Cizhong Village Overview

1. Basic Information

  • Chinese Name:茨中
  • Population: 1,108
  • Zip code: 674500
  • Dialing code: (+86) 0887
  • Altitude: 1800 meters

2. Location

Cizhong Village is an administrative village in Yanmen Township, Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is located in a gentle slope on both sides of the Lancang River Gorge. It borders Gongshan County of Nujiang Prefecture in the east and Cikatong Village in Xiaru Township in the west. It is connected to Badong Village in Yanmen Township in the south, and is connected with the Chunduole Village in Yanmen Township, with an average altitude of 1,800 meters.

3. Administrative Division

Cizhong is under the jurisdiction of Yanmen Township. Yanmen Township has jurisdiction over 7 villages, namely, Tuola Village (拖拉村 ), Yugong Village (禹功村), Guzha Village(谷扎村), Shidi Village (石底村), Chunduole (春多乐村), Cizhong Village (茨中村), Badong Village (巴东村).

4. Climate

The climate in Cizhong belongs to cold temperate mountain monsoon climate. The climate is greatly affected by altitude. The latitude effect is not obvious. As the altitude rises, the temperature decreases and the precipitation increases. Most of the seasons are unclear. The winter is long and the summer is short. The dry season and wet season are usually obvious. The average annual rainfall is 633.7 mm. The precipitation in the rainy season from May to October accounts for 77.5% of the annual precipitation. 

5. People

Cizhong is home to 1,108 people. There are seven ethnic groups in Cizhong Village, including Tibetan, Han, Lisu, Naxi, Bai and Nu.

6. Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Cizhong is from March to May and June to August. 

7. Features

1) Mysterious Building: More than 100 years ago, French missionaries built a Catholic church here, namely, Cizhong Catholic Church in a Tibetan Village.
2) An Abundant Place: The altitude of Cizhong Village is not more than 2000 meters, so the climate is mild and rice is the staple crop.
3) Multi-ethnic Integration: There are seven ethnic groups in Cizhong Village, including Tibetan, Han, Lisu, Naxi, Bai and Nu.

8. Things to Do

Compared with other attrations, Cizhong is famous for a church- Cizhong Catholic Church in a Tibetan area. There are many attractions around Cizhong, such as Yubeng Village (雨崩村), Meili Snow Mountain (梅里雪山), Lancang (Mekong) River Grand Canyon (澜沧江梅大峡谷), Baima Snow Mountain (白马雪山), Feilaisi Temple (飞来寺), Biluo Snow Mountain (碧罗雪山).  

9. History

Cizhong is famous for Cizhong Catholic Church with more than 100 years. Today the relationship between Tibetan Catholics and Tibetan Buddhists is generally cordial. The two communities celebrate traditional festivals together and interfaith marriages are no longer rare.