Tengchong 腾冲市 |
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County-level city | |
A market in central Tengchong.
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Location of Tengchong (pink) in Baoshan City (yellow) and Yunnan |
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Location of the seat in Yunnan | |
Coordinates: 25°01′N 98°29′E / 25.017°N 98.483°ECoordinates: 25°01′N 98°29′E / 25.017°N 98.483°E | |
Country | People's Republic of China |
Province | Yunnan |
Prefecture-level city | Baoshan |
Area | |
• Total | 5,845 km2 (2,257 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,667 m (5,469 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 620,000 |
• Density | 110/km2 (270/sq mi) |
Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
Postal code | 679100 |
Area code(s) | 0875 |
Website | www |
Yunnan Portal |
Tengchong (simplified Chinese: 腾冲; traditional Chinese: 騰沖; pinyin: Téngchōng) is a county-level city of Baoshan City, western Yunnan province, People's Republic of China. It is well known for its volcanic activity. The city is named after the town of Tengchong which serves as its political center, previously known as Tengyue (Chinese: 腾越; pinyin: Téngyuè) in Chinese. English language sources of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries use names such as Tingyueh, Teng Yueh, Momein, and Momien, these last two from the name for the place, one of the former Chinese Shan States, in the Shan language.
It borders with Myanmar in the northwest for 151 km (94 mi). By road, it is 650 km (400 mi) west of the provincial capital, Kunming, and 170 km (110 mi) westward from Baoshan's urban area.
Tengchong marks the southwestern terminus of the Heihe-Tengchong Line.
Tengchong is one of the earliest developed regions in Southwest China. During the Western Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 24), it belonged to Yizhou Commandery. In the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, a contemporary prefecture governed by a local chieftain was set up. In the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), Tengyue Prefecture was instituted. In the following dynasties, different administrative offices were set up. In 1913, Tengchong was made a county. Historically, it occupied an important position on the Southwestern Silk Route. The Sichuan cloth and bamboo sticks available at the markets in Bactria (including Afghanistan and parts of India) were brought there from the ancient Bonan Route through Tengchong. From the Ming dynasty onwards, large numbers of Tengchong people went abroad to trade and seek a livelihood. The city grew wealthy from trade with Burma and South East Asia due to its proximity to Mandalay across the Burmese border.