Transportation in Yunnan - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The transport infrastructure of Yunnan is served by numerous transport modes, and forms an integral part of the structure Yunnan Province
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

and the Southwest of China

Southwest China

Southwest China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Provinces:-Municipalities:...

. Yunnan is served by several civilian airports and a major highway and rail network. The province is served by a network of bus routes that radiates from the capital city, Kunming

Kunming

' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...

.

Yunnan Province is large geographically and its transport hub is its capital, Kunming (prefecture-level city), which acts as an important gateway, linking China to Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. Most travelers travel by flight or bus. However, railway and river travel is also possible. Train travel requires much more time than air travel.

History

Yunnan has for much of its history long suffered from poor transport links because of its mountainous, rugged and broken terrain

Terrain

Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...

.

Up until World War II Yunnan had only one rail link with the outside world, which was to Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

. The 1906-1910 French-built railroad connected the capital Kunming

Kunming

to Hanoi

Hanoi

Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...

and Haiphong

Haiphong

, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...

in Vietnam. Since the mid-1950s, railroads have been built to link Kunming with both Guizhou

Guizhou

' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

and Sichuan

Sichuan

' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

and thus to other parts of China.

It is in the development of highway

Highway

A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

s that Yunnan has made the fastest progress, opening links with neighbouring provinces and achieving a balanced network within the province. Kunming City, Baoshan City, and Pu'er City (to the southwest) form the triangular axis of Yunnan's road system, from which radiate numerous highways. The most famous of these routes is the Burma Road

Burma Road

The Burma Road is a road linking Burma with the southwest of China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...

, running from Kunming to Lashio

Lashio

Lashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...

in Myanmar.

The extensive road development program has produced significant effects. Travel and trade with Guizhou

Guizhou

' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

, Guangxi

Guangxi

Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

, and Sichuan

Sichuan

' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

have increased, and the close links with Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

and Xinjiang

Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...

have proved their strategic value. But most important has been the momentum for development

Regional development

Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...

and modernization

Modernization

In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...

in the remote regions.

Truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

logistics

Logistics

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...

reaches most villages and towns, making available large quantities of modern equipment tools, fertilizers, and daily necessities to the farmers, while making it possible to ship farm and agricultural products to near or distant markets where they can be sold to the best possible advantage of the producers.

Major road, rail and air transport infrastructure projects in Yunnan and its Southeast Asia are currently underway to further facilitate trade with ASEAN. Some of the more notable projects include a highway linking Kunming with Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, a rail network linking Kunming and Singapore via three trunk lines passing through Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

, Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, Vietnam

Vietnam

, Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

and Malaysia, a new international airport in Kunming and an integrated road-rail transport corridor linking Kunming with Haiphong

Haiphong

, Vietnam – the closest seaport to Kunming.

Air

Yunnan had undergone a speedy development of its civil aviation. Kunming is the hub of both domestic and international services of Air China

Air China

Air China is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China. Based in Beijing Capital International Airport, Air China is the world's 10th largest airline by fleet size. The airline ranked behind its main competitors China Southern Airlines and China Eastern...

, China's national airline. Currently, more than 100 domestic and international air routes have been opened leading to different provinces and municipalities of China as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Rangoon, Vientiane, Hanoi, Chiang Mai, Tokyo and Seoul. Yunnan has two international airports, namely Kunming Airport and Xishuangbanna airport

Xishuangbanna Gasa Airport

Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport is an airport in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China . Due its location in Jinghong, it is also known as Jinghong International Airport -Airlines and destinations:...

.

In the province, there are another 9 feeder airports in Wenshan

Wenshan

Wenshan may refer to:* Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture , Yunnan, PR China* Wenshan City , the seat of the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture* Wenshan District , Taipei, Republic of China...

, Mangshi, Simao

Simao District

Simao District is a district under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It is the seat of Puer Prefecture....

, Zhaotong

Zhaotong

Zhaotong is a prefecture-level city located in the northeast corner of Yunnan province of Southwest China.-Demography:The prefecture, almost exclusively agricultural, is one of the poorest in China, which led the authorities to encourage young people to migrate to eastern and southern parts of...

, Baoshan

Baoshan

Baoshan is a prefecture-level city in western Yunnan province, China.-Administrative divisions:The city-prefecture of Baoshan has jurisdiction over five subdivisions - a district and four counties:-Geography:...

