Pu'er City

Pu'er is a prefecture-level city in southern Yunnan Province, China. Pu'er City governs 9 counties, 1 district, 103 townships (towns), and a total population of 2.65 million. The urban administrative center of Pu'er is Simao District, which is also the former name of the prefecture-level city itself. A major downturn in the price of tea in 2007 caused severe economic distress in the area. The price of Pu'er has since recovered and Pu'er tea, a type of dark tea, still contributes much to the income of the area.

Etymology

Nanzhao set a division called Bu'ri Jian ( zh, labels=no, 步日瞼) in 839 AD; this was the first time the region was integrated into the administrative system of a Chinese dynasty. In the Yuan dynasty, the central government changed the name to Pu'ri ( zh, labels=no, 普日) in 1278. Finally in Ming dynasty, the name was changed to "Pu'er" ( zh, labels=no, 普耳) in 1384. The character of "er" ( zh, labels=no, 耳) was changed to 洱 in Wanli Emperor period. The name "普洱" (Pu'er) has continued to be used to this day. Wa scholar Ni-ga states that the original name "Bu'ri" is the exonym of Blang people in Baraoke language, a dialect of Wa language, which means "my brother".

Pu'er tea has the name "Pu'er" because Pu'er was the distribution centre of the tea produced in the south-west of Yunnan during the Ming and Qing dynasty. Pu'er tea became world-famous, and the city Pu'er also became famous as a result of the tea. The Yinsheng Festival was first established in the Nanzhao Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty. There were records of "Pu Tea" in the Ming Dynasty.

History

Its name was changed to Simao in 1950 following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, while its surrounding county was known as Pu'er.. In 2007, the town's name was changed back to Pu'er; the surrounding area became known as Ning'er County; and the name Simao was taken by a town and district within the city. The change had an effect on the size of the official Pu'er tea production area, a major regional product.

Geography and climate

Pu'er is located in southern Yunnan, on the lower reaches of the Mekong (known in Chinese as the Lancang), with the bordering prefectures being Yuxi and Honghe to the east, Xishuangbanna to the south, Lincang to the west, and Dali and Chuxiong to the north. It also shares borders with Vietnam ( Điện Biên Province and Lai Châu Province) and Laos ( Phongsaly Province) to the south, and Burma (Shan State) to the southwest, being the only prefecture in Yunnan to border all three countries. As with much of the province, mountainous terrain dominates its administrative area, covering 98.3%. Elevations range from .

Located at an altitude of above and within a degree south of the Tropic of Cancer, Pu'er, as with much of southern Yunnan, has a warm humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cwa''), with muddled distinction between the seasons and daytime temperatures remaining warm year-round. Highs peak in April and May before the core of the rainy season and reach a minimum in December; however, the warmest and coolest months are June and January, respectively at and ; the annual mean is . June through September accounts for nearly 70% of the annual rainfall of and during this time, some rainfall occurs on most days, pushing relative humidity above 80% and there is a marked reduction in sunshine. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 27% in July to 69% in February, the city receives 2,206 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Administrative divisions

Demographics

According to the Seventh National Census in 2020, the city’s Permanent Population (hukou) was 2,404,954. Compared with the Sixth National Census, the ten-year decrease was 137,944, a decrease of 5.42%. The average annual decrease of 13,794 people, the average annual growth rate of -0.55%. Among them, there are 1,264,767 males, accounting for 52.59% of the total population; 1,140,187 females, accounting for 47.41% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (female is 100) is 110.93. The population aged 0–14 is 451,650, accounting for 18.78%; the population aged 15–59 is 1,574,042, accounting for 65.45%; the population aged 60 and over is 379,502, accounting for 15.78%. The population living in cities and towns was 974,728, accounting for 40.53% of the total population; the population living in rural areas was 1,430,226, accounting for 59.47% of the total population.

At the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the permanent population will be 2.34 million.

Nationality

Among the resident population, the Han population is 991,585, accounting for 38.99% of the total population; the ethnic minorities population is 1,551,313, accounting for 61.01% of the total population.There are 26 ethnic groups, 14 permanent ethnic groups, 5 main ethnic minorities, and 5 "direct ethnic groups".

Transport

* Asian Highway Network AH3 It is a highway in the Asian Highway system, 7,331 kilometers (4,555 miles) long.
* China National Highway 213 This national highway is a national highway in northwest and southwest China. It starts from Xigu District, Lanzhou City and ends at Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture. It has a total length of 2,827 kilometers and passes through the four provinces of Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.
* Kunming–Bangkok Expressway The total length is 1,880 kilometers, starting from the Kunming Toll Station at the entrance of Kunming Yuxi Expressway in the east and ending in Bangkok, Thailand. The entire line consists of a section in China, a section in Laos and a section in Thailand. It was officially opened to traffic in December 2008.
* Pu'er Simao Airport Pu'er Simao Airport is located at the southeastern foothills of Wuliang Mountain in southwest Yunnan and east of the Lancang River. The airport covers an area of 1,487 acres. The flight area is graded 4C. The runway is 2,500 meters long, 45 meters wide, and has 3 parking spaces.
*Pu'er Railway Station opened on December 3, 2021, can be reached by high-speed rail to Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, and other cities.

Notes

References

External links

*
Tea, City Share Pu'er Name

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Cities in Yunnan
National Civilized City