Simao District Overview
1. Basic Information of Simao District
- Chinese Name: 思茅区
- Area: 3,928square kilometers
- Population: 306,400
- Zip code: 665000
- Dialing code: (+86) 0879
2. Where is Simao District
Simao District (Chinese: 思茅区; pinyin: Sīmáo Qū; formerly known as Cuiyun District) is a district under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It is the seat of Puer Prefecture. Formerly both Simao and the surrounding region of Pu'er prefecture played a major role in the historic tea horse trade between Yunnan, Tibet and India, with Simao acting as the southern terminus or starting point for the transport of tea by mule caravan north to Dali, Lijiang and Lhasa. Tea remains a central crop and product of the region. In 2007, the city of Simao (思茅市) changed its name to Puer city (普洱市). By doing so, it has had an effect the size of the official Pu’er (普洱) tea production area.
3. Administrative Divisions of Simao District
Simao District has jurisdiction over 4 towns, 3 townships, 10 neighborhood committees, 60 villages, 712 groups of villagers. Below are the details of towns and townships of Simao District.
- 4 Towns: Simao Town (思茅镇), Nanping Town (南屏镇), Yixiang Town (倚象镇), Simaogang Town (思茅港镇)
- 3 Townships: Longtan Yi Ethnic Township (龙潭彝族傣族乡), Yunxian Yi Ethnic Township (云仙彝族乡), Liushun Township (六顺乡)
4. Ethnic People of Simao District
There are many ethnic groups in Simao District. In addition to the Han nationality, there are thirteen living minorities. Among the ethnic minorities, there are five ethnic groups including Hani, Yi, Lahu, Wa and Dai with a population of more than 100,000.
5. Climate and Weather of Simao District
Simao District is a subtropical monsoon climate zone with low latitude plateau. The three-dimensional climate is obvious. There are four different climate types in the north tropical, south subtropical, mid-subtropical and northern subtropical zones. It has the characteristics of low latitude, high temperature, rainy, humid and calm wind. The annual average temperature is 17.8 °C, the average annual rainfall is 1524.4 mm, and the frost-free period is 318 days. The winter is cold and the summer is hot and the seasons are mild.
6. Best Time to Visit Simao District
It is suitable to visit Simao District all year round. Like many other cities in Yunnan, Simao is a place where the seasons are like spring. There is no cold, no heat, warm and humid, especially suitable for human habitation, so you can go to Simao at any time.
7. What to Do in Simao District
Simao District is a beautiful city with green hills and clear water, its tourism resources are unique and various. Within the territory, there are over 10 scenic plots such as the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道), Yunnan Taiyanghe Angeles National Forest (云南太阳河国家森林公园), Ximahe Park(洗马河公园), Chinese Pu’er Tea Expo Garden(中华普洱茶博览苑) and so on.
8. How to Get to Simao District
Simao District can be accessible by air and long-distance bus. Pu’er Airport has flights flying to and from Simao, Chengdu, Changsha, Xian, Chongqing, Beijing, etc. There are several Passenger Transport Bus Stations in Simao. Tourists can take long-distance buses to Simao from Dali, Simao, Lijiang, Lincang, Menghai, etc.
9. History of Simao District
In December 1958, Simao County was merged into Pu'er County, and in May 1981, Simao County was restored. In March 1993, it was changed to a county-level city. In 2003, the Simao area was relocated to “Sioma City”, and the county-level Simao was changed to “Cuiyun District”. In 2007, it was renamed as “Simao District” and still belongs to Simao City. On January 21, 2007, Simao City was renamed Pu'er City.
