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622 Brigade - DF-31 ICBM
Yuxi
24°31'32"N 102°34'00"E
24.5255, 102.5669

The basing area near Yuxi appeared to be under construction in the 2010 image available on Google Earth. It was initially unclear which specific brigade will be deployed in this basing area. The facility appeared nearly complete at that time. One analysis noted "two high-bay garages with road access at either end", which suggested the deployment of DF-31/31A, but this configuration is not evident in imagery. A total of ten adits are evident in five pairs towards the SW along the central access road, which runs in a generally SW to NE direction. A further 30 adits, less clearly defined and of much greater variety of configuration, a slightly less evident in 15 pairs towards the NE along the central access road. The two ends of the complex are separated by a small lake. The central access road appears to run about 5 km within a narrow valley between low hills. The NE end of the road appears to terminate in a box canyon with a variety of miscelaneous support buildings.

The SW end of the central road terminates in an evident access control point. About a kilomenter distant lies the north-south China National Highway 213 (G213), a six lane divided median highway, and the Citongguan Service Area is near by. Presumably the DF-31 dispersal doctrine envisions flushing the missile TELs from their storage garages onto G213, and thense to the national highway system generally. The precise route from the garrison to the highway is obscured by the very poor quality of available imagery.

China National Highway adopt digital numbers, the letters before the number number "G" ( "National Road" and "national" character Pinyin initials). The title of national highway, such as national highway 213, is usually called "G213", "213 national highway" or "213 line". From the founding of the People's Republic of China to 1979, the national highways increased from 80,000 kilometers to 876,000 kilometers, but the highway standards were generally low, and the national highways were not well-connected. In November 1981, the former State Planning Commission, State Economic Commission and the Ministry of Communications jointly issued the National Trunk Highway Network (Trial Plan). The plan stipulates that national trunk roads (referred to as national highways) consist of a total of 70 routes of "12 shots, 28 verticals, 30 horizontals". The total planned mileage is about 109,200 kilometers.

Yuxi is a city in Yunnan. Administratively, Yuxi is a "prefecture-level city", meaning that it also controls several adjacent counties (Jiangchuan, Tonghai, Chengjiang). The actual "city" of Yuxi proper is formally known as Hongta District. There are still some old hutong-style buildings about the center of town. Some of them are operated as restaurants and can be entered to give a sense of traditional Yunnan architecture. There are many local recipes including some dishes of eggplant. They are wonderful.

The area is over 15,000 sq km big and the population is approximately 2.5 million. Near Yuxi city is Fuxian Lake, the second-deepest lake in China, where there have been discovered ancient fossils that are now in the possession of the Yuxi museum. There also are three other lakes around the city. They are Xinyun Lake, Qilu Lake, Yangzong Lake.

China National Highway 213 (G213) runs from Lanzhou in Gansu to Mohan in Yunnan. It is 2827 kilometers in length and runs via Chengdu, Sichuan and Kunming, Yunnan along to Yuxi. There are two bus stations in Yuxi. The Central Bus Station is located near the crossroad on Shanhu Rd. Buses to Kunming and other provincial cities start from there every day. The Chengxi Bus Station is located on Qixing Street, from where visitors can go to Yuanjiang, Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and other counties. The city-buses here are quite convenient and cheap. The general ticket is from CNY1 to CNY2 per person.

From Kunming, it takes approximately two hours by train. The new Yuxi Railway Station has two kinds of service. "Conventional" trains on the Kunming-Hekou line (several a day) stop at Yuxi as well; along their route they stop in Kunyang (between Kunming and Yuxi) as well as Tonghai, Mengzi, etc on their way to Hekou. These trains run from Kunming Railway Station, south of Kunming's downtown. In the late 2016, soon after the new station opened, more frequent and faster service non-stop service from Kunming along the new ("intercity") line was introduced as well.

The area enjoys a subtropical plateau monsoon climate, which blesses it with all-like-spring four seasons all year round. The hottest month is June while the coldest is in December or January. Best time to visit the region is between summer and autumn. Because of the high temperature difference between morning and night, visitors take a coat when going there in spring or autumn.

Yuxi was once the core area of Yunnan Province during the Previous Qin Dynasty (period before 221BC). In the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD), it became a county of Yizhou Shire. The subsequent dynasties witnessed the continuous separations and unifications of the area. It was not until 1997 that Yuxi became a prefecture-level city of the Republic of China.

This area is in the west edge of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with complex geographic features including mountains, valleys, lakes, plateaus and basins. Fuxian Lake is China's second deepest lake. The whole area extends from high northwest to low southeast. The urban city is about 1,630 meters (1,782 yards) above the sea level.

Endowed with pleasant climate, Yuxi is rich in crops and tobacco leaves, hence its honor 'Barn of Middle Yunnan Province' and 'Hometown of Yunnan Tobacco'. Yuxi Cigarette Company (Hongta Group) has become a famous cigarette making company. Its product brands such as Hongtashan, Ashima and Hongmei have been popular for many years in China. Yuxi is the home of the Hongta Group, which was named after the Red Pagoda which sits atop a nearby hill. The Pagoda was originally white, but was painted red during the cultural revolution. The tobacco is of high quality due to the fact that there are over 2300 hours of sunlight a year in the region, adequate rainfall in the summer, and excellent soil that produces a plethora of other fruits and vegetables. The region has begun producing wine, which could prove to be quite palatable in the next decade or so.

The area also has beautiful natural sceneries and colorful cultures. Various festivals, dances, musics and folk cultures of different ethnic minority groups should not be missed when traveling here. In addition, it is the hometown of Nie Er (1912-1935), the famous musician who wrote many revolution songs including China's present national anthem.