Lincang (临沧市)

1. Introduction

Lincang City, formerly known as Mianning, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. It is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province and is named for its proximity to the Lancang River. It borders Baoshan City to the northwest, Dali Prefecture to the northeast, Pu'er City to the southeast, and Myanmar to the southwest. Situated in the western section of the Hengduan Mountains, the city is traversed by the Bangma and Daxue Mountains, with rivers such as the Luozha River, Xiaohei River, and Nanding River flowing through it. The city covers an area of 23,621 square kilometers, with a total population of 2.258 million in 2020. The municipal government is located in Linxiang District.

2. Etymology

The name "Lincang" for Lincang City originates from its geographical environment and historical background. According to historical records, the name Lincang can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, due to its strategic location, the Lincang area became an important military stronghold and economic center. The name "Lincang" is composed of two characters: "Lin" and "Cang," which together signify "near the Cang River."

3. History

During the Qin Dynasty, the present-day area belonged to the territory of the Ailao Kingdom. In the second year of the Yuanfeng era of the Western Han Dynasty (110 BCE), the Yizhou Commandery was established, and the present-day area was incorporated into it. In the twelfth year of the Yongping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (69 CE), the King of Ailao submitted to the Han Dynasty, leading to the establishment of Ailao County and Bonan County. Additionally, the Lancang Commandery was created from the western part of Yizhou Commandery, later renamed Yongchang Commandery, with its seat at Buwei County (in present-day Baoshan City). In the third year of the Jianxing era of the Shu Han state during the Three Kingdoms period (225 CE), Yongshou County and Yongxiang County were established under Yongchang Commandery. In the ninth year of the Yuankang era of the Western Jin Dynasty (299 CE), the seat of Yongchang Commandery was moved to Yongshou County (in present-day Gengma County). In the eighth year of the Xiankang era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (342 CE), Yongchang Commandery was abolished. It was re-established during the Southern Qi Dynasty and abolished again during the Sui Dynasty.

In the first year of the Linde era of the Tang Dynasty (664 CE), Yao Prefecture (present-day Yao'an County) was established under the Jiannan Circuit. During the Nanzhao period, the area belonged to the Yongchang Military Commissioner (with its seat at Yongchang City, present-day Longyang District, Baoshan City), and Tuonan City (present-day Yongkang Town, Yongde County) was established. In the early Dali Kingdom period, it remained under the Yongchang Military Commissioner, later changed to Yongchang Prefecture, with Tuonan City renamed Zhenkang City. In the seventh year of the Xianzong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1257 CE), Yongchang Prefecture was changed to Yongchang Thousand-Household District. In the eleventh year of the Zhiyuan era (1274 CE), Yongchang Thousand-Household District was changed to Yongchang Subprefecture under Dali Route. In the twelfth year of the Zhiyuan era (1275 CE), the Zhenkang Route Pacification Commission was established. In the fifteenth year of the Zhiyuan era (1278 CE), Yongchang Subprefecture was elevated to Yongchang Prefecture; the Zhenkang Route Pacification Commission was changed to a Pacification and Surveillance Commission, and the Zhenkang Route Military-Civilian Chief Command was established. In the twenty-third year of the Zhiyuan era (1286 CE), the Zhenkang Route Pacification Commission was abolished and merged into the Dali Jinchi Pacification Commission. In the twenty-sixth year of the Zhiyuan era (1289 CE), Mengding Route (with its seat at present-day Mengding Town, Gengma County) was established. In the thirty-first year of the Zhiyuan era (1294 CE), the Mengding Route Military-Civilian Chief Command was established. In the third year of the Taiding era (1326 CE), the southeastern part of Mengding Route was separated to form Mounian Route (in present-day Gengma County), under the Dali Jinchi Pacification Commission. In the fourth year of the Taiding era (1327 CE), Shunning Prefecture (with its seat at present-day Fengqing County) was established under Dali Route. In the first year of the Tianli era (1328 CE), Baotong Subprefecture, Qingdian County (present-day Fengqing County), and Dahou Chief Office (present-day Yun County) were established under Shunning Prefecture.

