Located at the junction of the Minjiang River and Yangtze River, Yibin is a prefecture-level city in south central China, the southern part of Sichuan Province. Covering an area of 13,283 square kilometers (5,129 square miles), it has a population 5,269,800. In Chinese history, it was once the most prosperous ancient city in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It was the starting point of the so-called 'Southern Silk Road'. Today, Yibin is well-known for its local product, one of China's best-known distilled spirits- Wuliangye.
History
Yibin is an ancient city where human started to settle at least forty thousand years ago. It was established as a county during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Since the ancient times, Yibin has been the communication hub of the tribes of Ba, Shu, Yunnan and Yelang. Backing mountains and facing rivers with geographical danger and difficulty, it was the strategic pass way of the central plains to the southern China during the Qin (221 - 207 BC) and Han dynasties. In the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) periods, it became Xuzhou superior prefecture, known to Europeans as Suifu. In 1912 it reverted to the status of a county as Yibin. In 1951 Yibin was established as a city.
Geography
The topography of the whole city is mainly low and middle hill lands, mingled with mountains and valleys. Yibin's general topography slopes downward from the southeast to the northeast. The lands of the city with an altitude of 500 to 2,000 meters (1,640 to 6,562 feet), of which more than 45 percent is covered with hills. In the western part are the stretches of the Liang Mountains; the southern part is the rim of Sichuan Basin; in the northeastern part is the rest of Huaying Mountain with Qixin, Longtou and Guandou Mountains near Yibin.
Climate
Belonging to the subtropical monsoon humid climate, Yibin has plentiful rainfall, usually in June and July. It has four seasons and spring and autumn are comparatively longer. The average temperature of a whole year is 17.5 degrees Centigrade (36.5 degrees Fahrenheit) and the average amount of precipitation is 1,070 millimeters (42 inches). Generally, the climate is mild throughout the year, since summer is not hot and winter is that very cold.
Tourist Attractions
There are many tourist attractions that surround Yibin. Such attractions include the Lizhuang Ancient Town, Southern Sichuan Bamboo Forest and the Cuiping Mountain. Cuiping Mountain in the centre of the city provides wonderful natural scenery. The 'Bamboo Sea' is just located in Changling and Jiang'an counties, 140 kilometers (87 miles) west of the city. Part of the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was shot in this lush forest.
Transportation
Yibin is connected to Chongqing and Chengdu by railway and expressways. Yibin's proximity to borders of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces also means that transportation to the two provinces is available by rail and by bus. Yibin also has an airport that offers flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming and Guangzhou.
What to see: Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea
