Jinghong

Jinghong, city, southern Yunnan sheng (province), southwestern China. It is situated in a rich basin on the west bank of the Mekong (Lancang) River, near the borders of Myanmar (Burma) and Laos. A military-civilian administration of Cheli Region was set up there during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368). During the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), it was called Cheli township and then became Cheli county in 1929. It was renamed Jinghong county in 1958, and, since 1993, it has been administered as a county-level city.

Jinghong was of minor significance before 1953, but the completion of a highway that year from Kunming, the provincial capital, and the institution of a less oppressive policy toward the local Dai (Tai) peoples than previously under the communist administration from 1949 made it an important commercial centre for the remote mountains of the extreme southern section of the province. Routes lead from Jinghong south into Laos and southwest into Myanmar. In addition, navigation improvements on the Mekong have made it possible for ships of up to 100 tons to reach upstream to Jinghong, and since the mid-1980s the city has become China’s southwestern trading port to the countries of Southeast Asia. A new airport was completed in 1990, and there are now daily flights to several major Chinese cities as well as to Bangkok, Thai.

Various small industries process the cotton, grain, sugar, and oilseeds produced locally. There are also woodworking plants and brick and tile works. Jinghong’s tropical forests and scenery and the attraction of Dai customs and lifestyle have made it a popular tourist destination. Pop. (2002 est.) 150,178.