A Saunter Through Tengchong

TENGCHONG is a frontier town on the western edge of Yunnan Province. Long overshadowed by neighboring Lijiang and Dali， famous for their snow mountains， crystal clear rivers and fascinating ethnic cultures， Tengchong has remained relatively obscure owing to underdeveloped transport. Until 2009， when the local Tuofeng Airport opened， a 10-hour bus trip was its sole means of access. Today， a flight there takes just 50 minutes.

Tengchong is an unexpected delight for visitors that find their way there. It offers hot springs courtesy of local volcanoes， dazzling displays of jade and emeralds – the town is the country’s largest precious stone distribution center – and historical sites that recall its past as a major stop on the Silk Road.

Yunnan’s perennially balmy weather makes the town particularly inviting to northerners like us taking a winter vacation. Lured by the prospect of basking in warm sunshine while roaming along a tranquil paved lane or taking a dip in a hot spring under a starry sky – a scenario in complete contrast to smog-shrouded Beijing – my friends and I packed and headed for Tengchong.

Yinxing Village

My fi rst stop was Yinxing （Gingko） Village， 40 kilometers from Tengchong. As the name suggests， the village is resplendent in gingko trees– 30，000 in all – 50 of which are more than fi ve centuries old. Leaf peepers like us generally sojourn in the village from November to December each year， after autumn has turned the woods gold.

We missed the best season as most of the leaves had fallen， creating a mobile carpet that rustled， unhindered by brooms， through streets， cottage yards and the central plaza. Peace reigns throughout this rural community at noon. Other than a few students hurrying home for lunch， there were few people on the streets when we arrived. Those we saw took our presence in their stride， visitors garbed in backpacks and armed with cameras having become a facet of local life in Yinxing.

Many village households incorporate restaurants that serve local rustic specialties. Luckily for us business is slow in the early spring， so we had both time and elbow room to try the local tasty treat – silkie chicken stewed with gingko fruits. The silkie， distinct for its dark blue flesh and bones， is believed to be more nourishing than other Chinese breeds. Local chefs perform the whole process of catching， slaughtering and cooking the chickens， which roam the yards that serve as dining space， in full sight of customers. This is to assure guests that the fowls are free-range and fresh. The meat is then simmered in a big iron wok over a wood-fi red stove.

Heshun Town

Our next stop was centuries-old Heshun （meaning smooth sailing）， three kilometers from Tengchong. Its name originates in the line from a poem that reads， “Gathering clouds signify good fortune， and a gust of wind conduces smooth sailing.” Less visited than better-known timehonored towns， and consequently having escaped over-commercialization and the inevitable damage that accompanies heavy tourism， Heshun has maintained its age-old serenity.

Adventurism and entrepreneurship come naturally to Heshun natives， who have traveled and traded throughout the world for generations. Half of the town’s population lives abroad and， according to tradition， periodically send home funds to their relatives， who use them to build luxury residences， ancestral temples and public facilities.

Heshun Library， built in 1938 with donations from overseas residents， houses more than 70，000 book titles， including 10，000 rare volumes. It is China’s largest rural library. A wooden pavilion stands by the river that traverses the town. Local men are said to have built it long ago as a shelter from the sun and rain for their left-behind wives as they toiled over the family laundry by the river， gazing from time-to-time at the distant horizon and yearning for their spouses faraway.

All paths in the town are neatly paved with stone slabs， according to the local custom whereby wealthier residents are obligated to build public roads. Visitors run no risk of getting lost. Should they find themselves in a blind alley， local natives soon set them on the right path.

As every inch of Heshun catches and entrances the eye， whether it be a street corner， a back lane or a cracked tile roof， it is impossible to pinpoint a single scenic spot. The town constitutes an organically scenic showcase， one that you feel a part of.

Burgeoning tourism， however， has brought changes to local communities. Several jade stores have opened in the commercial district， several homes have been converted into inns， and a few cafés and bars have appeared. Like it or not， Heshun is changing， albeit at a much slower pace than the rest of the world.

Volcanoes and Geothermal Park

Tengchong， on the border of the Eurasian and Indian plates， is accustomed to crustal movements. Its 5，800-plus sq km territory is studded with as many as 99 volcanoes that generate 88 or more hot springs.

The national geopark and site of spectacular volcanic wonders is located in Tengchong’s remote suburbs beyond the public transport network. It is hence accessible only by taxi or hired car. The latter are privately owned， their drivers open to negotiations on rates and routes.

Our first stop in the park is Xiaokong Mountain， whose shape resembles a truncated cone. We descended from the apex to the bottom of the 47-meter-deep crater. It is filled with porous lava gravel， whose low density has earned it the local epithet of floating rock.

