30°00′36″N103°02′29″E / 30.0100°N 103.0415°E /30.0100; 103.0415
Ya'an 雅安市 | |
|---|---|
 Ya'an, 2008 | |
 Location of Ya'an City jurisdiction in Sichuan | |
| Coordinates (Ya'an Bureau of Civil Affairs (雅安市民政局)):29°58′44″N103°01′01″E / 29.979°N 103.017°E /29.979; 103.017 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Sichuan |
| Municipal seat | Yucheng District |
| Area | |
• Total | 15,213.28 km2 (5,873.88 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 580 m (1,900 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 1,434,603 |
| • Density | 94/km2 (240/sq mi) |
| GDP[2] | |
| • Total | CN¥ 50.3 billion US$ 8.1 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥ 32,524 US$ 5,222 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 625000 |
| Area code | 0835 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-SC-18 |
| Licence plate prefixes | 川T |
| Website | www |
Ya'an (Chinese:雅安;pinyin:Yǎ'ān;Wade–Giles:Ya-an) is aprefecture-level city in the western part ofSichuan province, China, located just below theTibetan Plateau. The city is home toSichuan Agricultural University, the only211 Project university and the largest regional comprehensive university in Ya'an. As of the2020 Chinese census, Ya'an has a population of 1,434,603.[1]
Previously known as Yazhou-fu, the city is first mentioned during theZhou dynasty (1122–255 BCE). It served as a county seat during theQin andHan dynasties, but was subsequently taken by nomadic tribes. After being reintegrated into the Chinese Empire in the late 5th century, it was made the seat of theYa Prefecture in 604. The modern Ya'an county was established in 1912. It became the provincial capital ofXikang province in 1951, but has been a municipality under the administration ofSichuan province since 1955, whenXikang province was merged and became a part ofSichuan province.
The firstgiant panda was found inBaoxing County of Ya'an[citation needed]; Ya'an is also the origin of artificial plantingtea of the world[citation needed]; Mengding Mountain inMingshan County, has been keeping seven tea trees, which are believed to be the origins of tea, for more than 1,000 years[citation needed].
"The busy little town [of Yaan] was full of life, for its market is the only trading centre for the Chinese and Tibetans fromKangting. Accompanied by two coolies, I crossed the long suspension bridge which oscillates alarmingly over the Ya Ho. I got separated from my coolies in the dense crowd which swarmed along the main street, but in the end found them, and my luggage, at the Catholic mission, where two venerable fathers welcomed me with the flowery courtesy of mandarins...
Yaan is the main market for a special kind of tea which is grown in this part of the country and exported in very large quantities to Tibet viaKangting and over the caravan routes throughBatang (Paan) and Teko. Although the Chinese regard it as an inferior product, it is greatly esteemed by the Tibetans for its powerful flavor, which harmonizes particularly well with that of yak butter and salt which Tibetans often mix with their tea.Brick tea comprises not only what we call tea leaves, but also the coarser leaves and some of the twigs of the shrub, as well as the leaves and fruit of other plants and trees (the alder, for instance). This amalgam is steamed, weighed, and compressed into hard bricks, which are packed up in coarse matting in subunits of four. These rectangular parcels weigh between twenty-two and twenty-six pounds—the quality of the tea makes a slight difference to the weight—and are carried to Kangting by coolies. A long string of them, moving slowly under their monstrous burdens of tea, was a familiar sight along the road I followed."[4]
— André Migot,Tibetan Marches (1955). Translated byPeter Fleming
Panda tea is also a local speciality.
On April 20, 2013, the city was hit by a majorearthquake, causing numerous casualties and heavy damage to housing and infrastructure.
Ya'an is located at the western edge of theSichuan Basin and on the upper reaches of theYangtze, covering the transition between theChengdu Plain and the Tibetan Plateau. Its latitude ranges from 28° 51′ 10″ — 30° 56′ 40″ N and its longitude from 101° 56′ 26″—103° 23′ 28″ E. Neighbouring prefectures are, starting from the northeast and moving counter-clockwise,Chengdu (NE),Meishan (E),Leshan (SE),Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (S),Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (W), andNgawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (N). With an area of 15,300 square kilometres (5,910 sq mi) and a population of 1,530,000,[5] The city is encircled by mountains, and four rivers flow through it.
