Weiyuanjiang River in Jinggu County, Puer
Chinese Name: 威远江
English Name: Weiyuanjiang River in Jinggu County, Puer
Address: Weiyuan Town, Jinggu County, Pu’er City
Overview
The Weiyuanjiang River is one of the larger tributaries of the Lancang River within Yunnan Province. It stretches 290 km in length, has a drainage area of 8,800 square kilometers, and a drop of 1,700 meters. The average gradient is 5.86‰, with an average annual flow rate of 193 cubic meters per second at the river mouth, and a theoretical hydropower potential of 430,000 kW.
Attractions
Travel 41 kilometers from Zhongbi Road, passing through the fertile Zhongshan Basin, and you will enter the 40-kilometer-long Green Gorge—Weiyuan Natural Reserve. The Weiyuanjiang River flows through this reserve, with verdant forests lining both banks. The riverbanks feature dense tropical rainforests, mixed broadleaf forests in the middle zone, and Pu’er pine forests at the higher elevations. Towering trees, some dozens of meters high, cover every mountain in the reserve. The riverbanks are only a few hundred meters wide, allowing conversations between both sides; even if no one responds, the mountains echo back.
The Weiyuanjiang River flows through the rugged terrain of the Wuliang Mountain range. The interplay of lush green mountains and clear waters creates a harmonious and picturesque landscape. Sometimes, the river flows gently, seeming to respect the tranquility of the mountains. At other times, it speeds up, as if singing along with the pine forests, creating a rhythmic beauty that reflects the majesty of the mountains and the elegance of the water.
Weiyuanjiang Provincial Nature Reserve
The Weiyuanjiang Provincial Nature Reserve is located within Yizhi Township, Jinggu Dai and Yi Autonomous County, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province. It covers a total area of 7,704 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 99.39%.
The reserve is rich in biodiversity. According to resource surveys, it hosts 192 families, 790 genera, and 1,485 species of vascular plants, including 9 species of nationally protected wild plants. It is also home to 295 species of terrestrial vertebrates, including 36 species of nationally protected wild animals.
