient in , technical skill, and managerial efficiency and was replaced by a joint state-private company, the Gejiu Tin-Mining Company, under which production boomed. By the 1930s Gejiu tin accounted for 80 percent of the traffic exported on the railway. Tin production is said to have reached 10,000 tons in 1938.
After 1949 management passed to the state Yunnan Tin-Mining Corporation, which by 1955 had reached and surpassed prewar production figures. In addition to mining tin, which remains the chief product, Gejiu has also become a major producer of lead, and a thriving metallurgical industry has been developed. Tin articles made in Gejiu are highly acclaimed in China. Coal for smelting is supplied to the city from nearby Kaiyuan to the north, located on the rail line to Kunming. There is some engineering and chemical production closely allied with Gejiu’s metallurgical industries.
The town surrounds a lake which, however, was not naturally formed. A turning point in the city's history was when a mining accident occurred sometime in the 1950s, when water welled up through the mines which lead to groundwater rising to the surface, and this flooded a large part of the narrow valley that the city was located in. This accident may well have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Gejiu, as it provided a nice scenic lake right in the city center. An already cramped upland location became even more cramped after this and, this has resulted in an extremely dense, high-rise center compared with other small Chinese cities that are built on plains. Later the adjacent area to the flood-caused lake was turned into a park. Today the town is protected from further flooding by an underground spillway.
Today Gejiu is a relatively modern prosperous city with high-rise density buildings with a lakeside setting and has backdrop of rocky hills.
The populace is primarily Han Chinese, however minorities such as the muslim , from the nearby valley, and from the surrounding mountains are also present.
In addition to tin reserves, iron and coal are also found there.
This city is the home of the Gejiu Children's Welfare Institute, an orphanage for Yunnan children.
Location
Gejiu is located on top of a mountain to the north of the valley, which flows from Tibet to Vietnam. To the south-west in this valley is , which lies directly below the town of . To the north-west lies Jianshui, and to the north Jijie. lies 12 miles to the west.
Layout
The town is located in a crater-like depression around a lake on top of a mountain. The main road enters the town from the north through a thin pass. To the east and west are steep cliffs. Those to the west are too steep to inhabit, however extensive new construction along the eastern side has created many new districts.
History
Originally a small mining settlement Gejiu was called ''Gejiuli''. Under the Yuan and Ming dynasties the mining of silver was begun there.
In the late 17th and 18th centuries, mining in Yunnan boomed , but tin mining in Gejiu did not develop until the second half of the 18th century.
In the 1880s the city was created a subprefecture under Mengzi County, about 30 km to the east.
Gejiu only began to be developed after the French connected the area to the railway down off the Yunnan plateau into Vietnam. After the 1911 it was further developed due to its location up in the mountains, surrounded by abundant tin reserves.
In 1889 Mengzi was opened as a treaty port, its trade being almost entirely with Hanoi and Haiphong in what was then French Indochina. One of the main purposes in constructing the French-built railway from Haiphong to Kunming, completed in 1910, was to service the mines. A branchline was built from Gejiu to Mengzi between 1915 and 1928. During the last years of the Qing dynasty , the mines were organized by the Chinese-owned Gejiu Tin Company, but the company was deficient in , technical skill, and managerial efficiency and was replaced by a joint state-private company, the Gejiu Tin-Mining Company, under which production boomed. By the 1930s Gejiu tin accounted for 80 percent of the traffic exported on the railway. Tin production is said to have reached 10,000 tons in 1938.
After 1949 management passed to the state Yunnan Tin-Mining Corporation, which by 1955 had reached and surpassed prewar production figures. In addition to mining tin, which remains the chief product, Gejiu has also become a major producer of lead, and a thriving metallurgical industry has been developed. Tin articles made in Gejiu are highly acclaimed in China. Coal for smelting is supplied to the city from nearby Kaiyuan to the north, located on the rail line to Kunming. There is some engineering and chemical production closely allied with Gejiu’s metallurgical industries.
The town surrounds a lake which, however, was not naturally formed. A turning point in the city's history was when a mining accident occurred sometime in the 1950s, when water welled up through the mines which lead to groundwater rising to the surface, and this flooded a large part of the narrow valley that the city was located in. This accident may well have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Gejiu, as it provided a nice scenic lake right in the city center. An already cramped upland location became even more cramped after this and, this has resulted in an extremely dense, high-rise center compared with other small Chinese cities that are built on plains. Later the adjacent area to the flood-caused lake was turned into a park. Today the town is protected from further flooding by an underground spillway.
Today Gejiu is a relatively modern prosperous city with high-rise density buildings with a lakeside setting and has backdrop of rocky hills.
Ethnography
The populace is primarily Han Chinese, however minorities such as the muslim , from the nearby valley, and from the surrounding mountains are also present.
Economy
In addition to tin reserves, iron and coal are also found there.