In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1382 CE), Mounian Route was abolished, Shunning Prefecture was downgraded to Shunning Subprefecture, Baotong Subprefecture was merged into Shunning Subprefecture, Zhenkang Route was changed to Zhenkang Prefecture, and Mengding Route was changed to Mengding Prefecture, all under the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission. In the seventeenth year of the Hongwu era (1384 CE), Zhenkang Prefecture was downgraded to Zhenkang Subprefecture, soon abolished and incorporated into Wandian Barbarian-Pacifying Subprefecture; Shunning Subprefecture was elevated back to Shunning Prefecture. In the fifth year of the Xuande era (1430 CE), Mengmian Chief Office (present-day Lincang urban area) was established under Jingdong Prefecture, later directly under the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission. In the thirteenth year of the Wanli era (1585 CE), Gengma Pacification Commission (present-day Gengma County) was established, soon elevated to a Pacification and Surveillance Commission under Yongchang Prefecture. In the twenty-fifth year of the Wanli era (1597 CE), Mengmian Chief Office was changed to Mengmian Native Subprefect under Shunning Prefecture. In the twenty-sixth year of the Wanli era (1598 CE), Shunning Prefecture underwent "gaitu guiliu" (replacing native chieftains with state-appointed officials) and was placed under the Jinteng Circuit; Dahou Subprefecture was renamed Yun Subprefecture under Shunning Prefecture.

In the sixteenth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1659 CE), Wandian Barbarian-Pacifying Subprefecture was transferred to Yongchang Prefecture. In the twenty-second year of the Kangxi era (1683 CE), Gengma Pacification Commission was elevated to a Pacification and Surveillance Commission, directly under the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission but loosely attached to Yongchang Prefecture. In the twelfth year of the Qianlong era (1747 CE), Mengmian Chief Office underwent "gaitu guiliu" and became Mianning Subprefecture. In the fourteenth year of the Qianlong era (1749 CE), the Assistant Subprefect of Youdian in Shunning was moved to Mianning Subprefecture under the Yixi Circuit. In the twenty-ninth year of the Qianlong era (1764 CE), Gengma Pacification and Surveillance Commission was transferred to Shunning Prefecture. In the thirty-fifth year of the Qianlong era (1770 CE), Shunning County was established as the seat of Shunning Prefecture under the Yixi Circuit. In the twenty-third year of the Guangxu era (1897 CE), the British government forced the Qing government to cede Kokang to Britain in the "Convention Between Great Britain and China Relative to Burmah and Thibet." In the twenty-fifth year of the Guangxu era (1899 CE), the first Sino-British boundary demarcation defined Mengying (Nansan) as the border between China's Gengma and British Burma's Maliwang. In the thirty-third year of the Guangxu era (1907 CE), Zhenkang Subprefecture underwent "gaitu guiliu." In the first year of the Xuantong era (1909 CE), Zhenkang Subprefecture was changed to Yongkang Subprefecture (with its seat at present-day Yongkang Town, northeast of Yongde County).

In the second year of the Republic of China (1913 CE), prefectures, subprefectures, and subprefectures were abolished: Shunning Prefecture became Shunning County, Mianning Subprefecture became Mianning County, Yongkang Subprefecture became Yongkang County, and Yun Subprefecture became Yun County. These counties were placed under the Yunnan-South Circuit and Yunnan-West Circuit. The following year, because Yongkang County shared its name with Yongkang County in Zhejiang, it was renamed Zhenkang County; the Yunnan-South Circuit was renamed Pu'er Circuit; the Yunnan-West Circuit was renamed Tengyue Circuit. In 1929, the circuit system was abolished; in the same year, Shuangjiang County was created from parts of Lancang and Mianning counties, with its seat at Mengmeng. In 1937, Cangyuan Administrative Bureau was created from Lancang County, with its seat at Mengdong. In the thirty-first year of the Republic of China (1942 CE), Gengma Administrative Bureau was created from Shunning County; the Fifth Yunnan Provincial Administrative Inspection District was established, with its office in Shunning County. In the thirty-fifth year of the Republic of China (1946 CE), the Ninth Administrative Inspection District was established, with its office in Mianning County; Shunning County was transferred to the Eleventh District.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1952, Mianning Special District was established, with its office in Mianning County, governing Mianning, Zhenkang, Shuangjiang, and other counties; Cangyuan County and Gengma County were also established. In 1954, Mianning Special District was renamed Lincang Special District, and Mianning County was renamed Lincang County. In 1956, Yun County and Fengqing County (renamed from Shunning County in 1954) from Dali Special District were transferred to Lincang Special District. In 1963, the seat of Zhenkang County was moved to Fengweiba (present-day Fengwei Town); Yongde County was created from the eastern part of Zhenkang County, with its seat at Dedang Town; Cangyuan County was abolished and replaced by Cangyuan Va Autonomous County; Gengma County was abolished and replaced by Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County. In 1970, Lincang Special District was renamed Lincang Prefecture. In 1985, Shuangjiang County was abolished and replaced by Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County. On December 26, 2003, the State Council approved the abolition of Lincang Prefecture and Lincang County, establishing the prefecture-level Lincang City; Lincang County became Linxiang District. On November 11, 2004, Lincang City was officially inaugurated.

