Zhaotong () is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of Chi ...

located in the northeast corner of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

province, China, bordering the provinces of

Guizhou Guizhou (; Postal romanization, formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in the Southwest China, southwest region of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the pr ...

to the south and southeast and

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

to the northeast, north, and west.

History

Zhaotong has historic and cultural links to the Shu (Sichuan basin) region.

Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering nine million people, they are the seve ...

consider Zhaotong to be their homeland (called Zizipuwu). Zhaotong was part of Zhuti County (朱提縣) during Han to Tang dynasties. Zhaotong belonged to the Nanzhao then Dali Kingdom until the Mongols destroyed the latter in the 13th century. During the Yuan Dynasty, it became the Wumeng Commandery (乌蒙路), during which many Hui Muslims settled in the area. During the Qing dynasty, local

tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...

chieftains were removed, and the region was renamed Zhaotong Prefecture.

Climate

Influenced by the low latitude and moderate elevation, Zhaotong has a temperate subtropical highland climate ( Köppen ''Cwb''), with cool, dry winters, and warm, humid summers. Temperatures frequently drop below freezing at night in winter, though the days warm up to around . Conversely, in summer, average highs rise to . A great majority of the year's rainfall occurs from May to September.

Population

Demography

The prefecture, almost exclusively

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

, is one of the poorest in China, which led the authorities to encourage young people to migrate to eastern and southern parts of China to find work. For the year 2003, the number of emigrants was 650,000. The government wanted the number to increase by 50,000 in 2004.

Religion

It is the seat of the Latin Catholic

Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong The Apostolic Prefecture of Zhaotong is an Apostolic Prefecture (Latin pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction, not entitled to a titular bishop), of the Catholic Church with seat in the city of Zhaotong, in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunn ...

Economy

The main industries in the prefecture are mining, tobacco and cement manufacturing Zhaotong has some of the largest

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

sources in China. The 18,000-capacity

Yuanbaoshan Stadium Yuanbaoshan District ( Mongolian: ''Yuvan boo šan toɣoriɣ'', Юаньбаошань тойрог, ''Yuanĭbaoşanĭ''; ) is a district of the city of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regio ...

is also located in the city. It hosts many events, for example athletic events such as soccer matches.

Transport

Zhaotong Airport Zhaotong Airport is an airport serving the city of Zhaotong in Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as o ...

(ZAT), flight destination to

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

Guiyang Guiyang (; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), historically rendered as Kweiyang, is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, ...

*Train service to

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...

*Zhaotong is connected to the

-Kunming National Highway network. *

China National Highway 213 China National Highway 213 (G213) runs from Ceke, Inner Mongolia, to Mohan, on the border with Laos, in Yunnan. It is in length and runs via Chengdu, Sichuan and Kunming, Yunnan. Before the 2013 Highway Planning, the route started in Lanzhou, ...

G85 Yinchuan–Kunming Expressway The Yinchuan–Kunming Expressway (), designated as G85 and commonly referred to as the Yinkun Expressway () is an expressway in China that connects the cities of Yinchuan, Ningxia and Kunming, Yunnan. It is in length. It passes through the fo ...

Zhaotong has several bridges over the Jinsha River, an upstream section of the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

Administrative divisions

References

Zhaotong Community Development Program
- Norwegian Embassy

External links

Zhaotong Official Official Website
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