Welfare
This city is the home of the Gejiu Children's Welfare Institute, an orphanage for Yunnan children.
Funing County, Yunnan
Funing County is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Fumin County
Fugong County
Fugong County is located in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China.
Eryuan County
Eryuan County is a county in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture located in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.
Dongchuan District
Dongchuan District is a of Kunming in Yunnan Province, China. Dongchuan was upgraded to a city in 1958. In 1998 Dongchuan city was merged into Kunming city and became one of its districts. Dongchuan borders with Sichuan province.
The area of Dongchuan is, according to some websites, 1858 km?, but some websites claim 1674 km?. The highest point is 4344 meters high, and lowest is 695 meters. As of 2000 Dongchuan has a population of 275,564. As of 2006, the population was 302,000.
The area around Huagou in the Wumeng mountains, has become famous through photographers who discovered the unique local landscape and its ''Red Earth'' scenery in the 1990s.
The Dongchuan mineral resource is rich and it has one of six biggest in China. It is verified that there are 3.35 million tons of copper, accounting for a third of the copper reserves in the province.
Geography
The area of Dongchuan is, according to some websites, 1858 km?, but some websites claim 1674 km?. The highest point is 4344 meters high, and lowest is 695 meters. As of 2000 Dongchuan has a population of 275,564. As of 2006, the population was 302,000.
The area around Huagou in the Wumeng mountains, has become famous through photographers who discovered the unique local landscape and its ''Red Earth'' scenery in the 1990s.
Copper
The Dongchuan mineral resource is rich and it has one of six biggest in China. It is verified that there are 3.35 million tons of copper, accounting for a third of the copper reserves in the province.
Dali City, Yunnan
Dali City is a county-level city in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan province in the south of .
Dali is located on a fertile plateau between the Cangshan mountains to the west and Erhai lake to the east. It has traditionally been settled by the Bai and minorities. It is also the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture .
Dali is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao, which flourished in the area during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. Dali was also the center of the Panthay Rebellion from 1856-1863.
Dali is also famous for the many types of marble it produces, which are used primarily in construction and for decorative objects. In fact, Dali is so famous for the stone that the name of marble in Chinese is literally "Dali Stone" .
Dali is now a major tourist destination, along with Lijiang, for both domestic and international tourists.
Dali and Yunnan's capital Kunming are only a 40-minute flight apart. Dali's newly finished administrative district that houses the newly opened Dali International Convention Center is in Longshan District. The Dali government's urban planning keeps its old and new districts separate, so those coming here for the first time often feel they have entered a time tunnel.
The old city, north of the new city, was built during Ming Dynasty emperor Hongwu's reign . Owing to the distance between them, the old city is still peaceful and quiet.
Dali is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations, both for its historic sites and the "Foreigners' Street" that features western-style food, music, and English-speaking business owners, making it popular among both western and Chinese tourists.
Dali museum
Chong Sheng Temple
**Guanyin Palace of Copper Rain
**Jianji Great Bell of Nanzhao
**Three Pagodas
**Surrealist Group
**Butterfly Spring
Third Month Fair
Marble
Tea
Local transport modes include buses , taxis, bicycles, and boat .
Dali Airport . The airport is 13 km to the east of Dali City.
There is a Freeway between Dali and Chuxiong.
From the bus stop near the west gate in Dali there are daily buses to Shangri-La County and express buses to Kunming. Travel time by road to and from Kunming is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. Express buses to Lijiang and minibuses also leave from here. A bus leaves for Shaping every Monday morning for the market.
The three biggest Long-distance Bus Stations of Xiaguan are all located on Jianshe Road. There are daily long-distance buses to Dali at all Bus Stations in Kunming. The buses from Kunming to Dali will stop at Xiaguan , but not the Old Town of Dali. From the Xiaguan Bus Station, there is a direct Bus to the Old Town of Dali.
Guangtong-Dali Railway is connected with Chengdu-Kunming Railway at Guangtong Railway Station. There are daily trains from Kunming to Dali or vice versa. Trains to other major cities including Lijiang, Shangri-La County also exist.
Geography
Dali is located on a fertile plateau between the Cangshan mountains to the west and Erhai lake to the east. It has traditionally been settled by the Bai and minorities. It is also the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture .
History
Dali is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao, which flourished in the area during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. Dali was also the center of the Panthay Rebellion from 1856-1863.
Dali is also famous for the many types of marble it produces, which are used primarily in construction and for decorative objects. In fact, Dali is so famous for the stone that the name of marble in Chinese is literally "Dali Stone" .
Dali is now a major tourist destination, along with Lijiang, for both domestic and international tourists.
Old Town and new city
Dali and Yunnan's capital Kunming are only a 40-minute flight apart. Dali's newly finished administrative district that houses the newly opened Dali International Convention Center is in Longshan District. The Dali government's urban planning keeps its old and new districts separate, so those coming here for the first time often feel they have entered a time tunnel.