4. Geography

Located in the Hengduan Mountains. It features a South Asian tropical monsoon climate, with an annual average temperature of 17.2°C and an average annual precipitation of 1,161.8 mm.

Average Meteorological Data for Lincang City (1981–2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |------------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|----------| | Record high °C (°F) | 25.9 | 28.6 | 30.5 | 32.4 | 34.2 | 34.4 | 31.6 | 31.7 | 30.9 | 29.6 | 27.2 | 25.8 | 34.4 | | | (78.6)| (83.5)| (86.9)| (90.3)| (93.6)| (93.9)| (88.9)| (89.1)| (87.6)| (85.3)| (81.0)| (78.4)| (93.9) | | Average high °C (°F) | 20.4 | 22.1 | 25.0 | 26.9 | 27.1 | 26.6 | 26.0 | 26.6 | 25.9 | 24.4 | 21.9 | 19.8 | 24.4 | | | (68.7)| (71.8)| (77.0)| (80.4)| (80.8)| (79.9)| (78.8)| (79.9)| (78.6)| (75.9)| (71.4)| (67.6)| (75.9) | | Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.7 | 13.7 | 16.9 | 19.3 | 21.0 | 21.9 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 20.7 | 18.8 | 14.9 | 11.8 | 17.8 | | | (53.1)| (56.7)| (62.4)| (66.7)| (69.8)| (71.4)| (71.1)| (71.1)| (69.3)| (65.8)| (58.8)| (53.2)| (64.1) | | Average low °C (°F) | 5.3 | 7.2 | 10.3 | 13.3 | 16.4 | 19.0 | 19.2 | 18.8 | 17.6 | 15.3 | 10.3 | 6.3 | 13.3 | | | (41.5)| (45.0)| (50.5)| (55.9)| (61.5)| (66.2)| (66.6)| (65.8)| (63.7)| (59.5)| (50.5)| (43.3)| (55.8) | | Record low °C (°F) | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 14.8 | 10.9 | 7.9 | 3.3 | −1.0 | −1.0 | | | (32.9)| (34.7)| (33.6)| (47.1)| (50.4)| (56.1)| (58.3)| (58.6)| (51.6)| (46.2)| (37.9)| (30.2)| (30.2) | | Average precipitation mm (inches) | 9.7 | 18.3 | 18.6 | 37.6 | 107.0 | 177.6 | 238.2 | 217.8 | 154.0 | 106.9 | 51.0 | 12.2 | 1,148.9 | | | (0.38)| (0.72)| (0.73)| (1.48)| (4.21)| (6.99)| (9.38)| (8.57)| (6.06)| (4.21)| (2.01)| (0.48)| (45.22) | | Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 3.3 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 11.4 | 16.1 | 23.4 | 26.5 | 24.0 | 21.1 | 15.3 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 164.6 | | Average relative humidity (%) | 63 | 57 | 53 | 57 | 68 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 78 | 74 | 70 | 70 | | Mean monthly sunshine hours | 245.4 | 224.6 | 236.4 | 211.0 | 185.3 | 109.1 | 91.7 | 121.7 | 124.9 | 150.9 | 177.9 | 226.5 | 2,105.4 | | Percentage of possible sunshine | 73 | 70 | 64 | 56 | 45 | 27 | 22 | 30 | 34 | 42 | 54 | 69 | 48 |

Source 1: China Meteorological Administration Meteorological Data Center

Source 2: China Meteorological Science Data Sharing Service Network (precipitation days and sunshine data for 1971–2000)

5. Administrative Divisions

Lincang City administers 1 district, 4 counties, and 3 autonomous counties.

