Miyun District

Miyun 密云区
District
Simatai Great Wall
Location of Miyun County in Beijing
Coordinates: 40°22′28″N 116°50′22″E / 40.37444°N 116.83944°E / 40.37444; 116.83944Coordinates: 40°22′28″N 116°50′22″E / 40.37444°N 116.83944°E / 40.37444; 116.83944
Country	People's Republic of China
Municipality	Beijing
Township-level divisions	3 subdistricts 17 towns 1 township
Area
• Total	2,227 km2 (860 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	460,800
• Density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	101500
Area code(s)	0010
Website	bjmy.gov.cn

Miyun District (simplified Chinese: 密云区; traditional Chinese: 密雲區; pinyin: Mìyún Qū) is situated in northeast Beijing. It has an area of 2,227 square kilometres (860 sq mi) and a population of 460,800 (2010 Census). The district is divided into 2 subdistricts of the city of Miyun, 17 towns, and 1 ethnic rural township.

The Miyun urban area, centered on Gulou Subdistrict, has an estimated population of 124,500.

The district's facilities include the Nanshan Ski Resort, one of the largest in the country.^[1] The Miyun Reservoir, a major source of water for the city of Beijing, is also located in the county.

Administrative divisions

Gulou Subdistrict in 2015.

A passenger train arriving Miyun North Railway Station.

There are 3 subdistricts, 17 towns, and 1 townships which carry the "area" (地区) label in the district:^[2][3]

No Chinese, China

No Chinese, China or English Town, Miyun County, China was a proposed English speaking town in Miyun County, Beijing, China with the intention of attracting tourists until December 2011. The site was expected to be at least 60 hectares of land situated northeast of Beijing according to Wang Haichen, county chief of Miyun County. "According to the plan, people can't talk in Chinese inside the walled-city".^[5] The original plan would have required a "tourist passport" to enter the town.^[6]

As of December 2011, the Global Times of China has reported that "... Miyun County announced on Saturday [December 17, 2011] that it quashed plans to build a 780,000-square meter English speaking only town." Furthermore, "...'[t]he project was meaningless, the investing company was probably trying to create land speculation by making the announcement,' said Chu Zhaohui".^[7]

Issues and controversy

Like Disneyland, the "English-language town" could be an interesting place, "but I don't think the town would help people improve their English. It is not an environment for learning foreign languages," Hou said.

Learning a language requires a series of social conditions, the most important of which is the exchange of feelings and ideas, Hou said, noting that the dialogue between buyers and sellers is far from adequate.^[6]

The issues with such a plan are as follows:

• An "English-only policy" would exclude much of the population who could not speak English
• Resources in the city would be drained and not benefit the local community as Chinese would not be allowed to be spoken inside the city. Ironically, English learners in the city would not benefit because they cannot learn English without using Chinese
• The plan would not be profitable as this would not be an effective way to learn English.
• It demonstrates the "worship of foreigners" and discrimination against Chinese

According to the Beijing News, the plan received "overwhelming criticism."^[8]

Investment

According to the article, "... the Linda International Investment Group... had signed a 10 billion yuan investment during the 15th Beijing-Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium."^[7]

See also

• Simatai

• Europe Street
• Jackson Hole, China
• Thames Town
• Ju Jun - known as "Orange County, China"

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Miyun.

Media related to Miyun County at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website of Miyun Government (Chinese)
• Illustrated Atlas of Shanhai, Yongping, Jizhou, Miyun, Gubeikou, Huanghua Zhen and Other Areas