Hechi

Hechi (Chinese: 河池) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, bordering Guizhou to the north. In June 2002 it was upgraded from prefecture status.

Geography and climate

Hechi is located in northwestern Guangxi on the southern end of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The total area is 33,500 km² (12,900 sq mi), with elevations increasing from southeast to northwest. It is very mountainous with ranges including in the north the Jiuwangda Mountains, in the northwest the Phoenix Mountains, in the east the Fengling Mountains, in the west, the Duyang Mountains, and in the southwest the Green Dragon Mountains. The tallest mountain is "Nameless Peak" with an elevation of 1,693 metres (5,554 ft). Bordering prefecture-level divisions are Liuzhou to the east, Laibin to the southeast, Nanning to the south, and Baise to the southwest in Guangxi and Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou to the north.

Hechi has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and is generally overcast. The short and mild winters begin dry but become progressively rainier and cloudier. Early spring is the cloudiest time of year, though the monsoonal rains do not arrive until May. Summer is long, hot, and humid, and is the sunniest season. Autumn is warmer and drier than spring. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 10.9 °C (51.6 °F) in July to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 20.53 °C (69.0 °F). Annual rainfall averages around 1,520 mm (60 in), over 65% of which falls from May to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 15% in February and March to 43% in August, the city receives 1,259 hours of bright sunshine annually.