About PanZhiHua
What to see and do in PanZhiHua
Weather in PanZhiHua
Airport in PanZhiHua
Visa
Panzhihua is a prefecture-level city located in Sichuan Province, south central China, on the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers. It has an area of 7440.398 square kilometers and a population of 1,100,800 as of 2007
Panzhihua is situated in the southwest of Sichuan, where the Yalung River merges with the Jinsha River. It is 749km from Chengdu in the north, 351km from Kunming in the south, 213km from Lugu Lake in the west and 302km from Lijiang. It borders Huili County of Liangshan Prefecture in the west; Yongren County of Yunnan Province in the south; Huaping County and Linlang Yi Autonomous County in the west; the counties of Dechang and Yanyuan in the north. Supported with traffic infrastructures such as the Chengdu'Kunming Railway, Panzhihua Airport and Chengdu-Panzhihua Expressway, the city serves as a communication hub on the 'Southern Silk Road', a shortcut linking Sichuan to the coastal cities and ports in South China and Southeast Asia, and a doorway to the tourist attractions in the southwest of Sichuan and Northwest of Yunnan.
What to see and do in PanZhiHua
Longtan Water-Eroded Cave Scenic Spot: 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Miyi county town, the picturesque scenic area includes the Longtan Water-Eroded Cave, the Longyin Canyon, natural bonsai (miniscape) garden, wild plants, arboretum and the Longzhou Mountain.
Ertan Scenic Area: Consisting of Ertan National Forest Park and Ertan Hydropower Station, the scenic area boasts verdant mountains and forest, as well as the largest hyperbolic arch dam in Asian, and several islets in the reservoir.
Demystification of Industrial History in West China
Industrial tourism is widely talked about today. The New York Mint and Haier Production
base in Qingdao receive tens of thousands of visitors every day.
The Ertan Hydro-power project, which 'makes high gorges into a lake',
boasts a dam ranking highest in Asia and third highest in the world, and an
underground powerhouse, the largest one in Asia. Pangang'a steel works
elaborately arranged in the same fashion like an 'ivory miniature' is the largest
supplier of vanadium, titanium products and heavy rails, where tourists are offered
the opportunity to witness power of high technology and demystify the story behind
sparkling iron droplets. The 503 powerhouse, a colossal underground structure
erected in 1960's -1970's is all arranged inside a mountain, which is peculiarly
appealing to tourists. The Lianjian mine is the largest open pit of V-bearing
titaniferous magnetite, which will be dressed into a highlighted scenic spot.
According to the 'National Standards for Agricultural Tourism Demonstration
and Industrial Tourism Demonstration', infrastructures for the Ertan project--a
'World Class Dam', Pangang--a steel works elaborately arranged in the same
fashion like an 'ivory miniature' and 503 Powerhouse--a gigantic underground
complex, will be optimized to offer tourists an opportunity to experience spectacular
modern civilization.
Sunshine Hot Spring for Holiday Spending
The Hongge Hot Spring Scenic Zone intended for holiday spending covers an
area of 4.3km2. Listed among the 'Major Three Landscapes' by the municipal
government, this project has been designed and planned according to
high standards by the Japanese hot spring experts. Additionally there is a vast
land for fruit production in the vicinity of the spring area, where eco-agriculture
is booming. This route offers you the opportunity to enjoy hot spring bath room,
outdoor swimming pool, health care villa as well as guest rooms, tasteful dishes
and folk recreations. The third expansion project with an estimated total investment
of RMB 1.936 billion consists of Panzhihua Mingji Sunshine Hot Spring International
Club(First phase), Panzhihua National Shooting and Archery Training Center(first phase),
a tourist street, a hotel, a health care center, a park, a holiday villa,
three golf courses and national small ball games training base.
Hongge will soon develop into a national hot spring landscape specially designated
for holiday spending.
Fascinating Landscape of the Great Rift Valley
The Ertan National Woodland Park covers a planned area of 732km2,
of which 101 km2 is occupied by water. It boasts a forest coverage of 70% with many
species of plants and animals. The Asia first dam, symbol of industrial
civilization, stands against the background of natural scenic combination of
mountains, lakes, springs, woods and caverns. The park has been filed under
the 2002-2010 Woodland Park Development Program proposed by the
State Forest Administration. To develop sight-seeing, holiday-spending and
special tourist resorts and boost eco-travel, a total of RMB 2 billion will be invested
into this project.
The Changjiang Rafting Festival as the image speaker of the city has been successfully held in Panzhihua for consecutive three years. During the Labor Day period 2005, the festival entitled 'First Rafting Station on the Changjiang River'a Leisure Seeking Destination' was launched which attracted hundreds of participators within 7 days.
