Tengchong County: Beauty of Volcanoes and Geotherm

Tengchong County is located in the southwest of Yunnan Province. It is neighboring Cambodia in the west.

The history of Tengcheng County could date back to the Han Dynasty， though it was not a part of China yet. At that time， this area belonged to Dianyue， a country known for its elephant riders. In the Three-Kingdom Period， Tengchong belonged to the State of Yue， an independent substate that used to be a part of the State of Shu. This ownership lasted till the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Then in the Song Dynasty， a new empire named Dali rose in Yunan Province and Tengchong at that time it was commonly called Tengyue has a provincial-level authority established and manage it.

This area was devoured by the Beijing-based government in the Yuan Dynasty when Dali Empire was destroyed by the Mongolian riders. It was also given the name of Tengchong. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty established Tengchong as an important military base during their confrontation with South Asian countries. But they also considered the words Tengchong to be too “powerful” and “robust” since they meant “upward” and “charging forward”. So， most of people in the Yuan government， especially those in military uniforms， prefer to call it “Ruanhua Mansion” since “Ruanhua” here meant “softening”.

The area of Tengchong was included into the Chinese government in the Ming Dynasty when the authority set up a military-civil administration in the area of Xishuangbanna（Tengchong included） and established Tengchong as a military stronghold. This setup was continued in the early Qing Dynasty. Then the central government upgraded it into an autonomous sub-state under the administration of Yunnanprovincial government.

In the time of Republic of China， the Kuomintang government set up a county-level government in Tengchong and officially upgraded this area into a county. The CPC government followed that style. Tengchong county clings to Baoshan City， Yunnan Province.

Even though the Mongolians called this place “soft”， this place has no “soft” features at all. As a place neighboring Laos， the county has been playing an important role in terms of military and business affairs in the past. During the Second World War， the Japanese invaders threw a heavy military force into this area， trying to open a gate to get access to South Asia. The Chinese defenders， unlike the previous battles， staged determined and furious counterattack against the invaders. Tengchong witnessed the first and one of the few battles in which the Chinese army annihilated the entire force of a Japanese troop， showing the braveness of the Chinese. Now， there is a public cemetery in Tengchong where thousands of soldiers dying in that period were buried， showing the unyielding spirit of the people of Tengchong.

The unyielding and fire-like nature of Tengchong people was related to the climatic and geological features of this area. The weather here， like the rest part of Xishuangbanna， was quite rainy. The dense forest there keeps the rainwater from being vaporized， leading to the moist circumstance in Tengchong. Therefore， people there take a favor in spicy food to help them resist the moisture. This catering hobby leads to the characteristics of Tengchong people： warm to friends while deadly furious towards enemies.

Tengchong is also a place full of volcanoes. Volcanic could be found everywhere inside Tengchong. They are not friendly to crops but provide perfect materials for the con- struction. This harsh situation forged the hardened body and spirit of locals， further explaining their brave and unyielding spirit in the battlefield.

The geological features of Tengchong are highly related to the volcanoes also contributed to the economy of this place. As one of the most intensively volcanic areas in Asia， Tengchong serves as a good place for both scientific research and tourism.

The Volcanic Cluster

The Tengchong Volcanic Cluster is located in the west of Tengchong County. It is also to the west of Gong Mountain. They are the typical volcanoes generated in the quaternary period thus making them the youngest volcanic cluster in China in the southwestern area of China.

Located at the edge of the Eurasia Plate， this area went through a lot of crust movement in the quaternary period. The frequent earthquakes shattered the land and mountains here， permitting the passage for the lava too spit out. When the lava cooled， they became volcanics in different shapes， making this place one of the most exciting places with volca-nics in China. Bearing the name as the “Natural Geological Museum”， Tengchong is said to have over 99 volcanoes different in height and parameter inside it. Some of these volcanoes were still active three hundred years ago， but fortunately all of them are dormant by now.

Among all the volcanoes in Tengchong， the most famous ones are Dakong Mountain and Xiaokong Mountain （Big Hollow Mountain and Small Hollow Mountain）. Dakong Mountain stands right opposite the front grate of Tengchng Geological Park. Xiaokong Mountain stands hundreds of meters away from it. From the distance the two volcanoes look like twins. Both are the transacted cone-shaped volcanoes with the wide pan-like craters left after the eruption.

Dakong Mountain， as its name implies， is the larger one of the twins， is 2072 meters high from the sea level. Its volcanic cone is 100 meters high while the crater is 140 meters in diameter and 40 meters in depth. The entire mountain the inside part of the volcanic cone included is covered with green plants. Two step paths manually made of black volcanics runs along the hill slope， with the two paths each slant inward towards each other to form a rough “A” pattern that could be seen from a distance. The path consists of 600 steps and leads to the top of the mountain， i.e. the crater itself. Tourists can have a clear view of the 20 or so smaller volcanoes around it. They can also ascend higher in a fire balloon to have a more clear view of the entire volcanic cluster.