District: Linxiang District Counties: Fengqing County, Yun County, Yongde County, Zhenkang County Autonomous Counties: Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County, Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County, Cangyuan Va Autonomous County

Administrative Divisions Map of Lincang City

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|----------------------| | 530900 | Lincang City | Líncāng Shì | 23,621 | 2,257,991 | Linxiang District | 677000 | 2 | 32 | 43 | 13 | | 530902 | Linxiang District | Línxiáng Qū | 2,558 | 370,947 | Fengxiang Subdistrict | 677000 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | | 530921 | Fengqing County | Fèngqìng Xiàn | 3,324 | 385,420 | Fengshan Town | 675900 | | 8 | 5 | 3 | | 530922 | Yun County | Yún Xiàn | 3,659 | 389,180 | Aihua Town | 675800 | | 7 | 5 | 3 | | 530923 | Yongde County | Yǒngdé Xiàn | 3,221 | 328,864 | Dedang Town | 677600 | | 3 | 7 | 2 | | 530924 | Zhenkang County | Zhènkāng Xiàn | 2,529 | 172,879 | Nansan Town | 677700 | | 3 | 4 | 1 | | 530925 | Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County | Shuāngjiāng Lāhùzú Wǎzú Bùlǎngzú Dǎizú Zìzhìxiàn | 2,157 | 164,756 | Mengmeng Town | 677300 | | 2 | 4 | | | 530926 | Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County | Gěngmǎ Dǎizú Wǎzú Zìzhìxiàn | 3,727 | 285,683 | Gengma Town | 677500 | | 4 | 5 | 1 | | 530927 | Cangyuan Va Autonomous County | Cāngyuán Wǎzú Zìzhìxiàn | 2,447 | 160,262 | Mengdong Town | 677400 | | 4 | 6 | 1 |

6. Economy

In 2012, Lincang achieved a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 35.298 billion yuan, an increase of 16.8% over 2011. Specifically: the value-added of the primary industry was 10.764 billion yuan, up 7.3%; the value-added of the secondary industry was 15.055 billion yuan, up 26.3%; and the value-added of the tertiary industry was 9.478 billion yuan, up 14.5%. The non-public sector created value-added of 13.808 billion yuan, an increase of 17.5%, accounting for 39.1% of the city's GDP, an increase of 1.3 percentage points over the previous year. The total local fiscal revenue reached 5.108 billion yuan, an increase of 33.9%. Specifically: local public budget revenue was 3.022 billion yuan, an increase of 41.3% over the previous year; local public budget expenditure was 16.062 billion yuan, an increase of 24.7%.

The per capita net income of rural residents was 5,158 yuan, an increase of 20.4% over the previous year; after adjusting for price factors, the real growth was 16.1%. The per capita disposable income of urban residents was 16,398 yuan, an increase of 15.8% over the previous year; after adjusting for price factors, the real growth was 11.7%. At the end of 2012, the city's employed population was 1.5081 million, of which 300,200 were urban employees. There were 12,300 new urban jobs created, and the registered urban unemployment rate was 3.85%.

6.1 Industry

In 2012, the total industrial value-added reached 11.253 billion yuan, an increase of 27.0% over the previous year. Among this, the value-added of industries above a designated scale grew by 20.5%. Within industries above the designated scale, state-owned and state-controlled enterprises grew by 0.9%; share-holding enterprises grew by 36.7%; enterprises with foreign, Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan investment decreased by 6.6%; and private enterprises grew by 46.7%. Light industry grew by 35.3%, and heavy industry grew by 11.4%.

