Jin’an Town in Gucheng District, Lijiang

Jin’an Town is located in the eastern part of Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, and is known as the eastern gateway of Lijiang City. It is bordered by Songping Township and Da’an Township of Yongsheng County across the Jinsha River to the east, adjacent to Quhe Town to the south, and connected to Jinshan Bai Autonomous Township to the west and north. The town government is located 19 kilometers away from the district government. The total area of the jurisdiction is 144.5 square kilometers, with the maximum east-west distance being 14 kilometers and the maximum north-south distance being 18.5 kilometers.

Jin’an Town has a vertical climate distribution. The western mountainous area features a cold mountain climate, while the eastern Jinsha River valley area belongs to a typical arid valley climate of the Jinsha River, with an average annual precipitation of 850 millimeters and an average annual temperature of 13℃. The town has a forest area of 186,000 acres, with a forest coverage rate of 78.55%, ranking first in the district.

As of the end of 2019, Jin’an Town had a registered population of 6,065 people, with the Naxi ethnic group accounting for more than 95% of the total population. Other ethnic minorities such as Miao, Bai, and Tibetan are also distributed in the area. The Naxi people here maintain their traditional living and working habits. During the “Sanduo Festival” (三朵节), Naxi people will gather in the mountains and fields on the outskirts of the village to dance in traditional costumes.

Jin’an Town has a long history. It was called Dongxiang Ge’erli (东香格里) in the Qing Dynasty. Before Lijiang was upgraded from a prefecture to a city, it was known as Longshan Township (龙山乡). In 2003, it was renamed Jin’an Township (金安乡), and in April 2012, it was upgraded to a town. As of October 2021, the town administers seven administrative villages, with the town government located in Longshan Village (龙山村).

In terms of economy, the total rural economic income of the town reached 102 million yuan in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 45%; the total fiscal revenue reached 19.09 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 22%; and the per capita net income of farmers reached 19,800 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.5%. Jin’an Town is a key township in the construction of Lijiang’s “Cloud Medicine Hometown.” In 2019, a total of 1,600 acres of traditional Chinese medicinal materials such as Chonglou (重楼), Xuduan (续断), and Dudingzi (独定子) were planted, with an estimated output value of more than 10 million yuan. In addition to the medicinal material planting industry, local planting industries such as May peaches, walnuts, Sichuan pepper, and loquats, as well as animal husbandry including pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry, have also developed on a considerable scale. Meanwhile, passenger and freight transportation and catering industries have also seen certain development.

Jin’an Town is rich in tourism resources. The “Ten Thousand Mu Rhododendron Forest” (万亩杜鹃林), located in Guangle Second Village (光乐二村), is one of the Naxi love sanctuaries. The core area covers about 45,000 acres, and it is only 28 kilometers away from Lijiang urban area, which gives it a good locational advantage.

Jin’an Town has convenient transportation. The Jin’an Jinsha River Bridge (金安金沙江大桥) is a key project of the national expressway network G4216 Chengdu-Lijiang Expressway (华坪至丽江段). It is the world’s largest span mountain suspension bridge. After the completion of the Huali Expressway (华丽高速公路), the driving time from Lijiang to Chengdu will be shortened to about 8 hours.