One of the park’s main attractions is its Columnar Joints – a phalanx of parallel prismatic stone columns. This rare lava formation is the result of contraction after a cooling in the basaltic flow amid other extrusive and intrusive rocks.

The Heiyu （black fish） River was a subterranean river before lava blocked its course and diverted the flow to above ground. It is the largest lower-temperature hot spring in Tengchong， and rich in minerals. In spring and summer tens of thousands of black fish billow from its underground section. Exposure to sunshine and access to more food has made them sleek and plump. Caught， gutted and grilled， they are a popular local dish.

For a steamier spa experience， the Rehai （Thermal Sea） Scenic Area is the place to go. Located in a valley in southwest Tengchong it is site of at least 14 hot springs whose temperatures are around 90 degrees Celsius. At the entrance we bought potatoes and eggs bound in straw rope and， following the strong odor of sulfur， arrived at the Boiling Pot， a spring three meters in diam-eter that incessantly gushes seething water. We added our victuals to those that other visitors had set down along its rim， and waited hungrily while they steamed.

The area comprises a cluster of hot springs. That known as Pearl Spring seeps out of porous outcrops， appearing as numerous beads. Spectacle Spring is named for its twin pools.

Next to the valley is a bathing gully， where we made the perfect end to our journey. After soaking our aching muscles in therapeutic waters， we each ordered a bowl of Ersi， a local rice noodle snack. We left the park under a starry canopy whose constellations seemed so close as to dazzle us. This is a world far removed from the one in which we live of heavy traffic by day and brash neon lights after dark. At that moment I could barely stand the thought of returning to it.

Other Historic and Scenic Spots：

Yunnan and Myanmar Anti-Japanese Invasion Museum

The first private museum themed on China’s anti-Japanese occupation efforts， its collection comprises 6，000 or more objects and about 1，000 old photos. Former President Jiang Zemin took 39 items from it on one of his visits to the U.S. Yunnan was a strategic battlefield in the national war against Japanese invaders， where Chinese armies fought side by side with American and British allies.

Martyrs Cemetery

Fallen soldiers of the 20th Division of the China Expedition Army that liberated Tengchong from Japanese occupation were buried here in 1944. The battle was part of the effort to protect the Burma Road， a military supply artery in the war against Japanese invasion. More than 9，600 Chinese soldiers were killed on this mission. The cemetery was built in 1945， and named Guoshang， alluding to the ode to national martyrs by patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the third century BC.

Dieshui River Waterfall

An offshoot of the Daying River in northeast Tengchong， the Dieshui River is joined by a number of brooks on its course， and precipitates from a 46-meter-high point two kilometers west of the town， cascading into a pool at the foot of the cliff before rolling onwards. Folded water is the literal meaning of Dieshui.

Beihai Wetland

Encircled by mountains 12.5 km away from the county seat of Tengchong， Beihai is one of China’s 33 national wetlands and the sole one in Yunnan Province. The eco-system comprises a barrier lake on a volcanic plateau， which features immense biological diversity and complexity. From April to June the area is blanketed with multi-hued blossoms.

Cherry Valley

Part of the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve 26 kilometers east of Tengchong， the valley is well-known for its hot springs， virgin forests， gurgling rivulets and grotesquely-shaped rocks. In March and April Oriental Cherry trees come into full blossom， sweetening the air and livening up the tranquil valley where visitors stroll. Entrance to the hot spring spa is free， but visitors need to bring their own swimwear and bathing products.

Feature Food：

Local food tends to be salty. If you prefer low sodium， a quick word with the chef will do the trick.

Dishes unique to Tengchong include：

Dajiujia， or stir-fried rice-flour cakes. Locals make finely ground rice into short noodles or thick slabs and prepare them in various ways.

Pea mash is a pea paste with a dressing that contains caraway， hot pepper oil， sesame oil， Amomum tsaoko oil， prickly ash oil， fermented tofu sauce and more. It is served with baked rice slabs as a breakfast staple in the region.

Zongbao， the local name for the fruit of the palm tree. The dish consists of shredded fruit stir fried with red radish and pork， and has a distinctly bitter-sweet flavor. Only locally grown Zongbao can be used for this dish， as those from other regions are too bitter.

Ganmarou， or caravan meat， is pork stewed with various condiments. Its name originates in its popularity on the caravans that traveled along the Tea Horse Trail.

Souvenirs：

Jade and wood carving stores outnumber all other gift shops in the town. It is said that Tengchong people were the first to discover the commercial value of emeralds， and that they pioneered the processing of this gem. The town is now a leading emerald processing and distribution hub in southeastern Asia.

The many forests in the region supply Tengchong with abundant raw materials for woodcarving， a universal facet of local life， apparent in window frames， furniture and ornaments. A unique style has evolved during the craft’s long history in Tengchong. In recent years tree root carvings have also become popular. Local artists excel at both.