Honghe History

Honghe Prefecture is a region that was developed very early on. Discovery of ancient Lama ape fossils near Kaiyuan have contributed to the notion that this area may be one of the birthplaces of humankind.  Humans have been in the area for at least 1300 years, but today Jianshui, Mengzi, and Gejiu are the political, economic and cultural centers of south Yunnan. 

The Hani language belongs to Yi branch of the Sino-Tibetan family's Tibetan-Burmese groupe of languages. The area continued as a primarily agricultural economy unitl 1887, when the  Sino-French Special Treaty for Continuous Trade was signed making of Mengzi an important trading port. 

France, Great Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and Japan set up their post offices, companies, banks and churches in Mengzi. In the late 19th century, a telegram bureau was founded in Yunnan province. In the present day, mining and agriculture are the two industries that power the region's economy.  The gift of isolation, many of the villages on the banks of the Hehong River escaped the ravages of the Cultural Revolution due to their remote locations. 

Honghezhou is one of the largest fruit producing areas in Yunnan, with bountiful crops of lychees, oranges, pineapples, grapes, pomegranates and bananas grown every year. Grain crops include rice and corn, while cash crops include tobacco, sugar-cane, peanuts, rape-seed and tea.