Ruili (simplified Chinese: 瑞丽; traditional Chinese: 瑞麗; pinyin: Ruìlì; Tai Nüa: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥣᥝᥰ; Shan: မိူင်းမၢဝ်း; Thai: เมืองมาว; Burmese: ရွှေလီ) is a county-level city of Dehong Prefecture, in the west of Yunnan province, China. It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with the town of Muse located across the border.

Ruili
瑞丽市
Other transcription(s)
 • Hanyu pinyinRuìlì Shì
 • Tai Nueaᥛᥫᥒᥰ ᥛᥣᥝᥰ
 • JingphoShuili Myu
 • Burmeseရွှေလီမြို့
Ruili City Hall
Fortune Center Plaza
Border port of Ruili
Kyaung of Tëng Xäm Lóong
Location of Ruili City in Dehong Prefecture within Yunnan province
Location of Ruili City in Dehong Prefecture within Yunnan province
Ruili is located in Yunnan
Ruili
Ruili
Location in Yunnan
Ruili is located in China
Ruili
Ruili
Ruili (China)
Coordinates: 24°01′05″N 97°51′22″E / 24.018°N 97.856°E / 24.018; 97.856
CountryChina
ProvinceYunnan
Autonomous prefectureDehong
Municipal seatMengmao Subdistrict
Area
 • Total
1,020 km2 (390 sq mi)
Elevation
777 m (2,549 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[1]
 • Total
267,638
 • Density260/km2 (680/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
678600
Area code0692
Websitewww.ruili.gov.cn

Name

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The city is named after the Shweli River. 瑞 ruì means "auspicious", and 丽 means "beautiful". An older name of Ruili is Mengmao (勐卯), derived from the Tai Nuea language "Mong Mao" (ᥝᥥᥒᥰ ᥛᥫᥒᥰ), meaning "foggy place".[2]

Geography and climate

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Ruili is on the border with Myanmar. 64% of the population of Ruili are members of five highland and lowland ethnic minorities, including Dai, Jingpo, Deang, Lisu, and Achang. It is an important location for trade with Myanmar, in both legal and illegal goods and services. Prostitution and drug trade in the city are not uncommon.[3][4]

Ruili has a warm humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), and is generally humid. Summer is long and there is virtually no "winter" as such. Instead, there is a dry season (December through April) and wet season (May through October). A drier heat prevails from February till early May before the onset of the monsoon from the Indian Ocean. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 14.0 °C (57.2 °F) in January to 25.0 °C (77.0 °F) in June, while the annual mean is 21.0 °C (69.8 °F). Rainfall totals about 1,385 mm (55 in) annually, with nearly 70% of it occurring from June to September.

Bordered by monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, Ruili Botanical Garden is just north of the City and covers 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of well-preserved native vegetation.

Climate data for Ruili, elevation 763 m (2,503 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 26.9
(80.4)
31.3
(88.3)
33.8
(92.8)
36.3
(97.3)
36.4
(97.5)
36.3
(97.3)
33.8
(92.8)
34.4
(93.9)
36.8
(98.2)
32.9
(91.2)
30.9
(87.6)
27.3
(81.1)
36.8
(98.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.0
(73.4)
25.6
(78.1)
28.9
(84.0)
30.8
(87.4)
30.6
(87.1)
29.7
(85.5)
28.8
(83.8)
29.5
(85.1)
29.9
(85.8)
28.6
(83.5)
26.0
(78.8)
23.0
(73.4)
27.9
(82.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 14.0
(57.2)
16.4
(61.5)
19.9
(67.8)
22.8
(73.0)
24.3
(75.7)
25.0
(77.0)
24.7
(76.5)
24.9
(76.8)
24.4
(75.9)
22.6
(72.7)
18.6
(65.5)
14.9
(58.8)
21.0
(69.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)
9.9
(49.8)
13.2
(55.8)
16.9
(62.4)
20.0
(68.0)
22.2
(72.0)
22.4
(72.3)
22.4
(72.3)
21.5
(70.7)
19.2
(66.6)
14.4
(57.9)
10.3
(50.5)
16.7
(62.1)
Record low °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
2.2
(36.0)
5.5
(41.9)
9.7
(49.5)
13.6
(56.5)
16.3
(61.3)
16.5
(61.7)
15.8
(60.4)
15.4
(59.7)
9.5
(49.1)
5.2
(41.4)
2.2
(36.0)
1.4
(34.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 15.3
(0.60)
13.8
(0.54)
19.3
(0.76)
53.4
(2.10)
148.7
(5.85)
260.9
(10.27)
310.7
(12.23)
250.4
(9.86)
146.1
(5.75)
117.8
(4.64)
37.2
(1.46)
11.1
(0.44)
1,384.7
(54.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 2.8 3.2 4.6 10.0 17.2 24.0 26.6 23.2 17.2 13.7 4.8 2.3 149.6
Average relative humidity (%) 76 67 61 63 72 80 84 83 81 80 80 81 76
Mean monthly sunshine hours 221.9 236.9 262.3 247.2 218.1 150.1 109.4 139.7 163.8 176.8 198.1 194.4 2,318.7
Percent possible sunshine 66 74 70 65 53 37 26 35 45 50 61 59 53
Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[5][6]all-time extreme temperature[7]
Source 2: Weather China[8]

