Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (; Lahu: ) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City, in southwestern Yunnan province, China. Lancang is the same as Lan Xang, and refers to the Mekong River (known in Chinese as the Lancang) on its eastern borders and adopted by modern Laos, a Tai word meaning Million Elephants.
In 1988, the county was struck by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake. It was followed by a second damaging event shortly after. The two events killed a total of 939 people.
The main source of traditional Pu'er tea, the forests surrounding Jingmai Mountain (), have been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Lancang Lahu Autonomous County comprises five towns, nine townships and six ethnic townships.
A large portion of the population are of Lahu ethnicity, and Lahu language is one of the official languages in the county.
The Akha language, whose speakers are officially classified as Hani people, is also spoken in Lancang County. Ethnic Hani townships include Fazhan Ã¥ÂÂå±Âæ²³åÂÂå°¼æÂÂ乡 and Jiujing é ÂäºÂÃ¥ÂÂå°¼æÂÂ乡 townships. Menglang Ã¥ÂÂæÂÂé and Huimin æ æ°Âé were formerly ethnic Hani townships, but are now towns ().
The Bisu language is spoken in the townships of Zhutang 竹å¡Â乡 (in Dazhai 大寨, Laomian èÂÂé¢ village; see Laomian language), Laba æÂÂ巴乡, Donglang ä¸ÂæÂÂ乡, and Fubang å¯Âé¦乡.
Yi people also live in Lancang County, and are found in Qianliu Ethnic Yi Township è°¦å Âå½ÂæÂÂ乡.
The Aciga é¿è¨æ people of Lancang County numbered about 50 individuals as of 1960, and are located in Yakou Township é å£乡 and Nanxian Township Ã¥ÂÂç°乡 (You 2013:134). Their original language has become extinct, and the Aciga now speak Chinese and Yi. The Aciga are currently classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Yi.
Two dialects of the Wa language are spoken in Lancang County.
Wa townships include Xuelin éªæÂÂ佤æÂÂ乡, Ankang å®Â康佤æÂÂ乡, and Wendong æÂÂä¸Â佤æÂÂ乡 ethnic Wa townships.
Bulang people are located in:
Lancang County is located in southwestern Yunnan below the Tropic of Cancer, spanning latitude 22ð01'âÂÂ23ð16' N and longitude 99ð29'âÂÂ100ð35' E and an area of , making it the second-largest county in the province in terms of area. It borders Simao District and Jinggu County across the Lancang River to the east and northeast, Menghai County to the southeast, Ximeng County and Menglian County to the west and southwest, and Cangyuan County and Shuangjiang County to the northwest and north. It has an international border with Burma's Shan State to the west and south , totaling in length. It is heavily mountainous and situated among the Hengduan Mountains, with the elevation ranging from at Mount Malihei () in Xincheng Township () to in Yakou Township ().
Lancang County contains elements of both a tropical wet and dry climate and a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Aw and Cwa, respectively), and is generally humid. Summer is long and there is virtually no "winter" as such; instead, there is a dry season (December thru April) and wet season (May thru October). A drier heat prevails from February thru early May before the onset of the monsoon from the Indian Ocean. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in June, while the annual mean is . Rainfall totals about annually, with nearly 70% of it occurring from June to September, when relative humidity averages above 85%. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 24% in July to 70% in February, the county receives 2,116 hours of bright sunshine annually.