The old city, north of the new city, was built during Ming Dynasty emperor Hongwu's reign . Owing to the distance between them, the old city is still peaceful and quiet.
Sites of interest
Dali is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations, both for its historic sites and the "Foreigners' Street" that features western-style food, music, and English-speaking business owners, making it popular among both western and Chinese tourists.
Dali museum
Chong Sheng Temple
**Guanyin Palace of Copper Rain
**Jianji Great Bell of Nanzhao
**Three Pagodas
**Surrealist Group
**Butterfly Spring
Culture
Third Month Fair
Economy
Marble
Tea
Transportation
Local transport
Local transport modes include buses , taxis, bicycles, and boat .
Air
Dali Airport . The airport is 13 km to the east of Dali City.
Road
There is a Freeway between Dali and Chuxiong.
From the bus stop near the west gate in Dali there are daily buses to Shangri-La County and express buses to Kunming. Travel time by road to and from Kunming is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. Express buses to Lijiang and minibuses also leave from here. A bus leaves for Shaping every Monday morning for the market.
The three biggest Long-distance Bus Stations of Xiaguan are all located on Jianshe Road. There are daily long-distance buses to Dali at all Bus Stations in Kunming. The buses from Kunming to Dali will stop at Xiaguan , but not the Old Town of Dali. From the Xiaguan Bus Station, there is a direct Bus to the Old Town of Dali.
Rail
Guangtong-Dali Railway is connected with Chengdu-Kunming Railway at Guangtong Railway Station. There are daily trains from Kunming to Dali or vice versa. Trains to other major cities including Lijiang, Shangri-La County also exist.
Chuxiong City
Chuxiong City is a county-level city and capital seat of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in the Yunnan province of China.
Chuxiong is about 127 km west of Yunnan's capital city of Kunming on highway GZ65. Chuxiong City is nestled between mountain ranges on all sides in a plateau region at 5800 ft . Chuxiong City has a population of 130,000 inhabitants, and the entire Chuxiong Automomous Prefecture has an estimated 2,542,530 inhabitants.
Chuxiong is the first stop from Kunming on the way to and Lijiang. Dali is 180 km northwest of Chuxiong, or about a 2.5 hour drive on GZ65. Lijiang is about 6 hours from Chuxiong, and Lugu Lake is about 11 hours north, on the Sichuan border.
*Yi Ren Gu Zhen is an ancient town and tourist attraction in the northwestern "new town". There is nightly dancing and music with people of the Yi ethnic minority . The Yi people's authentic, hand-made garb can be purchased in this community, along with many other hand-made items.
*As of early 2007, the recently constructed Xin Long Jiang Guang Chang Mall features a Jack Jones clothing store, an Only clothing store, a Tissot retail store, and many other high-end items for sale. These international commercial outlets were nonexistent prior to 2007, and are most likely a sign of the prosperity of the city due to its central location between three major tourist attractions in Yunnan .
*The Chuxiong 10-Month Solar Calendar Cultural Park was completed in 1999.
*Beautiful, scenic skylines and sunsets over the rolling mountains.
*The skies are deep blue in Chuxiong.
Geography
Chuxiong is about 127 km west of Yunnan's capital city of Kunming on highway GZ65. Chuxiong City is nestled between mountain ranges on all sides in a plateau region at 5800 ft . Chuxiong City has a population of 130,000 inhabitants, and the entire Chuxiong Automomous Prefecture has an estimated 2,542,530 inhabitants.
Chuxiong is the first stop from Kunming on the way to and Lijiang. Dali is 180 km northwest of Chuxiong, or about a 2.5 hour drive on GZ65. Lijiang is about 6 hours from Chuxiong, and Lugu Lake is about 11 hours north, on the Sichuan border.
Attractions
*Yi Ren Gu Zhen is an ancient town and tourist attraction in the northwestern "new town". There is nightly dancing and music with people of the Yi ethnic minority . The Yi people's authentic, hand-made garb can be purchased in this community, along with many other hand-made items.
*As of early 2007, the recently constructed Xin Long Jiang Guang Chang Mall features a Jack Jones clothing store, an Only clothing store, a Tissot retail store, and many other high-end items for sale. These international commercial outlets were nonexistent prior to 2007, and are most likely a sign of the prosperity of the city due to its central location between three major tourist attractions in Yunnan .
*The Chuxiong 10-Month Solar Calendar Cultural Park was completed in 1999.
*Beautiful, scenic skylines and sunsets over the rolling mountains.
*The skies are deep blue in Chuxiong.
Chenggong County
Cangyuan Va Autonomous County
Cangyuan Va Autonomous County is located in Lincang Prefecture, Yunnan, China.
Binchuan County
Binchuan County is a county in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture located in southern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.
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