Panzhihua (Chinese: 攀枝花) is a prefecture-level city located in the far south of Sichuan province of Southwest China, on the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers. It has an administrative area of 7,440.398 square kilometres (2,872.754 sq mi),[1] and a total population of 1,100,800 as of 2007.[2] It is the only city in China having a name of a flower, and its economy relies almost entirely on its giant mine, one of the biggest in China. The latter makes it a very polluted city, where the air condition is quite poor.

Panzhihua was constructed in 1966 at a desolate ferry point along the upper Yangtze River. While the rest of the country sank in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, a modern city was quietly built by new settlers from all of the nation.

Panzhihua is one newly rising industrialized city in the west China, with a total area of 7,434 square kilometers. Panzhihua is well known in the world thanks to the densely concentrated natural resources there.

Geography:

Panzhihua is the nearest point to reach Southern china, frontiers of Southeast Asia.

Climate:

Located in a torrid zone, Panzhihua has an annual average temperature of 20 C. Even in the coldest winter, a sweater is to stay warm enough.

Nature:

The subtropical climate has turned the city into a large "hothouse" where many precious animals and plants co-exist.

In many parts of the city, primitive mountains and forests are kept intact. There are 264 kinds of animals, including the lesser panda, as well as 2,300 kinds of plants. The most precious plant is the cycad, a 270-million-year-old rare species living in the same era as the dinosaur.

Panzhihua Economy:

To most Chinese, the name Panzhihua only conjures up thoughts of the Panzhihua Iron and Steel (Group) Co, Southwest China's largest steel-making centre and China's largest titanium and vanadium-producing centre.

Occupying less than 0.1 per cent of China's land mass, Panzhihua has 73 kinds of minerals. Its deposits of iron, vanadium and titanium are respectively 20, 67 and 75.5 per cent of China's total. On a global scale, its deposits of titanium are the largest, and those of vanadium are the third-largest in the world.

History:

Before the mid-1960s, the present-day Panzhihua was merely a wasteland inhabited by seven families clustered around a ferry. But through the establishment of the Panzhihua Iron and Steel (Group) Co in 1965, it became a booming industrial city.

Arrive:

The problem hindering its tourism development is inadequate transport facilities. 

Anyway its traffic conditions keep on improving, and the railways, highways and airports are all available here.

Panzhihua Tourism:

Panzhihua has many hot springs. Its Hongge Hot Spring contains radon, which is rare in other springs in China. 

Visitors interested in geology have the luxury to see the world's largest vanadium-titanium mine. Because of geological movements, Panzhihua abounds in crystal, opal, agate, jade and ink stone in its mountain valleys and the alluvium of its river banks.

Cuisine:

Mango, papaya, pomegranate and the fruit with red heart are popular among tourists, wine and drink of papaya, wine of mango and so on are distinctive, and worthwhile to be souvenirs.

Panzhihua Culture:

The Mosuo

The romantic customs of the Mosuo people have turned the lake into a mysterious wonderland for tourists. The Mosuo, believed to be the world's last matriarchal tribe, have preserved their centuries-old matriarchal customs. Mosuo women are the community rulers and family decision-makers. A Mosuo woman can choose to cohabit with any man she falls in love with and give birth to their children without getting married. If she loses interest in her lover, which seldom happens, she is free to choose a new love.

Panzhihua Attractive points:

The Longtan Karst Cave

The Longtan Karst Cave, which is open to visitors, has a strong appeal. Marvelling at its caves inside caves, flying waterfalls and fantastic stalactite, visitors would acclaim it as the acme of nature's creation.