Mengzi

Mengzi is a city, or county, in the southeast of Yunnan, China, in the Honghe prefecture about 12 miles east of Gejiu. It is situated in the center of a fertile valley basin on a plateau 3500 feet above sea level. Like nearby Gejiu, mining, mostly of tin, is a large part of its economy. in 1886, a French convention chose Mengzi to be the center of trade in the Yunnan province for importing and exporting goods to and from Tongking in Vietnam and opened 2 years later. Its main exports were tin and opium, and imported mostly textiles (primarily cotton) and tobacco. As a trading center, the city gradually began to lose its importance beginning from the early 20th century.

Recently, the prefectural government has moved from a nearby city into Mengzi. New wealthy suburbs and large government offices have sprung up as a result, but much of the poverty remains, creating a large wealth gap within the city.