Jinghong

Jinghong (Dai / Tai Lü, ; เชียงรุ่ง, also (formerly) romanised as chiang rung, chiang hung, chengrung, cheng hung, jinghung and muangjinghung) is the capital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, and the historic capital of the former Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna.

Location

Located between 100°25' - 101°31' East and 2127' - 2236' North. Yunnan Province borders Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces to the northeast, Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest, and Guangxi Province to the west. Xishuangbanna borders Myanmar to the southwest and Laos to the southeast.

Population and area

Population: 363,110 (urban population: 94,162) Area: 7'003 km²

Geography

The city is limited to the south by Hengduan Shan Mountain Range, Lancang River (Mekong River) passes by Jinghong. Two bridges near the city span this river, which flows south-east towards Laos.Climatically, Jinghong is between the tropical zone of China to the North, and the subtropical further South. The city receives humid monsoon climate, with extensive summer and virtually no winter. Annual Sunlight is 1800-2300 hours, average temperature of 18.6°C -21.9°C and annual rainfall of 1200-1700mm.

History

Yuan Dynasty

During the Chinese Yuan Dynasty, the Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna began a close and long-lasting relationship to Lanna, another historic Tai kingdom that lay south. In 1296, Lanna's capital Chiang Mai was founded by Mangrai, who's maternal grandfather was King Rung Kaen Chai (รุ้งแก่นชาย) of Jinghong (ie: Sipsongpanna).

The kingdoms of Sipsongpanna and Lanna maintained ties of migration, intermarriage and long distance trade over the subsequent centuries, though later, as Lanna's power grew, parts of the Sipsongpanna region fell under Lanna's control.

Ming Dynasty

In 1401 during the Chinese Ming Dynasty, the Sipsongpanna Tai ruler Tau Se Da Xam (pinyin dao xianda) attacked a smaller Tai area to the north known as Weiyuan (Tai; or pinyin Weiyuan). The Ming administration sought to retaliate but adopted a cautious response of diplomacy and Tau Se Da Xam withdrew his troops. About this period Sipsongpanna began to pay tribute to the Ming.

In 1405 the Sipsongpanna Tai attacked Chiang Mai, in conjunction with Ming Chinese troops.

In 1421 the Chinese attempted to cause a split in Sipsongpanna by backing multiple administrations during a period of civil strife, but their plan failed to succeed.

1448 saw the defeat of Muong Mao, a Tai state in eastern Burma, by a combination of Chinese, Sipsongpanna and allied forces united under the Ming.

In the 1450s another struggle for succession arose in Sipsongpanna, with one faction backed by Kengtung and one by Chiang Mai. Despite the Kengtung faction's victory, conflict started with that state shortly afterwards.

The Burmese Toungoo state arose in the 1530s to crush Chiang Mai, and its influence also extended to Kengtung and Sipsongpanna, which like other Tai kingdoms soon began to pay tribute.

Tourist attractions

The Dai Water Splashing Festival and nearby villages of that and other ethnic groups are the main attractions. Additionally, at least three botanical parks and gardens and are located in or near the city.