Yiliang County (Zhaotong) Overview

Basic information

Chineses name: 彝良

Location: In the northeast of Yunnan and northwest of Zhaotong

Language: Southwestern Mandarin - Yunnan Dialect

Population:521,838

Nationalities: Han, Yi, Miao, Hui

Area: 2804 square kilometers

Zip code: 657600

Area code: 0870

Geographical Location

Yiliang county is located in the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan province, next  to Zhenxiong and weixin county in the east, Weining and Hezhang county in the south, Zhaoyangand Daguan county in the west, Yanjin county  and Sichuan province in the north. The elevation is 800 meters, 71 Km away from Zhaotong city, 443 Km away from Kunming, 586 Km from Chongqing, 603 Km away from Chengdu. Terrain in west and east is narrow in Yiliang County, inclining from south to north. The highest elevation is 2780 meters, the lowest is 520 meters. The total area is 2804 square kilometers with its’ population of  521 thousand.

Introduction

Yiliang county is abundant in resources, like coals, hydropower, medicinal materials and food materials. The agriculture is highly developed, at the same time, industry also plays an important role in the Yiliang’s development of economy. Yiliang County have big climatic differences. Overall it’s of subtropical monsoon climate, but from valley to the high mountains can be divided to many parts. There are many scenic spots in Ludian county, like the Great Canyon of Luoze River, Niujie old town, the Former Residence of General Luo Binghui (罗炳辉故居) and so on.

History

Yiliang enjoys the long history. As the earlier time, Yiliang was under the control of Yiliang Prefecture, and in Yun Dynasty, it was called Yiliang as the meaning of kind.

Administrative Division

There are 13 towns and 5 ethnic towns in Yiliang county of Zhaotong.

Jiaokui town(角奎镇)， Luozehe town(洛泽河镇)， Niujie town(牛街镇), Xinchang town(新场乡), Maoping town(毛平乡), Fada town(发达乡),  Longjie Yi and Miao ethnic minority town(龙街彝族苗族乡)，Kuixiang Miao and Yi ethnic minority town(奎香苗族彝族乡), Shulin Yi and Miao ethnic minority town( 树林彝族苗族乡),  Haizi town(海子乡),  Qiaoshan town(荞山乡),  Longan town(龙安乡),  Zhongming town(钟鸣乡),  Lianghe town(两河乡), Xiaocaoba town(小草坝乡), Longhai town(龙海乡),  Liuxi Miao ethnic minority town(柳溪苗族乡), Luowang Miao ethnic minority town(洛旺苗族乡).

Ethnic Groups

There are totally 71336 minority people in Yiliang county, and Miao people is dominant, its’ population reaches 49398.

Climate

In Yiliang, the climate is warm and temperate. Yiliang has a significant amount of rainfall during the year. This is true even for the driest month. This climate is considered to be Cfa according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average annual temperature is 16.6 °C in Yiliang. 

Best Time to Visit

People can go to Yiliang for every season, and people can see different sceneries in different seasons.

Transportation

Yiliang county has a convenient transportation system. There is a train station in which people can take the trains from Kunming or take trains to Kunming. There are also long-distance buses, taxi, buses and minibus. In addition, Yiliang Train Station plays an important role in Yiliang’s transportation system.

Dining

There are many famous local dishes and snacks in Yiliang. For Lying in the northeast part of Yunnan province, the eating habits of Zhaotong people are deeply influenced by Sichuan cuisine and Guizhou cuisine. 

Top Attractions

There are some famous Yiliang county attractions, such as Xiaocaoba Scenic Area, Haiziping Nature Reserve, Yulongshan Mountain and Luozehe River Gorge. Yiliang County in Zhaotong is a good place to have a Red Tour, such as Kuixiang Martyr’s Tomb, Headquarter Site of The Second and Sixth Legions of Red Army, Former Residence of Liu Pingkai and The Memorial Hall of General Luo Binghui.