Tengchong: The golden hues of volcanoes, Rehai, and ginkgo villages

Tengchong is a treasure trove on the border of Yunnan, where volcanoes and hot seas coexist. Four days and three nights, amidst the steam of hot springs and golden ginkgo, we encountered a small town just right in time.

The large boiling pot in Atami boils year-round, and geothermal heat cooks the eggs to perfection. Walking along the trail, the smell of sulfur hits you, steam gushes from cracks in the rocks, like the earth gently breathing.

In the volcanic geological park, dormant volcanic cones lie quietly like bowls. Climbing up Mount Kurokora and overlooking the entire volcanic range, one understands what once scorched the world beneath your feet.

In late autumn, in Jiangdong Ginkgo Village, three thousand ancient ginkgo trees are all adorned with gold, with yellow leaves falling on the eaves, stone steps, and the shoulders of the elderly. Sitting in a farmhouse courtyard drinking a cup of hot tea, time is dyed gold.

The Guoshang Cemetery stands quietly on the outskirts of the city, commemorating the soldiers who fought in western Yunnan. The solemn forest of steles and pines and cypresses add a heavy weight to this gentle little city.

Tengchong's warmth is the perfect balance of fire and metal. When you soak in the hot springs of the hot sea and watch the ginkgo trees fall, you'll understand: the slowness of the border is an underestimated luxury.