Zhijin County

Zhijin County (simplified Chinese: 织金县; traditional Chinese: 織金縣; pinyin: Zhījīn Xiàn) is a county under the administration of Bijie City in western Guizhou province, China.

History

It has been inhabited since the Qin dynasty, populated mainly by Gelao people. After the Jin dynasty, Yi people moved in. During the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty, a city was founded at its place and called Pingyuan (平远), meaning "peace at the borders". In 1914, it was renamed after one of its streets called Zhijin (织金, meaning "weaving gold") by the newly formed Republican government.

Geography and climate

Zhijin County is located in the southeastern part of Bijie Prefecture, roughly in the middle of Guizhou province. It is 151 km from Guiyang, 95 km from Anshun, 129 km from Bijie City. It spans 82.5 km from East to West, and 66 km from North to South. Its total area is 2868km2.

Karst topography dominates the landscape, with caves everywhere. The Zhijin Cave 22 km from the county seat is considered the most magnificent cave in China, and is a popular tourist spot.

The highest point in the county has altitude 2262 m, and the lowest 1319 m. Average temperature is 14.7 c, with annual rainfall 938.4 mm.

Economy

The most important industry is tourism, with Zhijin Cave the number one attraction drawing tourists from all over China and the world.

Demographics

There are 23 ethnic groups living in Zhijin, including Han Chinese, Miao, Yi, Hui and Buyei. 48.02％ of Zhijin's population are considered minorities in China.

Administration

There are 11 towns and 21 townships in the county. Among them are:

• Banqiao township

External links

• Brief information about Zhijin County (in Chinese)
• Local Government website (in Chinese)
• Popular local forum(in Chinese)