To meet Baoshan in Yunnan

Baoshan City is situated in the southwest of Yunnan Province， bordered by Burma in the south and northwest. Within the province， it neighbors Lincang Region in the east， Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in the northeast and Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest. It is nearly 500 kilometers （310 miles） from Kunming， the capital city of Yunnan Province.

Under Baoshan Citys administration， there are 1 district， namely Longyang District， and 4 counties， namely Shidian， Tengchong， Longling， Changning. Seat of the city government： No.26， Tongren Street， Longyang District.

The area was called Yongchang in ancient times. Historically， it was the first residence for human settlers in western Yunnan. During the middle period of the Warring States Period （476BC-221BC）， it was the center of ancient Ailao Kingdom. As the Ailao Kingdom turned to decline， Yongchang Shire， the origin of Baoshan City was established in the year of 69 of the Eastern Han Dynasty （25-220） as the second largest shire in the country. It was during the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） dynasties that it successively belonged to two ethnic regimes， Nanzhao State and Dali State. The name of Baoshan was first used in 1524.

Baoshan lies in the south end of the Hengduan Mountains with more than ninety percent of its territory occupied by medium mountain and quasi-mountain areas. Another over seven percent is plateau plains and basins.

Due to the complex topography at low altitude in plateau， subtropical， temperate and plateau climatic types coexist in Baoshan. Its weather is moderate throughout the year， but the temperature varies greatly during a day. The annual average temperature falls between 14 and 17 degree centigrade （57.2-62.6 degree Fahrenheit）. It is fine to visit during the whole year.

The most attractive tourist destination in Baoshan is Tengchong County， which is one of Chinas famous geothermal places， pervaded by boiling springs， eruptive fountains and hot spring groups.

Heshun—Homeplace of Overseas Chinese

Heshun means peace and harmony. The title of the township is derived from a verse describing “the rising clouds that herald auspicious future and the gentle breeze that breathes peace and harmony.” The town consists of over 1，300 households and 6，300 and more people. From ancient times on， it has been a place where talented people were brought up. Many of the Heshun people who live abroad are successful businessmen or scholars of great attainments doing their bits for the prosperity of the countries they reside.

Heshun is a very beautiful place with many or namental structures like pavilions， memorial halls or archways， lotus ponds， marble balustrades， etc. The most important scenic spot that a visitor to Heshun cannot afford to miss is Shuidui， an ancient water mill near a body of limpid water named Yuanlongtan. Yuanlong Pavilion which overlooks the clear pond is an ancient structure. The pavilion was constructed in the 27th year of Emperor Qianlongs reign in the Qing Dynasty（1762 A.D.）. The sublimity of the ancient architecture with its excellent lay out of the halls， kiosks， balconies and bowers of carved beams and painted rafters add beauty to the serenity of nature. The inscriptions， tablets and couplets， well composed and written by outstanding calligraphists， are highly attractive. The fountain by the side of the pavilion is known by the name “Dragon Pond”.

The Heshun Library situated on the campus of Yiqun Middle School， the biggest one at the township level， is the pride of the Heshun people. The library buildings with flower gardens in the front courtyard show styles of traditional Chinese architecture. The library， set up in 1924， is in possession of over 60，000 volumes of books， many of which are rare editions of ancient works.

King of the Azalea in the World

Traditionally， the azalea is one of the ten most famous flowers in China. This beautiful flower can be found throughout the county. Of more than 800 varieties of azaleas， over 600 kinds have been found in China， which is the original birthplace of azaleas. Azaleas grow compactly in Yunnan， for more than 300 species have been found in this province. Usually， the azalea is a shrub or small arbor of one or two meters tall. However， in the Gaoligong Mountains of Tengchong， the azalea has a height of several dozens of zhang（about 3 meters）， and produces countless blooms. Therefore， it is called “the Giant Azalea”. In February of 1981， in the virgin forest of the Gaoligong Mountains in Tengchong， Chinese scientists found a group of the tallest and biggest azaleas. The biggest one， with a height of 25 meters and a diameter of 3.07 meters at its foot， is over 500 years old， known as “the King of the Azalea in the World”. “The Giant Azalea” is now under national protection.

The Ancestor of Yunnan Camellia - Red-Flower Camellia Oleifera

The camellia is one of the ten most famous flowers in China， and ranks first among the eight most famous flowers in Yunnan. Therefore， it is honored as the City Flower of Kunming. The original species of the camellia is the red-flower camellia oleifera in Tengchong. It is a wild plant with thick and strong trunk and branches. The tree is tall and beautiful； when it is in full bloom， its flowers look delicate and charming. The red-flower camellia oleifera are found mainly in the mountain areas in Yunhua. Only in Yunhua there is over 7，000 mu of such camellias. Late in winter and early in spring during the flowering season， the trees are attractively in full bloom， making the whole area a flaming flower sea. That is one of the major scenic spots in Tengchong. The red-flower camellia oleifera is well-known not only for its beautiful flowers but also for its fruit， from which oil can be extracted. It is of high economic value and called “Green Oil Reservoir”. The state has decided to build Tengchong into a base of the red-flower camellia oleifera.

Southwest Silk Road

The Southwest Silk Route is the second of its kind in China. As early as over 2，000 years ago， Chinas silk products were world-famous， gaining a global renown. The well-known“Silk Route” was the main route for the exportation of silk during the Hang and Tang Dynasties. However， previous to the opening of this route， there was already the Southwest Silk Route extending from Sichuan to Burma and India via Yunnan. Like its northwest counterpart， it has made great contributions to world civilization.

According to historical accounts， when Zhang Qian（？-444 B.C.） was on his mission to Bactria （now the northern part of Afghanistan） in 122 BC， he saw some Shu cloth and “qiong” bamboo sticks imported from Sichuan to India and came to know that merchants from Sichuan had a long time before traveled to India for trade via Yunnan and Burma. Afterwards， the Han empire， having removed obstacles imposed by the Kunming tribes around Erhai Lake， recruited a great amount of armed laborers to undertake on a large scale the building of the Bonan Route. Passing what is now Xiaguan and Yongping and crossing the Lancangjiang River， this road extended via Baoshan and Tengchong far into Burma， India and other countries. In the Tang Dynasty， it prospered and throve even more， showing no decline during a long period of time. Up to now there still can be found many historical relics along this route.

For instance， on the famous Bonan Mountains at Yongping one can still see the stone-paved ancient road winding over the sublime and awe-inspiring mountain ranges. The place near todays Jihong Bridge on the bank of the Lancangjiang River used to be a famous ancient ferry in the Western Han Dynasty. In the 12th year of the reign of the Han Emperor Mingdi （A.D. 69）， Yongchang Prefecture was instituted in what in Baoshan today， thus causing the roads further development. In 1982， a tablet was unearthed near the present-day Yunnan-Burma Highway （formerly the Burma Road） between the Nujiang River and the Gaoligongshan Mountain. This tablet unearthed at the ancient stage is a most convincing material evidence to this effect.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties this line of communications modes closer the ties of friendship between China and the countries in Asia， Africa and Europe. It provided an important condition for developing the economy and culture of the various nationalities on Chinas southwestern border.

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