Yuanyang County 元阳县 | |
|---|---|
 Sunrise over Duoyishu | |
 Location of Yuanyang County in Honghe Prefecture within Yunnan province | |
  Yuanyang Location of the seat in Yunnan | |
| Coordinates (Yuanyang County government):23°13′12″N102°50′07″E / 23.2199°N 102.8353°E /23.2199; 102.8353 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Autonomous prefecture | Honghe |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,292 km2 (885 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 370,000 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (CST) |
| Postal code | 662400 |
| Area code | 0873 |
| Website | www |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Terraced rice fields in Yuanyang County | |
 Interactive map of Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces | |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(v) |
| Reference | 1111 |
| Inscription | 2013 (37thSession) |
| Area | 16,603.22 ha (64.1054 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 29,501.01 ha (113.9040 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 23°5′35.8″N102°46′47.93″E / 23.093278°N 102.7799806°E /23.093278; 102.7799806 |
Yuanyang County (simplified Chinese:元阳县;traditional Chinese:元陽縣;pinyin:Yuányáng Xiàn;Hani:Yeiqyaq) is located inHonghe Prefecture in southeasternYunnan province, China, along theRed River. It is well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing.[1][2] In 2013, part of the county formed theHonghe Hani Rice Terraces World Heritage Site, the 45thWorld Heritage Site in China.
It covers an area of 2,200 km2 (850 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 365,000 (2002), of which 88% belong to ethnic minorities and 95% is associated with agriculture. The majority of the inhabitants of the county are from theHani ethnic group. TheGDP of Yuanyang county in 2021 was 9,312 millionYuan.[3] The administrative seat of the county is the town ofNansha (a.k.a. New Yuanyang) down in theRed River valley at an elevation of 240 meters. It is situated 12 km (7.5 mi) towards the north-east of the former administrative seatXinjie (a.k.a. Old Yuanyang or just Yuanyang) to which it is connected by a 27 km (17 mi) long twisting mountain road. To the south of Old Yuanyang, the town ofPanzhihua is positioned near the top of another major valley of rice-terraces. There are a total of 928 settlements in Yuanyang county, 826 of them being inhabited by only one single ethnic group.[4]
The town of Old Yuanyang is a Hani minority settlement atop a ridge of theAilao mountain range at an elevation of around 1570 metres. It is a popular destination with photographers due to the vast areas of nearby mountains which have been cultivated intoterraced ricepaddies for at least the past 1300 years by the Hani people. Despite its scenic and cultural attractions,[citation needed] mass tourism has not developed in this region, mainly due to its remote location, lack of a nearby airport and road conditions.[citation needed]
The terraced areas of interest to visitors are mainly found between 1000 and 2000 metres above sea level. The winter temperatures here, although never freezing, are such that they only support one rice crop a year. After the harvest, from mid-September till mid-November depending on the elevation, the terraces are filled with water until April, when planting begins.
The vast majority of the ethnic minority women in Yuanyang county still wear traditional clothes as their daily attire. The main ethnic group is the Hani who share the region with several other minorities such as theYi andMiao. Market days in the villages tend to be very colourful when the different minority groups in the vicinity, each in their own traditional costume, come together to trade and socialise.
Yuanyang County currently has 3 towns and 11 townships.[5]
|
|
Yuanyang county lies at an altitude ranging from 140 along the Red River up to nearly 3000 metres above sea level in theAilao mountains[4] and is situated about 50 km (31 mi) north of the border withVietnam.
The climate of Yuanyang county is mainly central sub-tropical monsoon with wet summers and dry winters. Average temperatures range from 26 Celsius down in the Red river valley to 4 Celsius in the upper reaches of the mountains.
The closest large towns to the west of Yuanyang county areShiping andYuanjiang.Gejiu is the major town to the north-east and also the capital ofHonghe prefecture. 70 km (43 mi) directly to the north of Yuanyang liesJianshui, a small city with interesting monuments. A few hours to the south-east of Yuanyang isLuchun, another major Hani minority settlement turned modern city.
Due to recent highway construction, Old Yuanyang can now be reached in about seven hours by direct bus from Yunnan's capitalKunming, situated 300 km (190 mi) to the north of the county, a trip which only a few years ago, would take 10 hours or more. Buses also connect Yuanyang with the town ofHekou and the border crossing with Vietnam (6 hours).
