Yibin (simplified Chinese: 宜宾; traditional Chinese: 宜賓; pinyin: Yíbīn; Wade–Giles: I-pin; Sichuanese Pinyin: ȵi2bin1; Sichuanese pronunciation: [ɲi˨˩pin˥]) is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of Sichuan province, China, located at the junction of the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Its population was 4,588,804 inhabitants, according to the 2020 census, of whom 2,158,312 lived in the built-up area comprising three urban districts.

Yibin
宜宾市
View of Yibin from Cuiping Mountain
View of Yibin from Cuiping Mountain
Location of Yibin City (jurisdiction) in Sichuan
Location of Yibin City (jurisdiction) in Sichuan
Yibin is located in Southwest China
Yibin
Yibin
Location in Southwest China
Yibin is located in China
Yibin
Yibin
Yibin (China)
Coordinates (Yibin municipal government): 28°45′07″N 104°38′35″E / 28.752°N 104.643°E / 28.752; 104.643
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceSichuan
Municipal seatXuzhou District
Area
 • Prefecture-level city13,293.89 km2 (5,132.80 sq mi)
 • Urban
80 km2 (30 sq mi)
 • Metro
1,131 km2 (437 sq mi)
Elevation
321 m (1,053 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[2]
 • Prefecture-level city4,588,804
 • Density350/km2 (890/sq mi)
 • Urban
2,158,312
 • Urban density27,000/km2 (70,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
2,158,312
 • Metro density1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)
GDP[3]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 152.6 billion
US$ 24.5 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 34,060
US$ 5,469
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
644000
Area code0831
ISO 3166 codeCN-SC-15
Licence Plate Prefix川Q
Websiteyibin.gov.cn

History

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Human habitation of Yibin dates back at least 4,000 years. At that time, this place was one of the important birthplaces of ancient Bashu culture.Yibin was established as a county in the Han dynasty (206 BC − AD 220). Under the Ming and Qing, the town and its hinterland was known as Xuzhou Commandery (t 敘州, s 叙州, p Xùzhōufǔ), which was variously romanized as Suifu,[4] Suifoo,[citation needed] and Suchow.[5] Its population around 1907 was estimated at 50,000.[6]

Geography and climate

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The Yangtze at the confluence of the Min and Jinsha Rivers. Below Yibin, the Yangtze is known in Chinese as Chang Jiang or the "Long River". Above Yibin, the Yangtze is known as the Jinsha or Gold Sands River.
 
Map including Yibin (labeled as I-PIN (SUIFU) 宜賓(敘州)) (AMS, 1954)

Yibin is located in the southeast portion of Sichuan at the southern end of the Sichuan Basin, bordering Zhaotong (Yunnan) to the south, Luzhou to the east, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Leshan to the west, and Zigong to the north, and has a total area is 13,283 square kilometres (5,129 sq mi). The city ranges in latitude from 27° 50'−29° 16' N, and in longitude from 103° 36'−105° 20' E, stretching 153 km (95 mi) east-west and 150 km (93 mi) north-south.

The city is located at the confluence of the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Above Yibin, the Yangtze is also known as the Jinsha River. Below Yibin, the Yangtze is known in Chinese as the Chang Jiang or "Long River."

As with the rest of the Sichuan Basin, Yibin has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) with high humidity year-round; winters are short and mild while summers are long, hot, and humid. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 7.9 °C (46.2 °F) in January to 26.9 °C (80.4 °F) in July and August; the annual mean is 18.03 °C (64.5 °F). Despite its location in the Yangtze River valley, it is still 1.5 to 2.0 °C (2.7 to 3.6 °F) cooler than Chongqing, located further downstream, in its warmest months. Frost is uncommon and the frost-free period lasts 347 days.[7] Rainfall is common year-round but is the greatest in July and August, with very little of it in the cooler months. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 10% in December and January to 42% in August, the city receives only 1,018 hours of bright sunshine annually; Yibin has one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally, lower than even nearby Chengdu and Chongqing. Spring (March–April) tends to be sunnier and warmer in the day than autumn (October–November).

Climate data for Yibin, elevation 341 m (1,119 ft), (1991–2017 normals, extremes 1971–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.6
(67.3)
25.2
(77.4)
32.0
(89.6)
34.7
(94.5)
37.1
(98.8)
37.2
(99.0)
38.0
(100.4)
42.2
(108.0)
38.3
(100.9)
31.0
(87.8)
26.8
(80.2)
20.2
(68.4)
42.2
(108.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)
13.7
(56.7)
18.5
(65.3)
24.2
(75.6)
27.6
(81.7)
29.3
(84.7)
32.1
(89.8)
31.8
(89.2)
27.3
(81.1)
21.9
(71.4)
17.6
(63.7)
12.0
(53.6)
22.2
(72.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.8
(46.0)
10.4
(50.7)
14.3
(57.7)
19.4
(66.9)
22.9
(73.2)
24.9
(76.8)
27.4
(81.3)
27.0
(80.6)
23.4
(74.1)
18.7
(65.7)
14.5
(58.1)
9.4
(48.9)
18.3
(65.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.0
(42.8)
8.1
(46.6)
11.5
(52.7)
16.0
(60.8)
19.4
(66.9)
21.9
(71.4)
24.1
(75.4)
23.7
(74.7)
20.8
(69.4)
16.7
(62.1)
12.5
(54.5)
7.7
(45.9)
15.7
(60.3)
Record low °C (°F) −1.7
(28.9)
−0.2
(31.6)
1.1
(34.0)
5.4
(41.7)
10.3
(50.5)
16.0
(60.8)
18.0
(64.4)
17.8
(64.0)
14.5
(58.1)
5.9
(42.6)
3.4
(38.1)
−1.4
(29.5)
−1.7
(28.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18.8
(0.74)
21.5
(0.85)
35.1
(1.38)
63.3
(2.49)
85.9
(3.38)
154.8
(6.09)
185.3
(7.30)
184.2
(7.25)
116.1
(4.57)
64.1
(2.52)
28.7
(1.13)
18.4
(0.72)
976.2
(38.42)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 11.6 10.1 12.5 13.7 14.0 16.5 13.1 13.4 14.8 17.0 11.2 10.8 158.7
Average snowy days 0.4 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.6
Average relative humidity (%) 83 79 75 73 72 78 78 78 81 83 82 83 79
Mean monthly sunshine hours 26.9 38.2 73.3 106.6 112.5 92.0 133.5 139.8 77.5 44.1 38.2 28.0 910.6
Percent possible sunshine 8 12 20 27 27 22 32 35 21 13 12 9 20
Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[8][9]all-time extreme temperature[10]
Source 2: Weather China[7]

