Tengchong

Far-western Yunnan border city near Myanmar. Volcanic landscapes, hot springs, and the Heshun ancient town — a centuries-old overseas-Chinese hometown of stone-paved lanes and Western-influenced returnee mansions.

Tengchong sits on the Yunnan-Myanmar border at 1,640m elevation. The city has been a jade-trading hub for 600+ years, and many of the city's Republican-era mansions were built with returnee fortunes from Burma jade trade. Heshun ancient town (Heshun Old Village), 4 km from the city centre, is one of the best-preserved 'qiaoxiang' (overseas-Chinese hometown) settlements — a stone-and-tile village with ancestral halls, libraries built with Western funds, and continuous occupation since the Ming dynasty.

The surrounding volcanic landscape is the country's most-accessible — 99 volcanic cones in the area, the largest cluster in mainland China. The Rehai (Hot Sea) hot springs are a working geothermal field with bathing and medical-tourism infrastructure. Cross-border traffic with Myanmar at the Yingjiang and Ruili crossings adds substantial Burmese-influenced trade and cuisine.