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Tengchong is a town surrounded by volcanoes. Starting from Baoshan
city, and climbing over the Gaoligong Mountain,the China to India highway,
built half a century ago, leads you to Tengchong Basin. In the distance
you can see dozens of volcanoes, large and small,with dense trees growing
around them. Located on the border of the Europe-Asia continental plate,
Tengchong has witnessed many activities of the earth's crust. Since 1500,
there have been over 70 earthquakes in the area measuring 5 and over on
the Richter scale. The Daying Mountain volcano has erupted many times.
Ma'an Mountain consists of three volcanoes, some of which have formed
lakes. Tengchong has the best well-preserved volcano groups from the
Cenozoic Era in China.
Over80vapor springs and hot springs are scattered around the
volcanoes, making this the second largest vapor field in China. The famous Yihong
Hot Lake is one of the biggest hot spring lakes in China, covering a total
area of10 square kilometers. The most magnificent Dagunguo (boiling pan)
Hot Spring, 6.12 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters deep, has a water
temperature of 96.6 degrees centigrade, and resembles a pan of boiling
water, sending steam high into the sky. The Hamazui Fountain, with a water
temperature of 95.5 degrees centigrade, looks like two frogs spraying out
hot spring water. Pearl Spring is a pool of water with hundreds of spray
holes in the bottom sending out pearl-like strings of hot bubbling water.
Other spectacular sights include Huaitaijing, Gumingquan, Xiaogunguo and
Yanjingquan springs and waterfalls. Hot springs in the adjacent Longling
County are also popular with visitors because of their medicinal effects
on the human body.
Tengchong County has been an important connecting link between
southwest China and both India and Myanmar since ancient times. Business is
brisk here. The Heshun Township is the well-known hometown of many overseas
Chinese. In1944, an anti-Japanese-invasion war broke out here. A martyry
was built near the county town where the soldier who died in the war were
buried. Tengchong is famous for producing traditional Chinese herbal medicines, Xuan paper
(high quality paper for traditional Chinese painting) and rattan work, which are famous throughout Southeast Asia. The jade
processing industry has been centered here in Tengchong for over
500 years. Local people work jadeite into bracelets, ear-rings and many other
decorations. The local Duanjia, Wangjia, Qiluo and Zhengkun jade works (jade
works named after the makers) are all well known at home and abroad.
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