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Panzhihua is a prefecture-level city which is situated in the southwest Sichuan Province. Bordering Yunnan in the south, Panzhihua City is where the Jinsha River and Yalong Rivers converge, 749 kilometers from Chengdu and 351 kilometers from Kunming.  Panzhihua has showed determination and majesty in transforming from a steel city into a tourism city.

Facts of Panzhihua

Chinese Name: 攀枝花市 (pān zhī huā shì)
Population: 1,079,800
Area: 7,440 square kilometers (2,873 square miles)
Nationalities: Han,Yi
Administrative Division: 3 districts (East District, West District, Renhe District); 2 counties (Miyi, Yanbian)

History of Panzhihua

The Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) first established the counties and shires of this area. Its territory was initially formed by the ascription of five counties from Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. In 1965, Panzhihua was renamed from a special zone into Dukou City, and gained its present name in 1987.   

Goography of Panzhihua

Situated in the southwest Sichuan bordering Yunnan in the south, Panzhihua is where the Jinsha River and Yalong Rivers converge. The terrain of this region slopes downwards from the northwest to the southeast. It has an interleaving distribution of mountains, forming highlands and ravines and valleys and basins. The city has many rivers, belonging to the Yangtze River system. 

What to see in Panzhihua?

 Compared with other cities in Sichuan, the tourism resources in Panzhihua are not so rich. But recently, Panzhihua has promoted the construction of tourism projects of high-level, creating the conception of “Sunshine Leisure Health City in China” for the first time. The major attarctions are listed as below:

Dragon Pond Cave	Ertan National Forest Park	Pingjiang Church

When to visit Panzhihua?

The average annual temperature in Panzhihua is 20℃, with over 300 frost-free days and 2,700 hours of sunshine in a year. It is advantageous for Panzhihua to spend winter.

Situated between the south subtropical and north temperate zones, Panzhihua weather is complex and varied with a longer summer. Its four seasons tend to blur, but there are clear wet and dry seasons. Generally, early June to October is the rainy season and November to May is the dry season. The hottest weather usually appears in May, and the temperature varies greatly between day and night. While most of cities in North China are locked in freezing winter, Panzhihua maintains a sunny climate. In fact more than ninety-four percent of the winter days are sunny. Average monthly temperatures are 7-13℃  that is higher than its nearby cities, such as Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming. It is definitely a winter resort. 

How to get to Panzhihua?

Panzhihua Airport is located in the southeast of the city proper, operating flights to Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming. Visitors can get to Kunming by train in about six hours. In addition, buses from Panzhihua to Kunming depart every 20 minutes. There are also about five long-distance buses daily to Dali and Lijiang.

Panzhihua Travel Tips

1. Panzhihua is for the whole family. Panzhihua is the happy land for the senior people in China. The key to a health paradise is the sound health care system. It is reported that after many years’ effort, Panzhihua, a city enlisted on the second batch of pilot health city by World Health Organization, has established urban three-level healthcare service system, which consists of municipal-level hospitals, community health service center and community health service stations, and rural three-level healthcare system, which consists of country (district) hospitals, township hospitals and village hospitals. At present, there eared about 1,000 medical and health institutes of all levels, including 5 Grade-three A hospitals and 1 Grade-three B hospitals and other special medical institutes with all kinds of medical equipment. 

2. Local Highlights: Panzhihua International Yangtze River Rafting Festival at Jinshajiang River Rafting Base (Nov.-Dec.)

3. Special Local Products: Juque Inkstone, tuckahoe

4. Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0812-3355632, 96927
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0812-3551578