Economy

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Dehong is one of the three primary coffee cultivating regions in Yunnan.[9] The main coffee planter and processor is Hogood Coffee, which operates a contracting scheme with local farmers. Hogood contracts farmland from smallholders, on which it plants seedlings, and then re-contracts with farmers to purchase the coffee beans at harvest.[citation needed]

Because of its position near the border with Myanmar, Ruili is an important hub of cross-border trade, including the new oil and gas pipeline coming up from Kyaukphyu, which is being expanded as part of the Belt and Road Initiative's Maritime Silk Road.[10]

Administrative divisions

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Ruili City has 1 subdistrict, 3 towns and 2 townships.[11]

1 subdistrict
3 towns
3 townships

Demography

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Han Chinese and Dai mostly live in the valley. In the city, Jingpo and Deang live mostly in the outskirts in the surrounding hills.

Industrial parks

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Wanding Border Economic Cooperation Zone (WTBECZ) is a Chinese State Council-approved Industrial Park based in Wanding Town of Ruili City, founded in 1992, and was established to promote Sino–Burmese trade. The zone spans 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) and is focused on developing trading, processing, agriculture resources, and tourism.[12]

Ruili Border Economic Cooperation Zone (RLBECZ) is a Chinese State Council-approved Industrial Park based in Ruili, founded in 1992, and was established to promote trade between China and Myanmar. The area's import and export trade include the processing industry, local agriculture, and biological resources, which are very promising. Sino-Myanmar business is growing fast. Myanmar is now one of Yunnan's biggest foreign trade partners. In 1999, Sino-Myanmar trade accounted for 77.4% of Yunnan's foreign trade. In the same year, exports for electromechanical equipment came up to US$55.28 million. Main exports here include fiber cloth, cotton yarn, ceresin wax, mechanical equipment, fruits, rice seeds, fiber yarn, and tobacco.[13]

Transportation

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The Dali–Ruili Railway, which will connect Ruili with China's national railway network, is under construction.

The standard gauge line from Kunming, China to Kyaukphyu port opened in 2021.

References

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  1. ^ "德宏州第七次全国人口普查主要数据公报" (in Chinese). Government of Dehong Prefecture. 2021-06-11.
  2. ^ "云南瑞丽已着手地名维权,欲促使《瑞丽》杂志注销商标" (in Chinese). thepaper.cn. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  3. ^ Moe, Kyaw Zwa (January 2005). "Yunnan's Sin City". The Irrawaddy. Chiang Mai, Thailand. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Sex, Drugs and The Roll of Dice, Time Asia, September 27, 1999
  5. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  6. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  8. ^ 瑞丽 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Yunnan Coffee Company to Establish Trading Center in Chongqing to Boost Exports Via the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway Link". China AG. December 31, 2015.
  10. ^ Curtis, Simon; Klaus, Ian (2024). The Belt and Road City: Geopolitics, Urbanization, and China's Search for a New International Order. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 161. doi:10.2307/jj.11589102. ISBN 9780300266900. JSTOR jj.11589102.
  11. ^ "国家统计局" (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China.
  12. ^ RightSite.asia | Wanding Border Economic Cooperation Zone
  13. ^ RightSite.asia | Ruili Border Economic Cooperation Zone
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