, Dali, Lijiang

Lijiang

Lijiang may refer to:*Lijiang, Yunnan , prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China*Old Town of Lijiang, World Heritage Site, in Lijiang City*Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, formerly a county in Lijiang, Yunnan, China before 2002...

, Diqing, and Lincang.

Airlines

As the transport hub of Yunnan, Wujiaba International Airport of Kunming has opened 48 national lines and 6 international lines at present. There are flights to most of China's major cities including the major cities Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, Xi'an

Xi'an

Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...

, Guilin

Guilin

Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...

and Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

. Domestic lines from Kunming to the scenic spots within the province are fairly developed, now there are lines from Kunming to Simao, Xishuangbanna, Baoshan, Zhaotong, Dali, Mangshi, Lijiang and Zhongdian. International flights to Bangkok, Rangoon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong are also available. In addition, eleven domestic air routes and two international routes from Jinghong

Jinghong

Jinghong romanised as chiang rung, chiang hung, chengrung, cheng hung, jinghung, keng hung and muangjinghung) is the capital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, and the historic capital of the former Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna.-Location:Located between 100°25' -...

have been opened.

Kunming

Kunming International Airport connects Yunnan with Kolkata (Calcutta), Hong Kong, Rangoon, Vientiane, Singapore, Malaysia. The airport is 5 km south of the city center (Dongfeng Square).

Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna International Airport, 4 km from Jinghong City, was designed to accommodate airplanes from Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

down. 11 domestic air routes from Jinghong have been opened, including Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Tianjin, Zhengzhou and Guangxi, and two international routes to Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand.

Road

Yunnan has a developed road network centered at Kunming City. The highway network connects with the network of neighboring provinces such as Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Tibet as well as the neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Over a decade ago, the mileage of Yunnan highways has reached 65,800 km, second only to Sichuan Province in China, among which there are 7 national highway lines, 6,081 km; 61 provincial lines, 8,971 km; county - level highway lines, 30,950 km and country roads, 19,757 km, and now highways lead to every township. Ten thousand length of highway in Kunming link Yunnan with other provinces and other countries. In the year of 2002, Yunnan had the highest high traffic mileages among all provinces in China. 1,570 towns in Yunnan can now be accessed via highway.

Coverage

Today, Yunnan has a total length of 167,000 km. The length of high-grade highways above Grade 2 adds up to more than 3,400 km and that of expressways amounted to nearly 1,300 km. To date, with Kunming at the nerve center and inter-provincial and intra-provincial roads as the backbone, Yunnan's highway network has stretched to cover all townships and 98 percent of the villages in the province. It is interconnected with the road network of its neighboring provinces of Sichuan,Guizhou, Guangxi, and Tibet and with the neighboring countries of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Yunnan is planning to focus on the upgrading and expansion of 6 trunk roads leading to other provinces and neighboring countries with the objective of turning them into a highway network.

National roads

7 National Roads (National Road 108, 213, 214, 320, 321, 323 and 326) and 61 provincial roads radiate from Kunming to major cities in Yunnan and other provinces or even abroad.

National Road 108: From Panzhihua

Panzhihua

Panzhihua 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 , and a total population of 1,100,800 as of 2007. It is the only city in China having a name of a flower, and...

of Sichuan

Sichuan

' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

into Yunnan, cross Yongren, Yuanmou and Wuding to Kunming, it covering 278 km.

National Road 213: From Yibin

Yibin

-Administrative divisions:-Economy:The city's industry focuses on electronics, food products, and power generation. It also produces paper, silk, and leather products...

of Sichuan to Yunnan, cross Zhaotong

Zhaotong

, Kunming

Kunming

, Yuxi

Yuxi

Yuxi is a prefecture-level city in the Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately 90 km south of Kunming.-Geography:...

and Simao

Simao

Pu'er City is a prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China. In 2007, the city of Simao changed its name to Puer city . By doing so, it has had an effect the size of the official Puer tea production area. The urban administrative center of Pu'er is Simao District, which is also the former...

to Xishuangbanna, it covering 1,581 km. Now this road has been built to Simao and will soon to Jinghong

Jinghong

. It will pass Laos and finally get to Bangkok of Thailand, which will become a more convenient passage to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

National Road 214: National Road 214 crosses Yunnan from the south to the north, via Xishuangbanna, Lincang, Dali, Lijiang

Lijiang

, Diqing to Tibet, covering 1,418 km. And expressway has been built from Dali to Lijiang.

