Current Time in Longling County, China

Longling County lies in the west of Yunnan Province in south western China, within the administrative area of Baoshan. It occupies steep mountain country between the deep gorge of the Nu River, known further downstream as the Salween, and the valley of the Longchuan, with elevations ranging from warm subtropical valleys to cool ridges above two thousand metres. Frequent mist and heavy rainfall have earned it a reputation as one of the wettest and greenest corners of the province.

Roughly three hundred thousand people live in the county, most of them in small towns and villages scattered across the slopes, with the county seat serving as the market and administrative centre. Its position matters because the historic route from central China towards Myanmar passes through, and the county lies on the modern expressway and railway corridor that links Kunming with the border trade city of Ruili.

That location gave Longling a dramatic place in twentieth century history. The Burma Road, built largely by hand in the late 1930s to carry supplies into China, crossed the county on the great Huitong Bridge over the Nu River. When Japanese forces advanced in 1942 the region became a front line, and in 1944 Chinese troops fought one of the fiercest battles of the war to retake the fortified mountain of Songshan, which commanded the road. The battlefield is preserved today with tunnels, trenches and memorials, and it attracts many visitors interested in that period.

Beyond the wartime sites the main attractions are natural. The Banglazhang hot springs, set in a wooded valley, are known for their geysers, steaming pools and mineral waters used for bathing and treatment. The Xiaoheishan nature reserve protects dense subtropical forest on the southern slopes of the Gaoligong mountains, home to gibbons, rare birds and an exceptional variety of plants. Terraced fields, tea gardens and villages of timber houses fill the valleys in between, and the roads offer long views over cloud filled ravines.

The county is one of the main producers in China of dendrobium orchids used in traditional medicine, and of a yellow jade carved locally and sold across the country. Walnuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane and mineral processing round out the economy. The population includes Han Chinese alongside Dai, Lisu, Yi, De'ang and other communities, each with its own festivals, dress and music, and the water splashing festival and torch festival are celebrated with enthusiasm.

Expressway links have transformed access in recent years, bringing Baoshan within an hour and Kunming within half a day, while new railway construction promises further improvement. Airports at Baoshan, Dehong and Tengchong serve the wider area, and schools and vocational colleges provide education for the county.

Longling rewards travellers who venture beyond the better known destinations of Yunnan, offering hot springs, forests, wartime history and a genuine picture of life in the mountains of the south western frontier.