Administrative divisions

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Ethnic townships in South Sichuan: Yibin and Luzhou. Light green -Yi. Blue - miao.
Map
Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010) Area (km2) Density (/km2)
Cuiping District 翠屏区 Cuìpíng Qū 836,383 1,123 745
Nanxi District 南溪区 Nánxī Qū 335,805 704 477
Xuzhou District 叙州区 Xùzhōu Qū 813,057 3,034 268
Jiang'an County 江安县 Jiāng'ān Xiàn 399,829 910 439
Changning County 长宁县 Chángníng Xiàn 340,016 975 349
Gao County 高县 Gāo Xiàn 411,118 1,323 310
Junlian County 筠连县 Jūnlián Xiàn 329,056 1,254 262
Gong County 珙县 Gǒng Xiàn 379,798 1,150 330
Xingwen County 兴文县 Xīngwén Xiàn 377,162 1,373 275
Pingshan County 屏山县 Píngshān Xiàn 249,777 1,437 174

Economy

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The city's industry focuses on electronics, food products, and power generation. It also produces paper, silk, and leather products. The surrounding region is rich in agricultural resources, growing rice, barley, oil seeds, sesame, and tea.

The largest employer in Yibin is Wuliangye Yibin, a company best known for Wuliangye, a brand of sorghum-based distilled spirits known as baijiu. The Wuliangye Group grew from a small company employing just 300 people in 1977 into a large company employing over 20,000 on a seven-square-kilometer plant. According to an August 2005 article in a securities weekly, the Wuliangye Group is 72% state-owned and provides 70% of the revenues of Yibin City, a major regional center at the head of the Yangtze in southeastern Sichuan. In 2004 6,225 retired military worked for the company, out of a total work force of over 20,000. A third of top management positions are held by retired members of the military.[11] Unsuccessful efforts to diversify its business, poor transparency and a murky ownership pictures are among the company's problems today.[12]

Education

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There are several notable education institutes, including Yibin University, also known as Yiyuan, which offers a range of academic programs in a picturesque setting in Cuiping, Yibin. The university is known for providing a secure academic environment. Yibin Vocational and Technical College, held by the Yibin Municipal People's Government, is another prominent institute offering vocational and technical programs to equip students with practical skills.

Transportation

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The region's natural waterways provide transportation links with the surrounding area, and Yibin is also connected to Chongqing and Chengdu by rail and express highway. Yibin's proximity to the Yunnan and Guizhou borders also means that transportation to the provinces is available by rail and by bus.

Yibin has three bridges over the Chang Jiang section of the Yangtze and ten bridges over the Jinsha.

Yibin Wuliangye Airport offers flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lhasa, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an, and Yichang.

Yibin opened the world's second Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit/"trackless tram" system in December 2019.

Line System Locale Length Stations Opened
Line T1 Yibin ART[13] Yibin 17.7 km (11.0 mi)[14] 17 2019-12-05

Tourism

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There are several hot springs near Yibin, plus many other tourist attractions. Such attractions include the Bamboo Sea in Changning County and the Xingwen Stone Forest. Yibin is also the confluence of the Min and Jinsha Rivers, which together form the Chang Jiang as the Yangtze River is known in Chinese, from Yibin to Shanghai. Cuiping Mountain Park (翠屏山公园; Cuìpíng Shān Gōngyuán), located west of the confluence of those two rivers, provides views of downtown Yibin.

Yibin in literature

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Notes

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  1. ^ Cox, W (2018). Demographia World Urban Areas. 14th Annual Edition (PDF). St. Louis: Demographia. p. 22.
  2. ^ "China: Administrative Division of Sìchuān / 四川省". citypopulation.de.
  3. ^ 四川省统计局、国家统计局四川调查总队 (2016). 《四川统计年鉴-2016》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7871-1.
  4. ^ Saul B. Cohen, ed. (1998). "Yibin". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World. Vol. 3. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 3527. ISBN 0-231-11040-5. LCCN 98-071262. OCLC 164337564. "Formerly called Suifu."
  5. ^ EB (1887).
  6. ^ EB (1911).
  7. ^ a b 宜宾 - 气象数据 -中国天气网. Weather China.
  8. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  11. ^ "An Army of Production Out of Uniform: Retired Soldiers at Wuliangye", PLA Daily July 29, 2004
  12. ^ "Stockholder Interests Poorly Represented, This is How Profits Slip Away," Bond Market Weekly, August 22, 2005
  13. ^ https://www.intelligentliving.co/china-art-t1-train-virtual-painted-tracks/ China’s New ART T1 Train Runs On Virtual Painted Tracks
  14. ^ "宜宾:全球首条智能轨道快运系统运营线开通". 2019-12-05.
  15. ^ Mei Jia (27 July 2016). "Readers relishing Cao Wenxuan's latest novel". China Daily. Retrieved 2018-10-07.

References

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