Yingjiang County Overview

Yingjiang County Overview will give you a comprehensive understanding of  Yingjiang County in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture including the basic information, geographical location, climate, transportation and so on. 

Basic Information of Yingjiang

Geography of Yingjiang

Yingjiang County: A major access on the Southern Silk Road. Yingjiang is located at southwest frontier of China and western end of the Hengduan Mountain Range. It is a county subordinated to Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. Yingjiang, located in the northwest of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest frontier of China , is the bridgehead for China's opening up. The Dayingjiang River runs through the whole county, offering the beautiful and majestic scenic attractions at the national level, and Yingjiang County is named after the Dayingjiang River.

History of Yingjiang

Long ago, Yingjiang had served as the important passageway on the ancient Southern Silk Road, which connected China with South Asia and India-Pakistan Subcontinent. It was Ailao County under Yongchang Prefecture in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD) (having jurisdiction over Dehong District). In the Ming Dynasty, the central government assigned Magistrate Ganya and Deputy Magistrate Zhanda to govern the two banks of the Great Yingjiang River. In 1958, the State Council approved the combination of the original Yingjiang and Lianshan counties into the present Yingjiang County.  In early 1990s, Yingjiang was approved to be a provincial-level port (grade two at the national level) by the People’s Government of Yunnan Province. 

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Climate and Weather of Yingjiang

Yingjiang enjoys a subtropical monsoonal climate without winter chills nor intense summer heat. It has clear dry and humid seasons with good rainfall. Its annual average temperature is around 18-20℃ (64.4-68℉). Temperatures vary greatly during the day, and it can reach 25℃ (77℉) in daytime during winter. The summers here have a good deal of rainfall, while the winters have very little.  Winter is warm and summer is long. Rainy and hot weather occurs in the same period, as well as dry and cool weather. Spring temperature is higher than autumn temperature. The driest month is January. There is 14 mm of precipitation in January. Most of the precipitation here falls in July, averaging 372 mm. With an average of 24.4 °C, August is the warmest month. January is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging 13.3 °C. 

The Best Time to Visit Yingjiang

Enjoying an ever spring climate, Yingjiang is suitbale for visiting in the whole year around. However, if you come to visit Yingjiang in the festival times, it will be more enjoyable. If you are a fan of birdwatching, the Yingjiang International Bird Watching Festival shouldn't be missed. 

The rainy season is from May to October. The best time for birdwatching in Yingjiang is from October to next April, with less rainfall, slightly lower temperature than summer, and less mosquitos. Spring and winter can also be the best time for the birding tours aiming to some bird species. For more information about Yingjiang birding tours, please contact us.

Administrative Division of Yingjiang

Yingjiang County administrates 8 towns,  7 townships, 1151 villager groups and 1 farms. The government is located in the Pingyuan Town.

Eight Towns

Seven Townships

Yingjiang Culture

Yingjiang Culture features in the folk culture of the five indigenous ethnic minoritues. Dai, Jingpo, Lisu, Achang and De’ang live here generation by generation. They nourished special and colorful ethnic culture of their own. Birding culture is also the highlight of Yingjiang County as it is the famous bird watching site in China and paradise for many bird species.

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Yingjiang Transportation

Yingjiang County transportation roles as an important hub. It has 32 roads connected to Myanmar. It is the bridgehead for China's opening up. Yingjiang has the longest border line in Dehong. Yingjiang County has no airport or railway, but long-distance bus station. There are 4 regular long-distance buses from Kunming to Yingjiang County. You can also fly to Mangshi City of Dehong from Kunming, then take buses from Mangshi to Yingjiang County. The flight from kunming to Mangshi takes about one hour, and bus trip from Mangshi to Yingjiang costs about 2 hours. There are regular buses from Mangshi Passenger Transport North Station (芒市客运中心) to Yingjiang County, Starting at every 40 minutes from 7:30 to 16:50, the tikect fare is 32 yuan. 

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Things to Do in Yingjiang

Natural Landscape Tour

Yingjiang County is named after the Dayingjiang River running through the whole county. Rafting on the Dayingjiang River will be an enjoyable experience. Tourists are also suggested to visit the Kaibangya Lake and Huangcaoba Pasture for their beautiful scenery

Minority Discovery Tour

The traditional ethnic villages usually have the well-preserved ethnic traditions, so they can be best choice for your Culture Tours in Yingjiang County. Traveling to the traditional ethnic villages, you can explore the most authentic ethnic traditions which can't be seen anywhere else. The following traditional ethnic villages in Yingjiang County are for your choice. It is also suggested to make a Buddist culture tour to the famous Yunyan Stupa, or have a site watch of the Tongbiguan King Banyan Tree.

