Wenshan Geography

Geographic Location

Wenshan City is located in the southeastern part of Yunnan Province, southwestern part of Wenshan Prefecture. It spans between 103°43′E to 104°27′E longitude and 23°06′N to 23°44′N latitude. It is adjacent to Yanshan County to the east and north, Ma’gan County to the south, and borders Mengzi City of Honghe Prefecture to the west, with Pingbian County across the river and Wenshan City’s southeast adjoining Xichou County. According to the third national land survey, the total area of Wenshan City is 2967.17 square kilometers. The central urban area where the Wenshan Municipal Government is located also serves as the capital of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, functioning as its political, economic, and cultural center.

Wenshan City is strategically located: it is 35 kilometers from National Highway 323, 26 kilometers from Wenshan Puzhehei Airport, 308 kilometers north to Kunming (provincial capital), 576 kilometers east to Nanning in Guangxi, 116 kilometers south to Tianbao National Port, 90 kilometers to Duolong Port, and 163 kilometers to Hekou Port. It is 126 kilometers west to Mengzi City of Honghe Prefecture, serving as the southeastern gateway of Yunnan Province and a crucial transportation hub leading to Beibu Gulf, Pearl River Delta, and Southeast Asia.

Terrain and Landforms

Geological and Topographical Features

Wenshan City lies within the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau’s southeastern karst mountainous region, characterized by complex terrain and prominent karst landforms. The overall terrain slopes from northwest to southeast, with continuous mountain ranges, valleys, and gorges crisscrossing the area. Major peaks include Bozhu Mountain, Lianyun Mountain, Huayu Mountain, and Laojun Mountain, with slopes generally exceeding 25°. The average elevation is around 1250 meters above sea level, with peak elevations reaching over 1500 meters. Bozhu Mountain stands as the highest peak in southeastern Yunnan, towering at 2991.2 meters above sea level and commanding the southwestern horizon.

In the southwest, the confluence of Namenguo River and Faguo River marks the lowest elevation at 618 meters, creating a vertical difference of 2373.2 meters from the highest peak. Wenshan City is divided into eight distinct mountainous regions: Western high mountain gorges, western edge mid-mountain areas, northern low hills and ridges, eastern mid-mountain areas, southern mid-low peak clusters, southwestern edge steep slope gorges, central-southern mid-mountain areas, and central-western-northern mid-low mountain areas. The Panlong River flows diagonally from northwest to southeast, forming a corridor-like terrain with higher elevations on both sides and lower elevations in the middle. The river valley basin where the city is located covers an area of 31.15 square kilometers, making it the largest basin in the city. The ratio of mountainous areas to basins in Wenshan City is approximately 9:1.

Climate

Wenshan City experiences a subtropical monsoon climate due to its location in the southeastern part of Yunnan Province at low latitudes on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with proximity to the Beibu Gulf in the southeast and the Bay of Bengal in the southwest. Abundant rainfall is brought by water vapor from these directions. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the city’s territory, placing most of it south of the Tropic of Cancer. The climate is characterized by mild winters without severe cold, summers without extreme heat, long springs and autumns, and short winters and summers, resulting in pleasant year-round weather.

The climate pattern is generally described as having “cold and hot throughout the year, long rains turning into autumn; clear and warm winters during the spring, with occasional cold spells during the awakening of insects.” The city averages 2028 hours of annual sunshine, an accumulated temperature of 6829.3°C, a frost-free period averaging 309 days, with first frosts occurring in early December and last frosts in late January. Snowfall occurs approximately once every 10 years. The average annual temperature is 18.4°C, with a diurnal temperature range of 11.7°C. The average relative humidity is 75%, and the annual average rainfall is 1187.8 millimeters, totaling about 28 billion cubic meters of precipitation annually.

Natural Resources

Mineral Resources

Wenshan City’s geological structure lies on the southwestern edge of the South China Fold System, serving as a transitional zone between the South China Fold System and the Yangtze Platform. The area features complex geological structures, well-developed sedimentary strata, and frequent intense magmatic activities, creating favorable conditions for mineralization. By the end of 2015, the city had identified 165 mineral deposits, including 13 coal mines, 17 iron mines, 1 manganese mine, 1 ilmenite mine, 7 lead-zinc mines, 7 bauxite mines, 10 tungsten mines, 2 tin mines, 1 gold mine, 1 silver mine, 4 arsenic mines, 2 metallurgical silicon mines, 3 cement limestone mines, 1 cement ingredient sand mine, 51 construction stone limestone mines, 14 brick and tile shale mines, 2 brick and tile clay mines, 10 construction sand mines, 2 construction granite mines, 10 marble mines, 2 decorative granite mines, 3 mineral water sources, and 1 hot spring.

According to the “Summary of Mineral Resources Reserves in Yunnan Province by the end of 2015,” major solid mineral reserves in Wenshan City included 5.884 million tons of coal, 180,000 tons of iron, 1.915 million tons of manganese, 5,424 tons of copper, 20,592 tons of lead, 40,376 tons of zinc, 27.654 million tons of bauxite, 58,545 tons of tungsten, 179 tons of silver, 1,435 tons of gallium, 2,974 tons of arsenic, 7.18 million tons of pyrite, 141,000 tons of silica limestone, and 42.062 million tons of cement limestone. Wenshan City ranks among the top in Yunnan Province for its reserves of aluminum, tungsten, arsenic, gallium, and bismuth.

Water Resources

In 2020, Wenshan City’s water supply included 171.06 million cubic meters from surface water projects, 0.096 million cubic meters from groundwater sources, and no water from other unconventional sources, totaling 174.02 million cubic meters. The city primarily relies on reservoir engineering for its water supply. Water usage in 2020 included agricultural irrigation, industrial production, domestic consumption, and artificial ecological environment replenishment, totaling 174.02 million cubic meters. Agricultural irrigation accounted for 71.51 million cubic meters (41.09%), industrial production for 45.03 million cubic meters (25.88%), domestic consumption for 30.28 million cubic meters (17.37%), and artificial ecological environment replenishment for 3.20 million cubic meters (1.84%).

Land Resources

As of December 2015, Wenshan City’s total land area was 296,686.11 hectares, including 250,795.69 hectares of arable land, 8,247.24 hectares of construction land, and 37,643.18 hectares of unused land. Within the arable land, there were 102,753.39 hectares of cultivated land, 2,066.89 hectares of orchards, and 120,687.35 hectares of forest land. Among construction land, there were 7,312.41 hectares of urban and rural construction land, 884.81 hectares of transportation and water conservancy land, and 50.02 hectares of special use land. Among unused land, there were 726.22 hectares of water area and 36,916.96 hectares of natural reserves.

Biological Resources

In 2022, Wenshan City had one natural reserve covering an area of 22,960.4 hectares. The area is rich in flora and fauna, with 262 species of ferns in 45 families and 100 genera, 3,085 species of seed plants in 187 families and 946 genera. Thirty species are under national key protection, and three are under provincial key protection. Nine species of nationally protected endangered plants (such as Magnolia lancifera, Magnolia sinica, and Podocarpus neriifolius) and three species under provincial protection (such as Podocarpus neriifolius, Pseudolarix amabilis, and Dacrydium pierrei) are found here. There are over 350 species of wildlife, including 8 species of animals under national first-level protection like macaques and wild goats, and over 170 species of birds. The biodiversity is extremely rich within the natural reserve area.

This reorganization maintains the structure with clear headings (h1, h2, h3) and integrates English translations while preserving Chinese place names.