Jinghong (; Dai /
Tai Lü, ; , 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 east. Xishuangbanna borders
Myanmar to the southwest and
Laos to the southeast.
Geography
Looking west along the
Mekong river in the evening
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 () 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
Mong 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.
Transport
One of Jinghong's many palm-lined streets
- The city has the largest public transportation center in Xishuangbanna and connects travelers to nearby cities, towns and villages.
Places of interest
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.
