Tengchong Overview

Tengchong Overview gives you a comprehensive understanding of Tengchong City, including the basic information, history, geographical location, climate, transportation and so on. 

Basic Information

Geography

Situated in the southwest of Yunnan Province, Tengchong is located in the west of Baoshan City, connected to Longyang District in the east, Longling County and Lianghe County in the south, Yingjiang County and the Republic of Myanmar in the west, and Lushui City of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in the northeast. The city is 606 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming, 200 kilometers away from Myitkyina, Myanmar, and 602 kilometers away from Redo, India. It is China's important gateway  to South and Southeast Asia. Lies at the southwestern end of the Hengduan Mountains, Tengchong topographically assumes the form of a horseshoe with the opening facing the south. The eastern most sources of the Irrawaddy flow from the high summit of Gaoligong Mountain, 3,780.2 m (12,402 ft) above sea level and the lowest point, 930 m (3,050 ft) above sea level. The elevation of the city seat is 1,640 m (5,380 ft).

History

Tengchong is one of the earliest developed regions in Southwest China. Historically, it roled as an important position on the Southwestern Silk Route. The city grew wealthy from trade with Burma and South East Asia due to its proximity to Mandalay across the Burmese border.

More about the  History of Tengchong.

Administrative Division

Tengchong Adminstrative Division gives you information about places to visit when you travel to Tengchong, such as the ancient town and traditional villages.  Tengchong city covers 11 towns and 7 townships. The most notable town under Tengchong's jurisdiction is Heshun Town which is 4 km west from Tengchong's city centre. 

11 Towns

7 Townships

Climate and Weather

Tengchong enjoys municipal tropical monsoon climate integrating the advantages of continental climate and marine climate. It is sunny in winter and spring, with abundant rainfall in summer and cool and pleasant weather in autumn. The annual average rainfall is 1531mm and the annual average relative humidity is 77%. The lowest temperature in winter is not lower than 0℃ and the highest temperature in summer is not higher than 30℃. It is rated as "one of the most suitable places for human habitation".

The Best Time to Visit Tengchong

As with many places of Yunnan province, Tengchong experiences a mild subtropical highland climate. Visitors could travel to Tengchong at any time of the whole year. Tengchong neither has a extremely freezing winter nor a burning summer. Besides, different seasons in Tengchong offer different sceneries. The best time to visit Ginkgo village is from mid-November to early December. It is suggested that the best time to visit Tengchong is mid to late April. 

Tengchong Culture

Tengchong Culture is diverse and colorful, featuring the folk culture of the six indigenous ethnic minoritues. It is a place where multi-ethnic groups inhabit. It is home to people of nearly half of China's 55 ethnic minority groups. Members of minority groups account for 7% of the total population of the city and live in over 40% of its total area. Furthermore, one major cultural element should be remarked in Tengchong, which is the local featured culture including Ecological Culture, Geological Culture, Silk Road Culture, Jade Culture, Anti-Japanese War Culture and Rural Culture.

More about Tengchong Culture

Tengchong Transportation

Visitors can get to Tengchong by air or by long-distance buses departing from nearby cities such as Kunming, Dali and Xishuangbanna, etc. You can also arrive in Baoshan first, then transfer to Tengchong city by long-distance bus. Tengchong Tuofeng Airport has flights to and from Kunming, Chongqing, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Changsha, etc. If you choose long-distance buses to get in and around  Tengchong, there are four bus stations for your reference, namely Tengchong Tourist Bus Station (腾冲旅游客运站) (offering bus shifts to Kunming, Baoshan, Dali and Lijiang), Laifeng Bus Station (来凤客运站 )(offering bus shifts to villages and towns), Ximen Bus Station (西门客运站 ) (offering bus shifts to scenic spots in Tengchong) and Tengchong Bus Station (腾冲客运站) (offering bus shifts  to Ruili). Most of the tourists to Tengchong are gathered at the Tengchong Tourist Bus Station and the tourists from Ruili are at Tengchong Bus Station.

More about Tengchong Transportation

Things to Do in Tengchong

Visitors to Tengchong shouldn't miss the most popular and featured attractions such as The Cluster of Volcanoes,and Rehai Hot Spring. Heshun Ancient Town, Tengchong Confucian Temple and The Museum of Yunnan-Burmese Anti-Japanese War  are the best sites to know about the culture and history of Tengchong while Jiangdong Ginkgo Village is the highlight of the Autumn in Tengchong. You can join in our birding tour to Gaoligong Mountain and ethnic minority discovery tours in Tengchong. Hot spring rereation is also popular among tourists. Moreover, the “Fantastic Tengchong”  Performance is a window to the history and culture of Tengchong. 

Tengchong Economy

  • Tengchong's industry and handicraft work were fostered during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, nearly 400 years ago. Factories and workshops were set up first by importing equipment from abroad. Earlier products included textile goods, leather, soaps, battery, cigarettes, matches, etc. They found market in West Yunnan and Burma and Southeast Asian countries. Since the founding of the People's Republic, a more complete industrial system was formed, comprising 32 departments like power generating, metallurgy, machinery, paper making, textile industry, matches production, pharmacy, tanning, chemical industry, sugar refining, tea leaves refining, food processing, etc.
  • In agriculture, Tengchong produces grain and oil crops, tobacco, tea leaves, sugarcane, etc. The production of tobacco has a history of more than 400 years. Tengchong tobacco, cultivated on the volcanic mountain slopes is of excellent quality and therefore used as a blend. The Chuanlong tea leaves and large-sized tea leaves sell particularly well.Tengchong is known for its jade culture and for its geothermal springs and the Lisu ethnic group. The city has actually grown into the biggest processing and trade center of jadeite in Southeast Asia. While you can find some craftsmen processing jadeite at the huge jadeite market, to get a taste of the local culture, visit the Hehua (Lotus Flower) Township near the city, where there are craftsmen processing jadeite at the huge jadeite market.
  • In recent years, Tengchong has become a centre of imported Burmese amber, processing, carving and wholesale. Many craftsmen who previously carved jade now also work in amber. Dealers from tier 1 cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou frequently descend upon Tengchong to secure the best pieces of 血珀 (Blood amber), 茶珀 (Tea amber) and 金珀 (Golden amber) for their shops back east. Tengchong's Jade and Amber Bazaar takes place every fifth day and attracts many dealers, Burmese traders, tourists and locals.

Natural Resources in Tengchong

Mineral Resources

The city abounds in geothermal energy. There are over 80 steaming fountain hot streams and boiling fountains. Ten of them spout hot water of 90 C and upward. Mineral resources include iron, tin, lead, zinc, wolfram, uranium, diatomite, rock crystal. Wollastonite, lignite, and others.

Water Resources

The water resources in Tengchong City mainly include the three major water systems of Binglangjiang River, Longchuan River and Dayingjiang River, with water energy reserves of more than 1.3 million kilowatts, which are under overall development. The city also possess hydroelectric plants including Sujiahekou Hydropower Station.

Biological Resources

Natural resources are plentiful. There are over 2,000 higher plants. Among the economic and timber forests, there are forests of oil tea, catalpa, common China-fir, Armandi pine, walnut. The percentage of forest cover reaches 34.6% of the city. Ornamental and medicinal plants exist in great quantities. The blossoms of the rhododendrons on Gaoligongshan Mountain are exceptionally large. The Gaoligong Nature Reserve, renowned as a natural botanical garden, has over 1,400 species of higher plants, many rare and precious animals and medicinal plants. The area is the origin of R. giganteum forest at Tagg (a special rhododendron species) and Yunnan camellia.

Regional Overview

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