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 China ...

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 C ...

province, China, bordering the provinces of

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

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 the ...

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 sev ...

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 Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzh ...

then

Dali Kingdom The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (; Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a state situated in modern Yunnan province, China from 937 until 1253. In 1253, it was conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling dynasty continued to a ...

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 The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...

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 An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''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, is one of the poorest in China, which led the authorities to encourage young people to migrate to

eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

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 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,

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 pro ...

, Chongqing,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Guiyang *Train service to Kunming,

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

*Zhaotong is connected to the Chongqing-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 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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