In 2012, among industries above the designated scale, the agricultural and sideline products processing industry achieved value-added of 2.495 billion yuan, an increase of 31.8%; the manufacture of liquor, beverages, and refined tea achieved value-added of 927 million yuan, an increase of 40%; the mining and processing of non-ferrous metal ores achieved value-added of 345 million yuan, an increase of 46.6%; the manufacture of raw chemical materials and chemical products achieved value-added of 315 million yuan, an increase of 15.2%; the manufacture of non-metallic mineral products achieved value-added of 188 million yuan, an increase of 86.2%; the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals achieved value-added of 133 million yuan, an increase of 53.6%; and the production and supply of electric power and heat power achieved value-added of 3.304 billion yuan, an increase of 2.3%.

6.2 Finance

At the end of 2012, the balance of various RMB deposits in financial institutions was 34.706 billion yuan, an increase of 4.664 billion yuan over the previous year. Among this, corporate deposits were 15.605 billion yuan, an increase of 1.022 billion yuan over the previous year, and the balance of household savings deposits was 18.316 billion yuan, an increase of 3.471 billion yuan over the previous year. At the end of the year, the balance of various RMB loans in financial institutions was 26.90 billion yuan, an increase of 5.126 billion yuan over the previous year. Among this, short-term loans were 7.655 billion yuan, an increase of 2.113 billion yuan over the previous year, and medium- and long-term loans were 19.244 billion yuan, an increase of 3.017 billion yuan over the previous year.

7. Transportation

7.1 Highways

Lincang City has a well-developed highway network and serves as a major corridor for inland border trade with neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

Lincang City is the western terminus of National Highway 323, which connects to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province, and as far as Ruijin City in Jiangxi Province. National Highway 214 passes through Lincang City, providing direct access to Xining City in Qinghai Province, Qamdo City in Tibet, and Jinghong City, among other destinations. Within the city's jurisdiction, Zhenkang County, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, and Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County each have second-class border ports (Mengding Port, Nansan Port, and Mengdong Port) leading to Kokang and the Wa State in Myanmar, connecting with the road network within Myanmar.

7.2 Aviation

Lincang Airport, located in Boshan Town, Linxiang District, was completed and opened for operation on March 28, 2001. It operates flights between Lincang City and Kunming City. Cangyuan Washan Airport, located in Nuoliang Township, Cangyuan County, began construction in 2013 and was completed and opened for operation on December 8, 2016.

7.3 Railway

The Dali–Lincang Railway has two passenger stations within Lincang City: Lincang Station and Yunxian Station. It commenced operation on December 30, 2020.

8. Education

8.1 Overview

Lincang City is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province and is a multi-ethnic region primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities such as the Wa, Dai, and Lahu. Lincang has a well-established education system that covers all stages from preschool to higher education, providing strong talent support for the city's economic and social development.

8.1 Preschool Education

Preschool education in Lincang has developed rapidly in recent years, with the main forms including:

• Kindergartens: Lincang has numerous public and private kindergartens that provide high-quality preschool education services for children of appropriate age.

8.2 Basic Education

Lincang City has a comprehensive basic education system, which mainly includes:

• Primary Schools: Lincang has a high enrollment rate in primary education, with continuously improving teaching quality.
• Junior High Schools: Junior high school education in Lincang emphasizes the holistic development of students, with steadily improving teaching quality.
• Senior High Schools: Senior high school education in Lincang is oriented toward further education, with teaching quality ranking among the top in the province.

8.3 Vocational Education

Vocational education in Lincang aims to cultivate practical talents, with the main forms including:

• Secondary Vocational Schools: Lincang has several secondary vocational schools offering a variety of practical majors, such as tourism services, hotel management, and mechanical processing.
• Higher Vocational Colleges: Higher vocational colleges in Lincang focus on cultivating high-quality technical and skilled talents, offering a range of applied majors.

8.4 Higher Education

Higher education in Lincang has developed rapidly in recent years, with the main forms including:

• Undergraduate Institutions: Lincang has several undergraduate institutions, such as Lincang Teachers College, which provide a large number of high-quality talents for the city's economic and social development.
• Specialized Colleges: Specialized colleges in Lincang aim to cultivate applied talents and offer various practical majors.

8.5 Education Policies

The Lincang municipal government places great emphasis on education and actively promotes educational reform and development. By increasing investment in education, improving educational facilities, and enhancing teacher benefits, the Lincang municipal government continuously improves the quality of education and promotes educational equity.

9. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's resident population was 2.240 million, an increase of 7,000 people from the end of 2021, representing a growth rate of 0.31%. The birth rate at the end of 2022 was 8.09‰, the death rate was 8.23‰, and the natural growth rate was -0.13‰. The urbanization rate at the end of 2022 was 36.46%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2021.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 2,257,991. Compared with the 2,429,497 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a decrease of 171,506 people over the ten-year period, a decline of 7.06%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.73%. Among them, the male population was 1,181,240, accounting for 52.31% of the total population; the female population was 1,076,751, accounting for 47.69% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 109.7. The population aged 0–14 was 457,185, accounting for 20.25% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,462,720, accounting for 64.78% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 338,086, accounting for 14.97% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 236,911, accounting for 10.49% of the total population. The urban population was 792,078, accounting for 35.08% of the total population; the rural population was 1,465,913, accounting for 64.92% of the total population.

9.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group numbered 1,394,881, accounting for 61.78%; ethnic minorities numbered 863,110, accounting for 38.22%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population decreased by 128,781, a decline of 8.45%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.94 percentage points; the ethnic minority population decreased by 42,725, a decline of 4.72%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.94 percentage points. Among them, the Yi population decreased by 16,412, a decline of 4.61%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.39 percentage points; the Wa population decreased by 20,712, a decline of 8.81%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.18 percentage points; the Dai population decreased by 2,230, a decline of 1.95%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.26 percentage points; the Lahu population decreased by 3,047, a decline of 3.55%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.13 percentage points.

Ethnic Composition of Lincang City (2020 Seventh National Population Census)

| Ethnic Group | Han | Yi | Wa | Dai | Lahu | Blang | Bai | Hui | Lisu | Miao | Other Ethnic Groups | |------------------|---------|--------|--------|---------|----------|-----------|---------|---------|----------|----------|-------------------------| | Population | 1,394,881 | 339,356 | 214,453 | 112,082 | 82,771 | 37,509 | 29,359 | 9,996 | 9,645 | 9,350 | 18,589 | | Percentage of Total Population (%) | 61.78 | 15.03 | 9.5 | 4.96 | 3.67 | 1.66 | 1.3 | 0.44 | 0.43 | 0.41 | 0.82 | | Percentage of Ethnic Minority Population (%) | — | 39.32 | 24.85 | 12.99 | 9.59 | 4.35 | 3.4 | 1.16 | 1.12 | 1.08 | 2.15 |

10. Religion

10.1 Overview

Lincang City, located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province, is a multi-ethnic region primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities such as the Wa, Dai, and Lahu. The religious culture in Lincang is diverse, with Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam being the main religions. Each religion has a certain base of followers and places of worship in Lincang, forming a unique religious and cultural landscape.

10.2 Buddhism

Buddhism has a long history and widespread influence in Lincang City. There are several famous Buddhist temples in Lincang, such as:

• Lincang Dafo Temple: Located in the urban area of Lincang, it is one of the famous Buddhist sacred sites in the city.
• Cangyuan Guangyun Mian Temple: Located in Cangyuan County, it is a historically significant Buddhist temple in Lincang.

10.3 Taoism

Taoism also holds a certain influence in Lincang City, with several Taoist temples present, such as:

• Lincang Taihe Palace: Located in the urban area of Lincang, it is one of the famous Taoist sacred sites in the city.

10.4 Christianity

Christianity was introduced relatively late in Lincang City but has developed rapidly in recent years. There are several Christian churches in Lincang, such as:

• Lincang Christian Church: Located in the urban area of Lincang, it is one of the main Christian activity venues in the city.

10.5 Islam

Islam has a relatively smaller number of followers in Lincang City, but there are still places for religious activities. There is one mosque in Lincang, such as:

• Lincang Mosque: Located in the urban area of Lincang, it is the main religious activity venue for Muslims in the city.

11. Culture

Yun County under its jurisdiction is the hometown of the righteous protagonist Shi Yanwen from the famous Taiwanese puppet show "The Great Confucian Hero of Yunzhou," which corresponds to the historical Yunzhou.

12. Sister Cities

Dubna, Russia Gampola, Sri Lanka Lashio, Myanmar Kep Province, Cambodia

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Named for its proximity to the Lancang River.

Linxiang District

Linxiang District

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