National Road 320: National Road 320 cross Yunnan from the east to the west, via Qujing

Qujing

Qujing is a prefecture-level city in eastern Yunnan province of Southwest China. It is an important industrial city, and is Yunnan's second largest city by population, after Kunming....

, Kunming, Chuxiong

Chuxiong

Chuxiong City is a county-level city and capital seat of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China.-History:-Geography:...

, Dali, Baoshan

Baoshan

, Luxi to Ruili

Ruili

Ruili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :...

on the China-Myanmar border, covering 1,030 km. And the part of Qujing-Kunming-Dali is expressway.

National Road 323: From Baise of Guangxi

Guangxi

into Yunnan, cross Yanshan

Yanshan

-Places:*Yanshan County, Hebei , in Cangzhou, Hebei*Yanshan County, Jiangxi , in Shangrao, Jiangxi*Yanshan County, Yunnan , in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan*Yanshan District , Guilin, GuangxiTowns...

, Kaiyuan

Kaiyuan

Kaiyuan may refer to:Places* Kaiyuan, Liaoning , a county-level city in Liaoning, China* Kaiyuan, Yunnan , a county-level city in Yunnan* Kaiyuan Subdistrict, Xiamen , a subdistrict in Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian...

, Jianshui

Jianshui

Jianshui County is a city in Honghe prefecture, Yunnan province, China. It was historic center of the province and remains an important transportation crossroad.-Geography:...

, Yuanjiang

Yuanjiang

Yuanjiang can refer to the following places in China:*Yuanjiang, Hunan *Yuanjiang, Yunnan Yuanjiang can also refer to:*The Yuan River in China*The Red River in China and Vietnam...

, Pu'er to Lincang, it covering 928 km.

Expansion

Yunnan Province will mainly build and extend three traffic lines to connect China with to South Asia and Southeast Asia. This was part of the economic coordination of southwest China's six provinces, regions and municipalities (Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, Guangxi and Chongqing). The three lines include: the western line along Yunnan-Myanmar (Kunming-Wanding Town

Wanding Town

Wanding Town , founded in 1932, is a frontier town in Ruili City, Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China....

) Highway, China-India (Stillwell Road) Highway and Guangtong-Dali Railway to Myanmar, India and Bangladesh; the central line from Lancang-Mekong River shipping line, Kunming-Daluo Highway and the Xishuangbanna International Airport, to Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and further Singapore; and the eastern line to Vietnam based on Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, Kunming-Hekou Highway and the Honghe River shipping line, which is to be developed.

Rail

The first railway in Yunnan, the Kunming

Kunming

–Hanoi

Hanoi

Railway (Sino-Vietnamese Railway), dates back to 1910. In 1941, American-supported construction began on the English Yunnan Burma Railway, but this was aborted due to Japanese advances. Since the 1960s, many railways have been constructed in succession, including

Guiyang
Guiyang
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is located in the centre of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters...

-Kunming Railway (640 km)
Chengdu-Kunming Railway (1,100 km)
Nanning-Kunming Railway (900 km)
Kunming-Yuxi
Yuxi
Yuxi is a prefecture-level city in the Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately 90 km south of Kunming.-Geography:...

Railway
Neijiang
Neijiang
Neijiang is a prefecture-level city in the Southeast of Sichuan Province, in southwest of China, with a population of about 4,200,000. It is located on the Tuo River and is a transportation and food-processing center...

-Kunming Railway
Guangtong-Dali Railway
Dali-Lijiang Railway (opened 2009)

At present, preliminary surveys and studies are under way for the proposed Pan-Asian Railway connecting Yunnan with Southeast Asian countries. Construction on the new Kunming-Vietnam and Dali–Ruili

Ruili

Ruili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :...

railway is under way.

High-speed rail

A feasibility study is underway for a new high-speed rail line between Shanghai

Shanghai

and Kunming, construction of which is expected to begin in 2009. The new rail line, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015 – around the same time that the rail network linking Kunming and Singapore is hoped to be completed – will shorten the travel time between Shanghai and Kunming from 37 hours to less than nine hours. The Shanghai-Kunming passenger line (沪昆客运专线) will connect Shanghai and Kunming via the provinces of Zhejiang

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

, Jiangxi

Jiangxi

' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

, Hunan

Hunan

' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

, Guizhou

Guizhou

' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

and Yunnan

Yunnan

Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

, passing through the major cities of Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...

