About Honghe

Honghe Hani & Yi Nationalities’ Autonomous Prefecture lies in the southeast of Yunnan, bordered with Vietnam, occupies an area of about 32000 square kilometers and includes 13 cities or counties, among which Mengzi is the capital of prefecture. Terrain of Honghe declines from northwest to southeast, the highest elevation is recorded as 3074 meters, and the lowest is only 76 meters, Honghe River is the biggest river that flows across the region. Honghe is under the influence of Low-latitude tableland monsoon, has complicated climate types. There is no clear four seasons, from mountain top to the foot, from north to the south, climates could be quite different. Sunshine and heat is sufficient in Honghe, annual rainfall is around 1500 millimeters, but generally more in the south and on mountains, less in the north and in river valleys. Average yearly temperature ranges from 14.7 – 23 degrees.

Honghe has a population of around 4 million according to statistics at the end of 2000, of which more than 55% is ethnic groups, including Hani, Yi, Miao, Dai, Zhuang, Buyi and Lahu, who mainly live to the east of Honghe river. Different ethnic groups settle down at different levels of Mount Ai Lao, in basins near river, it’s the territory of Dai, Yao have their homes in the valleys, Yi and Hani normally stay on the hillsides and Miao’s residential area is mostly located on the top, with different culture and traditions, they go well with each other on the same land.

The traffic network of Honghe is quite efficient and convenient, its north part is connected with Kunming area, south part is bordered with Vietnam, well built high way crosses prefecture from center of Yunnan to the border with Vietnam, narrow-gauged railway from Kunming to Hanoi constructed by French 100 years ago is still in use. The advantageous location made Honghe one of the earliest ports of Yunnan opened to Southeast Asia, frontier trade with foreign countries started as early as Tang Dynasty, which was around 1100 year ago, in 1887, Qing government opened Mengzi to foreign countries as an official trade port, and the earliest customs office of Yunnan was also set up there, in 1895, Hekou followed to be the second trade port officially opened to foreign countries, as Yunnan-Vietnam railway entered service in 1910, Hekou became the most important trade distribution center between Yunnan and Vietnam. Now Hekou is an international port, and across the border is Laocai of Vietnam.

Honghe is reputed for its long history and profound cultural background, so there are pretty many culture sites to visit, the second biggest Confucius Temple in China, Graceful Double Dragon Arch Bridge, old pagodas, ancient city gate, well-maintained traditional dwelling houses in villages and famous Private Garden of Zhu Family, etc. Jianshui county of Honghe is one of the Important Historical & Cultural Cities of China, besides, Yuanyang, a small town which used to be silent, is getting more well-known in the world for the wondrous rice terraces that Hani people reclaimed on sides of huge mountains through thousands of years. These made Honghe an increasingly hot destination.