Lishui Overview

Lishui in Chinese means beautiful water. Nestled between the Oujiang River to the south and mountains all around, Lishui is known as a photographer's paradise for its spectacular scenery.  But this small, mountain town is also becoming a powerful force in the global economy. 

Location and Administration

Situated in the southwest of Zhejiang Province, Lishui Prefecture administers two cities – Lishui and Longquan; one district – Liandu; and seven counties – Qingtian, Jinyun, Yunhe, Qingyuan, Suichang, and Songyang and Jingning Autonomous County of the She minority people. In all, Lishui has a population of 2,506,600.  The prefecture is bordered by Fujian province to the south, Wenzhou to the southeast, Quzhou to the northwest, and Taizhou to the northeast.  Lishui's municipal government in Liandu is located 122 kilometers from Wenzhou, 292 kilometers from Hangzhou and 512 kilometers from Shanghai. Lishui has a latitude of 118°41′～120°26′ East, and a longitude of 27°25′～28°57′North.

Terrain and Climate

The region of Lishui is mainly covered by low mountains and rolling hills. Of the 17,298 square kilometers area of Lishui, 88.42% is mountainous, 5.52% is farmland, and 6.06% is comprised of roads, villages, and streams. The principle mountain range is Xianxia of the Wuyi cordillera.  In Lishui, there are 3,573 mountain peaks exceeding 1,000 meters in height, of which 244 are over 1,500 meters in height.  Huangmao peak of Fengyan Mountain in Longquan is the highest peak in Zhejiang province with an altitude of 1,929 meters while Mount Baishanzu in Qingyuan ranks second highest with an altitude of 1,857 meters.