, Nanchang

Nanchang

Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...

and Changsha. Its target speed is reportedly 350 km/h – compare to France's TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

and Japan's Shinkansen

Shinkansen

The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...

which currently operate at 320 and 300 km/h, respectively.The cross-country line is part of a nationwide rail upgrade that has allocated 500 million yuan (US$73.2 million) in funds for Yunnan province alone.http://news.kunming.cn/yn-news/content/2008-12/18/content_1673415.htm

Future rail projects

According to China Rail Ministry plans, Yunnan will improve its regional and internal rail network. The following projects have also been approved, according the Kunming Rail Bureau:

Lijiang
Lijiang
Lijiang may refer to:*Lijiang, Yunnan , prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China*Old Town of Lijiang, World Heritage Site, in Lijiang City*Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, formerly a county in Lijiang, Yunnan, China before 2002...

to Shangri-la
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains...

(Zhongdian): schedule yet to be made public
Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

to Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...

– construction to start next year and finish in 2015
A rail line around Dianchi Lake: scheduled for completion in 2010
Guangtong to Dali: schedule yet to be made public
Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...

to Yuxi
Yuxi
Yuxi is a prefecture-level city in the Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately 90 km south of Kunming.-Geography:...

: construction to start next year and finish in 2015

Rivers

There are six main water connections in Yunnan:

Jinsha River
Jinsha River
Jinsha River is the westernmost of the major headwater streams of the Yangtze River, southwestern China.Its headwaters rise in the Wulan and Kekexili ranges in western Qinghai province, to the south of the Kunlun Mountains, and on the northern slope of the Tanggula Mountains on the border of the...

(Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

)
Lancang River (Mekong River)
Nu River (Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...

)
Irrawaddy River
Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
Honghe River (Red River)

A total of 8,000 km of waterway

Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...

s can be used for river transport purpose. At present, along the Jinsha River and the Lancang River, the length of intra-province waterways in operation approximates 1,500 km. Major ports includeGaunlei, Shuifu

Shuifu

Shuifu County is a county under the jurisdiction of Zhaotong Prefecture-level City located on the boundary of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and it is on the side of Jinsha River.- History :...

, Suijiang, Jinghong

Jinghong

, Simao

Simao

, and Dali. In June 2001, commercial shipping service among China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand on the Lancang-Mekong River was officially inaugurated.

River ports

Jinghong

, Guanlei and Simao District

Simao District

Simao District is a district under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It is the seat of Puer Prefecture....

river ports are open to the outside world. Many rivers open for commercial international trade with neiboring countries. Lancang River (known as the Mekong in its lower reaches) is the only international river linking 6 countries in Asia.

Most of the rivers in Yunnan are unnavigable, except for short distances or in broken stretches. Boats travel between towns on the shores of Erhai Lake

Erhai Lake

Er Lake, Chinese Erhai , is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Its name means "Ear-shaped Sea", due to its shape as seen by locals and travellers. Er Lake was also known as Yeyuze or Kunming Lake in ancient times. A commonly-seen mistranslation is Erhai Lake.-Geography:Erhai is...

, but they are unable to sail beyond there to connect with other waterway

Waterway

A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...

Lakes

There are also lakes of various sizes in Yunnan such as Dianchi Lake, Erhai Lake

Erhai Lake

and Fuxian Lake

Fuxian Lake

Fuxian Lake stretches out through Chengjiang County, Jiangchuan County and Huaning County in Yunnan Province, spanning an area of 212 square kilometers. The lake is ranked third largest in Yunnan, right after the Dianchi Lake and the Erhai Lake. Also the deepest lake in Yunnan, it is 155 meters...

. Fuxian Lake forbids motor boats.

Sea-ports

There are no seaports in Yunnan, as the province is landlocked

Landlocked

A landlocked country is a country entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastlines lie on closed seas. There are 48 landlocked countries in the world, including partially recognized states...

, however water transport to peninsular Southeast Asia, via the Mekong

Mekong

The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....

river is available from Jinghong

Jinghong

, as stated above.

