Panzhihua Town of Yuanyang County, Honghe

Panzhihua Town of Yuanyang County, Honghe
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⏱ One-Minute Overview

Panzhihua Township, nestled in the “V”-shaped canyon zone of southern Yuanyang at altitudes ranging from 650 to 2,221 meters, is located just 22 km from Nansha Town. As a core area of China’s celebrated terrace farming cultural landscape, it’s also the proud home of two rural revitalization success stories: Mengnong Embroidery and Hot Valley Chives.

📍 Geographic Coordinates

Location: Southern Yuanyang County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province

22 km from Nansha Town (40 min via secondary road)

110 km from Mengzi High-Speed Rail Station (2-hour drive)

300 km from Kunming (4 hours via expressway + secondary roads)

Navigation Keywords: 元阳 攀枝花乡 (Yuanyang Panzhihua Township)

🕰 Past and Present

Established in 1735 (Qing Dynasty): Formerly known as Mengnong in Lin’an Prefecture.

Renamed in 1988 as Panzhihua Township.

Covers 85.13 km² of entirely mountainous terrain, with no flatlands—classic deep-cut “V”-shaped canyon topography.

In 2023, over ¥8 million in agricultural funds supported the growth of black ginger, chives, and embroidery—boosting income for 550 households / 2,900 residents.

🌸 Seasonal Highlights

Season Landscape Highlights Best Activities & Photography Elevation Tips
Nov–Feb Irrigated terraces, frost, sea of clouds Sunrise at Laohuzui & Luositian 1500–2000 m
Mar–Apr Peach & pear blossoms, green terraces Drone shots of floral rice terraces 1200–1800 m
May–Sep Wavy rice fields, tropical fruit harvest Yaduo River rafting + lychee picking 650–1500 m
October Golden harvests, Yi embroidery shows New Rice Festival + Street Banquets All elevations

📌 Top 5 Must-Visit Spots

🐯 Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) Terraces

World-class sunset photography location, where glowing skies meet a thousand mirrored paddies.

🌀 Luositian – “World Rice Park”

A developing 3,000-mu rice experience zone with rice planting, fish catching, and coffee in the fields.

🧵 Mengnong Embroidery Cooperative

A Shanghai–Yunnan collaboration preserving intangible heritage. Watch master embroiderers at work.
Annual sales exceed ¥50 million.

🌿 Hot Valley Chives Industry Belt

A 300-mu eco-friendly chive base producing 2,880 tons annually. Visitors can join the harvest, sorting, and cold chain processes.

🛶 Yaduo River Bamboo Rafting

A 2.5 km pristine canyon, shaded by rare sweet dragon bamboo. Natural “air-conditioning” at 22°C during summer.

🗺 Official Itineraries

A Route · Classic 1-Day

Nansha → Laohuzui Sunset → Mengnong Embroidery Workshop → Luositian Nightscape → Return

B Route · Deep Dive 2-Day

Day 1: Morning sea of clouds at Laohuzui → Noon embroidery workshop → Afternoon chive fields → Stay overnight in terrace-view lodge
Day 2: Sunrise at Luositian → Bamboo rafting on Yaduo River → Chili base in Baoshan Village → Return

🚗 Transportation Guide

Mode Route Details Duration / Cost
Train + Bus Kunming South → Mengzi (1h by high-speed train) → Nansha (1.5h) → Shared ride to Panzhihua (40 min) ~3 hours total
Self-Drive Kunming → Chenggong Expressway → Yuanyang (via County Road) → Panzhihua 300 km / ~4 hours
Local Transit Minibuses from Nansha Bus Station (07:30–17:30, rolling schedule) 22 km / ¥25

ℹ️ Practical Information

🎫 Tickets

Laohuzui Scenic Area: ¥30

Luositian Experience Zone: ¥20

Other areas: Free

🏡 Accommodation

Terrace Lodges: ¥180–¥320/night (terrace view from the window)

Wuwan Orchard Homestays: ¥120–¥200/night (listen to insects at night)

🍽 Food to Try

Yi-style ham, red rice, chive banquet, lychee chicken

Avg. meal cost: ¥50–¥70 per person

🎁 Souvenirs

Mengnong embroidered pillows

Giant napier grass tea

Dried seedless lychees

⚠️ Visitor Tips

Temperature swings: 10–15°C between day and night—bring a jacket

Respect local customs: Do not step on thresholds or point at sacred mountains (Hani traditions)

Rainy season (Jun–Sep): Roads may be slippery—use 4WD or hire local drivers

💬 Final Note

In Panzhihua Township, you might chase a world-class sunset at Laohuzui in the morning, learn traditional Yi embroidery in the afternoon, and harvest “green gold” chives before dusk. This is more than just a destination—it’s a living, breathing, multi-layered gallery at the heart of Yuanyang’s terraces.