Yanyuan County (; yiep yuop xiep, also ce mo xiep) is a county in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, bordering Yunnan province to the west. The county is located in Sichuan's rugged Hengduan Mountains in southwest Sichuan, but the county seat of Yanjing (盐井) is situated in an unusually flat basin with a diameter. Yanjing, as the county seat, is usually referred to as Yanyuan.

History Yanyuan County was originally inhabited by the Yi people, but has since been incorporated into Han Chinese culture. The region has long been a source of salt for the Chinese and the name Yanyuan () literally means "Salt source". Until recently, Yanyuan was poorly connected with the rest of China by road. In the 2010s, a new tunnel was built through the mountains east of Yanyuan to connect the county with the prefecture capital of Xichang.

Administrative divisions Yanyuan County comprises 1 subdistrict, 17 towns, 5 townships and 1 ethnic township.

Name Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Yi Romanized Yi Administrative division codeSubdistrict Yanjing Subdistrict 513423001Towns Weicheng Town 513423101 Meiyu Town 513423102 Baiwu Town 513423103 Shuhe Town 513423104 Huangcao Town 513423105 Pingchuan Town 513423106 Luguhu Town 513423107 Guandi Town 513423108 Meiziping Town 513423109 Runyan Town 513423110 Changbai Town 513423111 Jiami Town 513423112 Mianya Town 513423113 Yantang Town 513423114 Jinhe Town 513423115 Longtang Town 513423116 Xinglong Town 513423117Townships Tengqiao Township 513423206 Tianwan Township 513423207 Yousuo Township 513423215 Wodi Township 513423222 Wali Township 513423224Ethnic township Dapo Mongolia Ethnic Township 513423223

Geography

In the west, Yanyuan County encompasses the eastern shores of Lugu Lake, shared with Yunnan Province. To the north and east, Yanyuan is bordered by the Yalong River that cuts a deep gorge through the mountains. The Yalong forms a dramatic bend as it diverts around the Jinping Mountains in northern Yanyuan.

Yanyuan is composed of the eight towns, 25 townships, and one ethnic township.

Climate

References