Future projects

As well as improvements of the connections between international locations and Yunnan, the province is also seeing internal transport developments. In the east of Yunnan, Yuxi

Yuxi

to Mengzi

Mengzi

Mengzi may refer to:*Mencius , 372 – 289 BCE, Chinese philosopher*Mengzi City , in Yunnan, China...

railway is under construction, along with railway connections between Mengzi

Mengzi

Mengzi may refer to:*Mencius , 372 – 289 BCE, Chinese philosopher*Mengzi City , in Yunnan, China...

and Hekou

Hekou

Hekou may refer to the following in China:*Hekou District , Dongying, Shandong*Hekou Group, geological formation in Gansu*Hekou Yao Autonomous County , of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan...

. In the west of the province, a railway from Dali

Dali

-Places:*Dali City, Yunnan , a city in Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China*Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture , prefecture in Yunnan, China*Kingdom of Dali , centered in modern Yunnan...

to Ruili

Ruili

Ruili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :...

(next to Myanmar) is being built.

Road

Yunnan's government announced in 2004 a strategic program for the construction of a new "Europe-Asia Continental Bridge" that would link China to Europe. A railroad starting from China's east coastal city Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...

will run through Yunnan to Burma, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and finally through to Europe.

Rail

A "Pan-Asia Railroad" is to be finished by 2015. This railroad will start from Singapore

Singapore

, through to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Phnom Phen, to Loc Nink, Lao Cai

Lao Cai

Lào Cai is a city in northeastern Vietnam. It is the capital of Lao Cai province. The city borders the city of Hekou, in the Yunnan province of Southwest China. It lies at the junction of the Red River and the Nam Ti River approximately 160 miles northwest of Hanoi...

in Vietnam, terminating in Kunming.

Bridge

Another project underway is a new bridge over the Mekong River to connect Chiangkhong in Thailand and Ban Houayxay

Ban Houayxay

Ban Houayxay is the capital of the Lao province of Bokèo, on the border with Thailand....

in Laos, to the Kunming-Bangkok Highway

Kunming-Bangkok Expressway

Kunming-Bangkok Expressway is the first international expressway from China. It starts at Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan province in southwestern China, and ends at Bangkok, the capital of Thailand....

, complementing the highway through the Mekong River Region.

Logistics

One of the fastest growing sectors in Yunnan is the logistics

Logistics

industry. Yunnan's international and domestic trade continues to grow and the demand for logistics services has increased rapidly.

Cargo lines

Yunnan port administration office http://en.km.gov.cn/showArticle.aspx?cid=57&aid=443

There are 13 cargo transport lines between Yunnan and Laos:

Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...

to Vientiane
Simao
Simao
Pu'er City is a prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China. In 2007, the city of Simao changed its name to Puer city . By doing so, it has had an effect the size of the official Puer tea production area. The urban administrative center of Pu'er is Simao District, which is also the former...

to Vientiane
Jinghong
Jinghong
Jinghong romanised as chiang rung, chiang hung, chengrung, cheng hung, jinghung, keng hung and muangjinghung) is the capital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, and the historic capital of the former Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna.-Location:Located between 100°25' -...

to Vientiane
Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...

to Lang Prabang
Mengla to Houayxay
Mengla to Munsey
Mengla to Phongsali
Mengla to Nam Tha
Mengla to Mengxing

There are 3 lines between Yunnan and Vietnam:

Gejiu to Van Ban
Gejiu to Sabah Vietnam
Mengzi
Mengzi
Mengzi may refer to:*Mencius , 372 – 289 BCE, Chinese philosopher*Mengzi City , in Yunnan, China...

to Van Ban

Organizations

Important organizations include:http://www.gmslogistics.org/0608/special.php?id=9

Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport–China
Greater Mekong Subregional Logistics Research Center, China
Yunnan Federation of Logistics and Purchasing
Yunnan Road and Transportation Association
Yunnan Transportation Association
Yunnan Modern Logistics Association
China-ASEAN International Agriculture Products Trade Net
Yunnan Logistics Industry Group

History

Air

Airlines

Kunming

Xishuangbanna

Road

Coverage

National roads

Expansion

Rail

High-speed rail

Future rail projects

Rivers

River ports

Lakes

Sea-ports

Future projects

Road

Rail

Bridge

Logistics

Cargo lines

Organizations

See also

Research body