Chengjiang County

Chengjiang County is situated in the central part of Yunnan about 63 km. from Kunming, the provincial capital and 98 km. from Yuxi, the seat of the prefecture. It covers an area of 740 sq. km., among which 81.4% are mountains and plains, and 18,6% lake areas. It has a population of 124,000 people, including three minority nationalities, namely the Hui, Miao and Yi nationalities.

In topography Chengjiang County resembles the letter H. It lies in a region of hilly highland plateau of central Yunnan, the main peak of Liangwangshan Mountain being its highest point at an elevation of 2,820 m., and the confluence of the Nanpanjiang River and the Haikouhe River its lowest point at an elevation of 1,292 m. the county seat itself is 1,755 m. above sea level.

Most of the mountain ranges within the county run from north to south, with the Liangwangshan Mountain and Taipingshan Mountain adjoining each other somewhere north of the central region, thus cutting the county into two plains, namely the Chengjiang plain in the north and the Yangzong plain in the south. The eastern, western and central parts are hilly, while the northern and southern depressed parts are the places where the lakes and plains are found. The rivers within the county are comparatively short, with the lakes dominating the scene. Fuxianhu Lake and Yangzonghai Lake are among the famous plateau lakes of the province. The rivers within the county all belong to the Zhujiang (Pearl) River system. The main river is the Haikouhe River, which runs from the west to the east into the Nanpanjiang River, and forms the outlet of Fuxianhu Lake. It is a steady river that flows all the year round, about 16 km. long in the county. Other rivers include the Dongdahe river, the Liangwanghe River, the Shizhahe River, the Maliaohe River and so on.

Lying in the central plateau of Yunnan in the northern subtropical zone with a fairly low latitude, and under the regulating effects of Fuxianhu Lake and Yangzonghai Lake, Chengjiang County enjoys a very mild climate, with spring-like weather all the year round. In the plains the annual man temperature is 15.5 Centigrade, and the annual rainfall 958 mm. The raining season falls on May through October.

In the Han Dynasty Chengjiang was called Yuyuan County under the jurisdiction of Yuzhou Prefecture. In the Jin Dynasty it was transferred to Jinning Prefecture. In the first year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty (618) it was again transferred to Nanning Prefecture and later in the seventh year of the Wude era (624) to Xining Prefecture. In the first year of the Shangyuan era (760), Heyangjun Prefecture was established here, and in the Song Dynasty it was called Luojiabu. In the sixth year of the Xianzong era (1256) of the Yuan Dynasty it was made Luojia Prefecture of ten thousand households, and was renamed Zhonglu in the third year of the Zhiyuan era (1276). In the thirteenth year of the Zhiyuan era its status was raised to Chengjiang Lu. In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1382) the administrative body Lu was changed into Prefecture. In the eighth year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, the Xinxing Zhou and Lunan Zhou together with Heyand County and Jiangchuan County were put under its jurisdiction. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), the institution of prefecture was abolished and Chengjiang County was established. It has remained so ever since.

The richest mineral deposits of Chengjiang is its phosphorus ore, with some lead and zinc and a little coal in addition. Geothermal resources are found in the hot water pond of Haikouxiang, the hot water cave of Luchong and the hot water river of Jiucun. Forest resources include Yunnan pine, Huashan pine and "shuidonggua" tree (Adina racemosa). Among the fauna found here are snakes, pangolins, monkeys, babblers, parrots, mynas, etc.

The main agricultural produce of Chengjiang includes paddy rice, corn, wheat, and broad beans. Next come potatoes, sweet potatoes, soy beans and lentils. The per capita grain produce of the whole county is 479.5 kg, ranking the second in the province. Industrial products include farm machinery, light industry, machinery, standard parts, printing, carpentry, cement, yellow phosphorus, building industry, fishing net making, etc.

Chengjiang has very convenient transportation facilities. There are five regular bus services to and from Kunming every day, and one daily regular bus service to Yuxi and Jiangchuan. There is also a private owned water transportation service by wooden boat on Fuxianhu Lake from Chengjiang to Jiangchuan.

Famous local products include the "kanglan" fish (meaning braving the waves), a special delicacy from Fuxian Lake It is very tender and delicious, and can be salted and preserved. In addition there are lotus roots, which can be served fresh or cooked. The lotus root is very tasty. It becomes a very nourishing and high quality food when it is processed into lotus starch.