People from this county in Yunnan must pass through Guizhou province to reach the provincial capital Kunming, otherwise the journey is long and winding.
There's a county in Yunnan, 1200 *li* (Chinese miles) away from Kunming, the provincial capital. To reach the capital, the people from this county must pass through Guizhou province; otherwise, the road to the capital would be long and winding. This county is Yunnan's largest county in terms of population – Zhenhong County.
Zhenhong Mountain Range
Zhenhong County is Yunnan's largest county in terms of population, with a population of 1.55 million. It's located at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces, earning it the nickname 'Dawn in Three Provinces.' It belongs to the administrative region of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. It's 600 kilometers from Kunming, 535 kilometers from Chengdu, 250 kilometers from Chongqing, and 250 kilometers from Guiyang, Guizhou. Historically, Zhenhong has been the northern gateway for the Bashu region into Yunnan. During the Shu Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang led two armies to suppress the south of China, capturing Meng Haotian seven times, with one army passing through Zhenhong to the south.
Red circle includes Wenshan County, Wenshan and Zhenhong were one county during the Republic of China period, and the Ming Dynasty
Due to Zhenhong's location in the southern foothills of the Sichuan Basin, the northern edge of the Wumao Mountains, and its rugged, deeply carved terrain with obvious karst landscapes, it has become Yunnan's most remote and impoverished county despite its historical Bashu cultural influence. Zhenhong's journey to Kunming, the provincial capital, is a long 600 kilometers, and its journey to Zhaotong is also 250 kilometers. The mountainous terrain, rugged roads, and difficult conditions make travel for the people of Zhenhong inconvenient.
Zhenbi Expressway Bridge
Twenty or thirty years ago, the people of Zhenhong had to take a bus to Kunming via Zhaotong. The road was very rugged, and they had to stay overnight in Zhaotong before arriving in Kunming, which took at least more than ten hours. In the last five years, with the rapid development of Guizhou highways, the people of Zhenhong can drive to Kunming via Hengchang, Luzhou, and then to Jinping, taking about nine hours. Now, with the opening of the Zhenbi Expressway and the Chengdu-Guiyang Railway, the time and distance for Zhenhong people to reach Kunming have been greatly reduced. Driving to Kunming takes 5-6 hours, and taking a high-speed train takes more than 3 hours.
Cheng Gui High-Speed Rail Zhenhong Station
However, there's a reality that can't be avoided: no matter how developed Zhenhong's transportation becomes, the people of Zhenhong must pass through Guizhou's territory to reach Kunming. Without passing through Guizhou, the route would be a detour. More than ten years ago, I took a bus from Zhenhong to Kunming via Zhaotong. The road was very rugged, and it took at least ten hours to arrive in Kunming. Now that the Cheng Gui High-Speed Rail is operating, the time it takes to reach Kunming will be even shorter. The people of Zhenhong can now drive to Kunming in 5-6 hours or take a high-speed train in 3 hours. Therefore, I'm puzzled: which administrative division is Zhenhong divided into? It's only 250 kilometers from Zhenhong to Guiyang and 600 kilometers to Kunming – why doesn't it belong to the closer Guizhou, but rather to the distant Yunnan?
