保山市

Why this place

Baoshan sits in a volcanic field west of Kunming, and its Tengchong county is a geothermal area with boiling springs, crater lakes and the old jade trade with Myanmar. It is also on the southern Silk Road route toward Southeast Asia.

What to see

• Tengchong's volcano park and the Rehai hot springs — geysers and boiling pools
• Heshun ancient town, a Ming-Qing merchant town that thrived on the jade trade
• The Gaoligong Mountains and the Nujiang valley country
• The jade markets of Tengchong, still working

What to eat

• Yunnan–Burmese border cooking; Tengchong is known for its 'erkuai' and its 'dajiu jia' dish
• The local 'sabie' and the Dai-influenced food of the south

Best time

October–April; the area is mild all year