The crater itself is worth enough attention too. A vol- canic-made stele is standing by the crater on which the words meaning “Asking the Heaven” are carved. The bottom of the crater is covered with honeycomb-like pumice stones， leftovers of the volcanic eruption hundreds of years before. These pumice stone are different from each other in the size. But they are very light since the untold holes inside the stone reduce its mass thoroughly.

Xiaokong Mountain is a bit lower than its twin with the above-sea-level height of 1937 meters. But its crater is bigger with the 150-meter diameter and 47-meter depth. Because of this， the crater of Xiaokong Mountain is chosen to be the landing point of the Parachute Festival， which is held annually.

There is a columnar jointing called Immortal Column Valley that connected the Big and Small Hollow Mountains. It is a result of crust movement as the lines around it are twisted， a clear mark of the crust movement. The columnar jointing takes the shapes of irregular quadrangle， pentagon and hexagon the hexagonal pattern take the majority and are displayed vertically， horizontally and slantly in a clear order， showing the force of the nature.

Tengchong Hot Sea

The ancient crust movement and the flowing lava underneath the ground have brought more than the volcanic cluster. The geotherm is another grand feature of Tengchong， which is actually one of the three best geothermal areas in China. This place is called Tengchong Hot Sea， the only 5A scenic area in Tengchong （the volcanic cluster is a 4A scenic area）.

Tengchong Hot Sea is 20 kilometers southwest from the county. It covers nine square kilometers with over 80 large gas springs and hot springs. There are more 10 hot springs with the water’s temperature higher than 90 degrees. Tourists could see the hot water gushing out everywhere once they get into this area.

Behind this grand scenic area is a fairytale. In the ancient time， this place was frozen and frequently struck by snowstorm. People are suffering from this. A kind-hearted old man endured a lot of difficulties during his endless search for the warmth for this place. His sincerity finally moved the god， who gave him a gem and asked him to contain the gem inside his mouth. The old man did as asked and soon felt unbearable thirst. He drank up the water of several rivers instantly. Then he turned into a dragon that could spit out hot water. Everywhere he rested would be crawling with the hot springs. From then on， this place became warm every time of a year， followed by the harvest and growing herds of livestock.

The fairytale is beautiful， but the real reason for the Hot Sea is due to its geological structure. Tengchong is located in the Alps-Himalaya tectonic belt and the bonding area of India Plate and Eurasia Plate. The special tectonics activates the lava underneath this area， which relentlessly releases helium and methane gas， heating the water inside this area. Actually， this is a sign of the dormant volcano here， meaning that the eruption would happen in the future.

The dormant volcano and the possible eruption would not stop the tourists from going there to enjoy the hot springs. Among these hot springs， the“Big Boiling Pot” is the most impressive one. Apart from the hot water， the smell of sulfur is filling the air of its surrounding place. Thus it is also called the “Sulfur Pond”.

The “Big Boiling Pot”， as its name shows， looks like a huge pot filled with hot water. The diameter of the pond reaches 6.12 meters while the water depth hits 1.5 meters. Inside the pond there are three blow holes. The water temperature here ranges from 96 degrees to 97 degrees while the water at the bottom of the pond is even hotter than the vaporized gas （102 degrees）.

Tourists that get near the “Big Boiling Pot” could feel the heat under their feet， as well as the moist， heated and sulfuric air filling their noses. The green water inside the pond is boiling， with bubbles floating to the surface from the bottom and then broke， making the “pooh” sounds constantly heard. This is just like a real pot with boiled water. The administration has installed railings around the bond to prevent anyone from falling into the pond. It is said that once a bull once fell into the bond and its meat was thoroughly cooked in ten minutes， showing the power of its heat.

Tourists can dig up a hole in the land around the pond and bury the box usually wooden box with rice， eggs and vegetables in the hole. After 20 minutes， they could have a special “geothermic fast food” full of local flavors.

Standing opposite the “Big Boiling Pot” across the Bathing River is the Conceiving Well. The water flowing out of the well is 88 degrees. The well is made of a dodecagonal stone railing with each side having an animal from the Chinese zo- diac carved on it. The water from the well has been proven to contain a lot of microelements and water radon， which could adjust the nervous system， boost the metabolism， relax the bloodlines and improve the internal secretion system. It also has special effect against the gynecological disease and especially good for those infertile women. This is the origination of its name.

Ruidian Hot Land is another typical place with hot springs. It consists of eight spring clusters. One of its most distinguished features is that it has geyser springs. The hot water could periodically gush out at a certain time every day. The height might be a dozen of waters. The gushing water spreads and falls like a canopy of silver arrows. Against the sunshine， a rainbow could be seen， further highlighting the beauty of the hot spring.

Apart from the volcanic cluster and the hot springs， Tengchong also boasts a wetland full of clean water， green plants and numerous animals， a waterfall that could seen inside the county the only waterfall residing in populated area in China. Even though these could not match the best marks of Tengchong the volcanic cluster and the hot spring， they could still add a lot of fun to the journey. In addition， there are a lot delicious local foods available here. They are beyond the description of words. Only a journey there in person could reveal its true charm.