Yuanyang ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa). Adjacent tohot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh), subtropical monsoon climate (KöppenCwa) andtropical wet and dry climate (KöppenAw).
| Climate data for Yuanyang, elevation 232 m (761 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.0 (95.0) | 37.8 (100.0) | 41.3 (106.3) | 43.4 (110.1) | 44.5 (112.1) | 40.5 (104.9) | 42.8 (109.0) | 40.9 (105.6) | 42.2 (108.0) | 38.3 (100.9) | 37.0 (98.6) | 35.6 (96.1) | 44.5 (112.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 26.2 (79.2) | 29.5 (85.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 34.8 (94.6) | 35.2 (95.4) | 34.3 (93.7) | 34.5 (94.1) | 33.7 (92.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 28.2 (82.8) | 24.0 (75.2) | 30.6 (87.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) | 19.7 (67.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 26.4 (79.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.4 (84.9) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 25.1 (77.2) | 21.5 (70.7) | 18.1 (64.6) | 24.5 (76.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.5 (74.3) | 21.5 (70.7) | 17.4 (63.3) | 14.3 (57.7) | 20.4 (68.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.3 (46.9) | 14.3 (57.7) | 15.8 (60.4) | 20.1 (68.2) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 16.0 (60.8) | 12.7 (54.9) | 8.6 (47.5) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.7 (38.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 34.5 (1.36) | 15.8 (0.62) | 33.0 (1.30) | 80.1 (3.15) | 106.7 (4.20) | 133.2 (5.24) | 142.6 (5.61) | 115.1 (4.53) | 62.8 (2.47) | 64.6 (2.54) | 37.5 (1.48) | 23.0 (0.91) | 848.9 (33.41) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.8 | 3.4 | 5.9 | 10.7 | 14.1 | 15.3 | 18.5 | 16.4 | 10.3 | 9.0 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 117.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 70 | 65 | 63 | 64 | 67 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 71 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 132.9 | 154.6 | 171.5 | 187.0 | 194.3 | 147.7 | 129.1 | 146.6 | 146.1 | 132.2 | 158.8 | 130.4 | 1,831.2 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 39 | 48 | 46 | 49 | 47 | 37 | 31 | 37 | 40 | 37 | 48 | 39 | 42 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[6][7][8] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Xinjie Town, Yuanyang (1991–2018 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) | 19.2 (66.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.4 (75.9) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 24.7 (76.5) | 22.2 (72.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 22.3 (72.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) | 13.8 (56.8) | 16.9 (62.4) | 19.7 (67.5) | 21.2 (70.2) | 22.1 (71.8) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.7 (69.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 17.9 (64.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.3 (46.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | 14.3 (57.7) | 16.8 (62.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 18.0 (64.4) | 16.8 (62.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.9 (46.2) | 13.6 (56.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 20.8 (0.82) | 19.3 (0.76) | 30.5 (1.20) | 61.3 (2.41) | 120.9 (4.76) | 217.2 (8.55) | 253.1 (9.96) | 224.9 (8.85) | 99.7 (3.93) | 80.7 (3.18) | 32.1 (1.26) | 18.0 (0.71) | 1,178.5 (46.39) |
| Source: Baidu[9] | |||||||||||||
Vertical distribution of the various ethnic minority groups
The Hani and Yi, the creators of the monumental rice terraced mountains which have made Yuanyang famous, are the original inhabitants of these regions. Both their languages belong to theTibeto-Burman group. Their villages can mainly be found between 1300 and 1600 metres above sea level.
The Dai moved here 700 years ago, and the Zhuang 400 years ago. Both their languages belong to theTai–Kadai language group. Their villages are situated in the warmer areas below 700 metres elevation, near and along the rivers. Their main crop is rice grown in paddy fields.
The Miao and Yao (of theHmong–Mien language group) are fairly recent arrivals to the region, only settling here 200 and 270 years ago. Their villages are in the cooler and drier upland areas, between 1600 and 1800 metres above sea level, where they growmaize.[4]
TheYuanyang County Gazetteer (1990:625, 633) lists the following ethnic groups and subgroups.
Hani ethnic subgroups are located in the following townships of Yuanyang County.[10]
There is no train or plane available in Yuanyang. Taking a long-distance bus is the best way to get to Yuanyang. Normally there are three buses travelling from Kunming to Yuanyang every day. The buses depart from Kunming South Bus Station and arrive at Yuanyang Bus Station which take about 6 hours. There are also buses travelling to Yuanyang from Gejiu, Mengzi, Jianshui. For tourists who would like to transfer from Jianshui, they could take a train from Kunming to Jianshu and then take a long-distance bus from Jianshui to Yuanyang.[11]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
