On the winding road between Baoshan, about 530 kilometres away from Kunming, capital of Southwest China's
Yunnan Province, and Tengchong, you can see some dormant volcanoes around Tengchong in western Yunnan.

"They are the three most well-known dormant volcanoes near Tengchong,


Black Mountain (?)
Photo: http://www.yunnanadventure.com/YunnanGuide/Cluster-of-Volcanoes-in-Tengchong-Tengchong.html

The highest mountain is called Dakongshan, or the Mountain of the Big Hollow, as it has a deep central crater
left by an eruption. The other two mountains are called Xiaokongshan,
the Mountain of the Small Hollow, and Heikongshan, the Mountain of the Black Hollow.

Standing on top of these volcanoes, which have been dormant for 380 years, visitors can easily understand the
local saying, "On the land of Tengchong, nine out of 10 mountains are flat on top."

There are 97 dormant volcanoes in Tengchong. Twenty-three volcanoes with intact craters are clustered in
Heshun and Mazhan townships. These volcanoes feature such various landscapes as volcanic barrier lakes,
crater lakes, lava cascades and giant lava springs.

There are a dozen volcano lakes in Tengchong, among them the most famous one is the Sister
Lake. Coal-black volcano rocks around the lake seem to float on the water like lotus leaves.

Hot springs


Photo: http://springyunnan.com/html/article/37.html

Although Tengchong's volcanoes have been sleeping for centuries, people can hear their snore and feel their
breath while they visit the hot springs scattered around Tengchong.

Lying on the border between China and Myanmar, Tengchong boasts one of the country's
most concentrated distribution of geothermal resources. There are more than 100 hot springs,
varying in scale and appearance, some boiling, some warm. Ten kilometres from the county town of Tengchong
is Rehai, or the Hot Sea, which is a famous scenic attraction in Tengchong. Scattered in an area of about
nine square kilometres, this group of hot springs show diverse geothermal scenes.


Postcard showing Tengchong ( Teng-yueh) geothermal area in 1997
http://www.iomoon.com/tengchong.html

The best known is the Big Boiling Pot; the water reaches 96 degrees Celsius.
Visitors can taste stuffed buns and tea-simmered eggs that have been steamed by the spring's water.

Many hot springs have interesting names, such as the Frog Mouth, the Lion Head, the Drum-Beat Spring,
the Pregnancy-Inducing Fountain, the Immortal Bath Tub, and the Pond of Beauties.

Some of the names have interesting stories behind them, too. The Pregnancy-inducing Fountain got its name
because its water is believed by the locals to be able to treat women's illnesses, including sterility.



Photo: http://www.echinaromance.com/destinations/tengchong_scenicspots1.htm
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