Yuxi

Yuxi is located in the center of Yunnan province, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of Kunming, the provincial capital. Like much of the central and eastern parts of the province, it is part of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau.

The area is 15,285 km² (5,902 sq mi) and the population is approximately 2.5 million.

Near Yuxi city is Fuxian Lake, the second-deepest freshwater lake in China, where there have been discoveries of ancient fossils that are now in the possession of the Yuxi museum. There are also three other lakes around the city. They are Xingyun Lake, Qilu Lake, and Yangzong Lake.

Tempered by the low latitude and moderate elevation, Yuxi has a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with short, mild, dry winters, and warm, rainy summers. Frost may occur in winter, but the days still generally warm up to around 17 °C (63 °F). During summer, a majority of the days feature some rainfall, and daytime temperatures rise to 26 °C (79 °F). A great majority of the year's rainfall occurs from June to October.

• China National Highway 213
• G8511 Kunming–Mohan Expressway
• Kunming–Yuxi–Hekou railway
• Yuxi–Mohan railway

The city was founded in 960 AD, a time when Yunnan was not yet part of China. Yuxi was once the core area of Yunnan Province during the pre-Qin period (period before 221 BC). In the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), it became a county of Yizhou Shire. The following dynasties witnessed the continuous separations and unifications of the area. It was not until 1997 that Yuxi became a prefecture-level city of the People's Republic of China.^[7]

Among the resident population, the Han population is 1,560,279, accounting for 67.73% of the total population; the ethnic minorities population is 743,232, accounting for 32.27% of the total population.

Rao Nanhu is the mayor of Yuxi City.

Nie Er: The composer of China's National Anthem's ancestral home is Yuxi (he was born in nearby Kunming).

Chu Shijian: Chinese business executive and entrepreneur, known as the "king of tobacco" and the "king of oranges".

Fuxian Lake (抚仙湖)

One of China's deepest freshwater lakes, Fuxian Lake boasts exceptionally clear waters, earning it the nickname "Pearl of the Plateau." It's ideal for swimming, diving, boating, and lakeside vacations.

Yuxi is the home of the Hongta Group, which was named after the Red Pagoda which sits atop a nearby hill. The Pagoda was originally white, but was painted red during the Cultural Revolution. The tobacco is of high quality because there are over 2300 hours of sunlight a year in the region, adequate rainfall in the summer, and excellent soil that produces a plethora of other fruits and vegetables. The region has begun producing wine, which could prove to be quite palatable in the next decade or so. There are substantial mineral deposits of tin and phosphate ores, including the Heavenly Triangle of Huaning,^[9] Jiangchuan and Chengjiang.

Yuxi is one of the fastest growing small cities in China. In 2001, the city won an Honor Award in Analysis & Planning by the American Society of Landscape Architects. In 2004, UNIDO held a Workshop on Seed Treatment Technology, one of only two in China.

Yuxi Normal University is a university located in Yuxi with almost 8000 students. It was founded in 1978 as Yuxi Normal College. In 2000, under the approval from the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, it was renamed Yuxi Normal University, with the merging of Yuxi Adult Education Center and Yuxi Normal School.

• Yunnan Institute of Development