Its distance toChengdu is 140 kilometres (87 mi).[6]
Ya'an has amonsoon-influencedhumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) and is largely mild and humid. The presence of the mountains to the northwest greatly affects the city's climate. In the short winters, they help shield the city from coldSiberian winds. January averages 6.3 °C (43.3 °F), and while frost may occur, snow is rare. Summers are hot and humid, with highs often reaching 30 °C (86 °F), yet extended heat waves are rare; the daily average in July and August is around 25 °C (77 °F). Rainfall is common year-round, though in winter it tends to be light, and is particularly heavy in summer, when warm, humid southerly or southeasterly winds blow against the mountains, causingorographic lift to occur, enhancing rainfall. With nearly 1,700 millimetres (67 in) of rainfall occurring on 213 days per year, Ya'an is also known as the "Rain City".[7] In addition, rain often falls at night, so fog is not a common occurrence.
| Climate data for Ya'an, elevation 628 m (2,060 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) | 22.1 (71.8) | 27.7 (81.9) | 33.2 (91.8) | 35.1 (95.2) | 34.9 (94.8) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.4 (95.7) | 34.9 (94.8) | 28.7 (83.7) | 24.5 (76.1) | 19.6 (67.3) | 35.4 (95.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 17.1 (62.8) | 22.8 (73.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 28.5 (83.3) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.1 (86.2) | 25.4 (77.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 16.0 (60.8) | 10.9 (51.6) | 20.8 (69.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 17.6 (63.7) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.2 (77.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 7.9 (46.2) | 16.7 (62.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) | 6.2 (43.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 14.1 (57.4) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 19.1 (66.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 10.7 (51.3) | 5.9 (42.6) | 14.0 (57.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.8 (27.0) | −1.6 (29.1) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.2 (37.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.6 (61.9) | 12.9 (55.2) | 4.8 (40.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | −3.9 (25.0) | −3.9 (25.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 19.9 (0.78) | 30.3 (1.19) | 53.0 (2.09) | 94.6 (3.72) | 137.6 (5.42) | 177.2 (6.98) | 348.5 (13.72) | 442.9 (17.44) | 176.7 (6.96) | 98.4 (3.87) | 47.7 (1.88) | 22.4 (0.88) | 1,649.2 (64.93) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 13.9 | 14.2 | 17.3 | 17.2 | 17.7 | 18.9 | 19.0 | 18.6 | 20.2 | 21.1 | 15.6 | 13.7 | 207.4 |
| Average snowy days | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 79 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 79 | 82 | 84 | 82 | 81 | 78 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 42.9 | 46.9 | 76.2 | 101.9 | 102.2 | 93.4 | 118.1 | 125.6 | 58.3 | 42.2 | 47.4 | 46.2 | 901.3 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 13 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 31 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| Source 1:China Meteorological Administration[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China[10] | |||||||||||||
| Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2020)[11] | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) |
| Yucheng District | 雨城区 | Yǔchéng Qū | 368,909 | 1,060 | 348 |
| Mingshan District | 名山区 | Míngshān Qū | 254,632 | 614 | 415 |
| Yingjing County | 荥经县 | Yíngjīng Xiàn | 131,491 | 1,781 | 74 |
| Hanyuan County | 汉源县 | Hànyuán Xiàn | 285,558 | 2,349 | 122 |
| Shimian County | 石棉县 | Shímián Xiàn | 114,116 | 2,678 | 43 |
| Tianquan County | 天全县 | Tiānquán Xiàn | 132,033 | 2,394 | 55 |
| Lushan County | 芦山县 | Lúshān Xiàn | 99,824 | 1,364 | 73 |
| Baoxing County | 宝兴县 | Bǎoxīng Xiàn | 48,040 | 3,114 | 15 |
Tourism forms an important parts of the economy of Ya'an.[12] The city is home to theBifengxia Panda Base.[13] The first panda specimen known to the western world was from Ya'an discovered by theLazarist missionaryArmand David.[14]
The city is also famous forYa fish, which is used in local cuisine.[15] Ya'an is also the production base ofTibetan brick tea.[16]
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