Lying in the northwest of Guangdong province and the upper reaches of the Xiaobeijiang River, Lianzhou borders Yangshan county in the southwest, Liannan Yao autonomous aounty in the southwest, Lanshan and Jianghua counties of Hunan province in the northwest, Linwu county of Hunan province in the north, and Yizhang county of Hunan province in the northeast. The city has a total area of 2,664 square kilometers and administers 10 towns, as well as the Yaoan and Sanshui Yao autonomous townships. The registered population is 520,700 people and the population density is 195.5 persons per square kilometer.

Lianzhou lies at the southern foot of Mengzhu Mountain among the five mountains. High mountains and undulating hills are scattered all along the territory of the city.

Lianzhou lies at the southern foot of Mengzhu Mountain among the five mountains. High mountains and undulating hills are scattered all along the territory of the city. Its mountains include the Boji Mountains, the Dadong Mountains, and other mountains mostly below 1,000m. The main peak of the Boji Mountains is Tiantang Mountain, 1,712m above sea level, the highest peak in the city. It is located on the border between Yaoan township and Hunan’s Lanshan county. The main peak of the Dadong Mountains is Yankeng Mountain, 1,604m above the sea level, the second highest peak in the city. It is located on the border between Chaotian town and Yangshan county. Mountains occupy 72% of the total area of the city and hills occupy 15.9%. With Dadong Mountains in the east, Dalong Mountains in the west and Boji Mountains in the north, the city is encircled by mountains and forms a low-lying hilly basin and valley basin in the central part.

The main rivers are the Xingzi River originated from Dadong Mountains and the Baoan River and Dongpi River originated from Boji Mountains. The Sanjiang River in Liannan Yao autonomous county converges into the Lianjiang River near Dadun village, Fucheng town, Lianshan city.

The city belongs to a central subtropical climate zone, affected by monsoons all year around. In the wintry half year (October-March), the northeast monsoon prevails. On some years, northeast monsoon comes in September and becomes stable in October. In the summer half year (April-September), summer winds prevail, mainly in a southwesterly fashion. April is a transition period from northeast monsoon to southwest monsoon, and the wind direction sways between north and south. From May to September, the Southwesterly-style Monsoon is dominant. The large and medium-scale weather systems that have a direct bearing on the climate and weather changes in Lianzhou include the polar continental high and its cold front in winter and spring, and subtropical anticyclones and typhoons in summer and autumn.

Lianzhou has a long history. It belonged to Jingzhou in three dynasties, to Chu States in the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and to Changsha Prefecture in the Qin Dynasty. It became a county during the early Western Han Dynasty (206 BC) and belonged to Guiyang prefecture of Jingzhou in the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties. In the Jin Dynasty, it belonged to Shixing prefecture subordinate to Guangzhou, Xiangzhou and Jingzhou. In the Southern Dynasties, it belonged to Song’an prefecture and Shixing prefecture in the period of Song and Qi and belonged to Yangshan prefecture subordinate to Hengzhou and West Hengzhou in the period of Liang and Chen. In the Sui Dynasty, Lianzhou prefecture was set up in the 10th year of Emperor Kaihuang’s reign (590) and was renamed Xiping prefecture in the third year of Emperor Daye’s reign (607). Afterwards, its prefecture status and subordination were changed time and time again. On April 22, 1994, the State Council approved the cancellation of Lianxian county and the establishment of Lianzhou city (county level) entrusted to Qingyuan city. The municipal government is in Lianzhou town. In 1996, Guangdong Provincial Government approved Lianzhou city as a famous historical cultural city.

In Lianzhou, 23 minerals have been discovered. Its reserves of coal are 80 million tons. It is a major coal county (city) of Guangdong province. The reserves of manganese ore are more than 4 million tons. It is the largest manganese ore area in Guangdong Province. The reserves of wollastonite and intrasparite are 10 million tons and 204.56 million tons, respectively, and their grade and purity are the highest in China. Lianzhou is the only place with wollastonite deposits in Guangdong.

Lianzhou is one of the key forest zones of Guangdong and has 190,870ha of land devoted to forestry, accounting for 75.5% of the total land area of the city. In addition, it has 144,070ha of land with forest, 8.591 million cubic meters of growing stock, a 69.9% forest coverage rate, 75,900ha of provincial-level ecological forests ratified by the provincial government and 32,700ha of planned state-level ecological forests. The provincial-level and state-level ecological forests account for 39.7% of the land for forestry. It is a large renewable energy base and biological gene bank in Guangdong province.

Lianzhou has rich animal and plant resources, including 6 species of rare and endangered plants under national protection, over 30 species under grade-2 protection, and over 500 species of wild animals, including over 100 species of beasts, over 200 species of birds, over 90 species of reptiles, over 30 species of amphibians and more over 30 species of fish. The city has more than 30 species of animals under national protection, more than 10 species of animals under national grade-1 protection and more than 30 species of animals under national grade-2 protection.

Lianzhou is dominated by mountains and hills and is famous for its green mountains, beautiful waters and picturesque scenery. Numerous diversified tourist attractions are distributed all over the city. It has an exceptional natural landscape, rich culture, ancient historical sites, mysterious and majestic underground karst caves, ancient folk customs, soothing hot springs and breathtaking waterfalls. Its main natural attractions include the Huangchuan Three Gorges, Lianzhou Underground River and Tanling Lake. Its cultural attractions include Fushan Temple, Huiguang Tower and Yanxi Pavilion.

The magpie bridge at Lianzhou Underground River scenic area