Bird-Watching Tour

Yingjiang County is paradise for birds, providing pleasant natural resources. According to statistics, Dehong has more than 680 bird species, while 650 species inhabit in Yingjiang County, making it the No.1 county in China which has the best bird resources. Among all bird watching routes in Yingjiang county, Yingjiang Hornbill Valley is the most unique and fantastic one. It has a good reputation as "China Horbill Valley". It attracts many bird watchers at home and abroad and is truly the most famous bird watching resort in China.  There is also an event themed on birding in Yingjiang County, the International Bird Watching Festival. If you are a fan of birdwatching, you shouldn't miss it. Our Yingjiang Birding Tours are also recommended to you.

Festival and Activities

Besides the pleasant climate and amazing birding tours, the unique festivals and activities in Yingjiang County also make your travel in Dehong impressive. The most famous festivals in Dehong such as  Water Splashing Festival of Dai people and Munaozongge Festival of Jingpo people, etc. are also celebrated in Yingjiang County. We also have 1 Day Yingjiang County Kuoshi Festival Tour especially for thoses who are interested in Lisu ethnic culture.

Natural Resources in Yingjiang County

The county is covered with luxuriating vegetation and the forest coverage reaches 62%. Moreover, the county possesses many rare species, including white-eyebrow gibbon, Asia elephant and several rare plants. Several rivers that originate mainly from the Dayingjiang Water System run through forests and valleys, reserving extremely rich hydroenergy resources and making the county the largest one in power resources of Dehong Prefecture. The rich power resources lay a foundation for the county's industrial development in fields of electrolytic aluminum, silicon smelting, and cement.  Yingjiang has a vast expanse of land, covering 4,429 square kilometers with arable land taking up an area of 32,000 hectares, ranking first in the whole prefecture in the per capita land occupation. There are still 110,666.67 hectares of land waiting for exploitation. The county teems with paddy, sugarcane, rape, corn, potato, southern medicine, nut, spice and tropical fruits. 

Biological Resources

There are numerous wild animal species in Yingjiang County, including 57 species of 27 families in 10 categories of mammals, 335 species of 51 families in 18 categories of birds, 63 species of 15 families in 6 categories of fishes, 19 species in 7 families of amphibians, 33 species in 12 families of reptiles, and over 400 species in 107 families and 15 categories of insects. The distribution of vegetation in Yingjiang County inlcludes monsoon forest,  mixed forest and broad-leaved forest, evergreen broad-leaved forest and coniferous forest, as well as evergreen broad-leaved forest with a few mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 2000-2300 meters and evergreen broad-leaved forest at 2300-2800m above sea level.

Mineral Resources

As of 2016, Yingjiang County has identified the main mineral deposits: tin, tungsten, lead, silver and manganese ores, which are distributed in the eastern and northeastern parts of the county. There are two major pyrite sites in the northwest of the county, with a reserve of over 100,000 tons. Gold placer and primary gold deposits are distributed in Tongbiguan, Xima and Nabang. Silicon ore is distributed in the area of the Kachang area. Emerald, agate, muscovite, beryl, marble and other colored stones have large reserves and are scattered in the vast areas of Kachang, Mengnong and Sudian in the northwest. Limestone, dolomite and sandstone are widely distributed and are inexhaustible raw materials for building materials such as cement, brick and tile.

Water Resources

As of 2016, Yingjiang County has 2.148 million kilowatts of hydropower reserves, accounting for 59.3% of Dehong Prefecture's total reserves. Most rivers flow through mountains, with large and concentrated drop, good vegetation in the upper reaches, and stable discharge in rainy and dry seasons, which is conducive to the development of high-head power stations.

Geothermal Resources

As of 2016, Yingjiang County has hundreds of hot spring eyes from south to north, of which 21 are mainly warm thermal springs. The remaining 20 ones are all distributed near the main branches of Dayingjiang River system except Tenglaguan Thermal Spring, which is located on the western side of the Kachang River. 

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