Folk Customs in the Borderland
Panzhihua is an emerging city of immigrants with 42 ethnic minority groups,
including the Yi, Lisu and Hui, which contribute to various folk customs such as
the 'Torch Festival', the 'Skirt-exchange Ceremony' and 'Dongjing Ceremonial Music
of the Yi people; the 'Water-splashing Festival' and 'Having a Date with Girls' of the Dai;
'Paperless Love Letters' of the Lisu; 'Zouhun (Moving Marriage)' and the 'Chengding
(Coming of Age) Festival of the Mosuo. Colorful cultures as well as diversified folk songs,
dances and costumes, regional special tastes are all appealing to visitors.
Listed among the key attractions on the China Great Shangrila Touring Route and proposed under the Sichuan Shangrila Travel Industry Program, Gesala Eco-tourism Project was officially appraised in March 2005. With a total investment estimated at RMB 448 million, the proposed project covers an area of 100 km2 including a central scenic area of 20km2. Scenic spots include the Yi Village Tourist Reception Center, the Horse-racing Field , the 'Natural Ported Landscape', the Suomageze Wetland, the Ridunixi Highland Pasture for Horse-riding and Shepherding, the Jiudaozulin Virgin Forest and the Lishihuopu Camping Area. In response to the state Great Shangrila tourism development program, a Management Committee has been established to intensify investment promotion for this project. By 2006 this project is scheduled to come into initial operation. Additional projects proposed are: the Ashuda Agricultural New Village for suburb holiday spending; the Yishala Yi Village in Renhe District to be the first Lipu Yi demonstration village in China and the Xinshan Lisu Folk Custom Town. By promoting regional eco-resources, folk customs and cultures, a 50-km-long tourism corridor extending over Hongge-Ertan-Gesala will soon be formed. In combination with other well-known tourism resorts in the borderland, such as Chuxiong, Lijiang, Dali, etc, an eco-culture oriented touring route covering both Sichuan and Yunnan will come with a promising future.
Panzhihua is a treasure of natural resources, but remained a wasteland until 1960. It was founded on a remote headwater of the Yangtze River in 1966 as a steel production center. It grew rapidly as it remained relatively prosperous while the rest of the country was undergoing the Cultural Revolution. The city is home to the Panzhihua Iron and Steel (Group) Co, called "Pangang ??", the leading steel company in southwest China. There remains a remnant population of the ancient cycad forests which were once home to the giant panda. The area has a subtropical climate.
Panzhihua is a highly industrialized area, which is dominated by a truly gigantic mining operation. Most of the land not in use for mining is taken up by subsistence farming. Panzhihua is linked to Chengdu and Kunming by rail. With Panzhihua Airport, Panzhihua is also linked by Air to Chengdu.
Situated between the south subtropical and north temperate zones, the climate of Panzhihua is complex and varied with a longer summer. Its four seasons tend to blur, but there are clear wet and dry seasons. Generally, early June to October is the rainy season and November to May is the dry season. The hottest weather usually appears in May, and the temperature varies greatly between day and night.
When to Go: While most of cities in North China are locked in freezing winter, Panzhihua maintains a sunny climate. In fact more than ninety-four percent of the winter days are sunny. Average monthly temperatures are 7 C -13 C that is higher than its nearby cities, such as Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming. It is definitely a winter resort.
January 0 C - 16 C
February 2 C - 18 C
March 6 C - 21 C
April 9 C - 24 C
May 14 C - 26 C
June 17 C - 26 C
July 18 C - 26 C
August 17 C - 26 C
September 15 C - 24 C
October 12 C - 21 C
November 6 C - 18 C
December 2 C - 16 C
Panzhihua Airport is located in the southeast of the city proper, operating flights to Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming. Visitors can get to Kunming by train in about six hours. In addition, buses from Panzhihua to Kunming depart every 20 minutes. There are also about five long-distance buses daily to Dali and Lijiang.
Panzhihua Airport is an airport in Panzhihua, Sichuan, People's Republic of China (IATA: PZI). The airport opened in December 2003. Construction of the airport began in 2000 and cost a total of RMB 1.1 billion.
Airlines and destinations of PanZhiHua
Air China (Chengdu)
China Eastern Airlines (Chengdu)
Sichuan Airlines (Chengdu, Chongqing)
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0812-3355632, 96927
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0812-3551578
To be able to travel to PanZhiHua you need to have a valid China Visa, issue from your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter: (1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.
(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.
(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.
(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.
(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).
(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..
(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.
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