Things to do in Cangyuan

This rare sight of a primitive tribe truly exudes an ancient and weathered charm, making it well worth a visit. However, I personally feel the services could be improved. Firstly, some roads are unsafe, especially for the elderly. Secondly, the road signs and informational displays need repair; many have become blurred and illegible due to wind, sun, and rain, especially since not everyone hires a guide. Additionally, the county's public transportation system should ideally have scheduled routes; taking a taxi back to town is quite difficult, and almost always requires an additional charge on top of the ride-hailing platform. I hope the attraction continues to improve, making it more convenient and enhancing the visitor experience. This last primitive tribe in our country will surely attract even more tourists.

Lincang Tiankeng mainly refers to the Cangyuan Tiankeng Group. The following is an introduction to it: Basic Overview The Cangyuan Tiankeng Group is located halfway up the mountain in the Yahua Valley Scenic Area in Cangyuan County, Lincang City. There are 7 Tiankengs distributed on the mountain road of more than 10 kilometers, and they are distributed on the same horizontal line. Currently, only one of them has been developed. The developed Tiankeng has a diameter of 184 meters, a depth of about 235 meters, and a circumference of 720 meters. It is currently the largest Tiankeng found in Yunnan Province.   Cause of formation A large amount of limestone is distributed in the Awa Mountain area, which is the material condition for the formation of karst landforms such as underground caves, underground rivers, and Tiankengs. At the same time, several north-south mountain ranges blocked a large amount of water vapor from the Indian Ocean, forming abundant precipitation in the Awa Mountain. A large amount of precipitation cuts and dissolves the longitudinal cracks in the limestone, thus creating a large-scale Tiankeng Group in the Awa Mountain area. Natural landscape - Plant resources: Due to the great depth and height differences, the temperature and humidity are different, and the plants in the pit form a gradient distribution. There are rare plants such as banana, Alsophila spinulosa, and Dong palm, as well as evergreen broad-leaved trees such as oak trees, and deciduous broad-leaved forests such as oak trees. - Geological landscape: There are some unfathomable caves hidden at the bottom of the tiankeng, with lakes, beaches, underground rivers, waterfalls and a large number of stalactites in the cave. Cultural characteristics In the myths and legends of the Wa people's creation epic "Sigangli", there are legends about the tiankeng, such as "After Lu An and Ji Li created the sky and the earth, they were afraid that the sky and the earth would fly away, so they tied the sky and the earth together with rattan. The ancestor of women, Gelibi, lifted the pestle for pounding rice and pushed the sky up high. This big pit is the place where the pestle sank when it fell down." Tourism development Currently, Tiankeng No. 2 has been completed and opened to the public. The scenic area has built glass plank roads, viewing platforms and other facilities. Visitors can stand on the glass plank road and look down, experiencing the excitement while feeling the mystery of the Tiankeng.

The rock paintings are unique, sharing a similar beauty with the Huashan and Helan Mountain rock paintings. The walkways are spacious and clean, with QR codes providing detailed information on the features, locations, and images of the dozen or so known rock painting sites – meticulous and professional! The core area of ​​the scenic spot is a concentrated area of ​​rock paintings, with vivid and clear depictions of various themes, and the visitor walkways are well-designed. Unfortunately, only one rock painting area is open to the public.

Cangyuan Cliff Painting Valley Scenic Tourist Area is a comprehensive scenic tourist area based on cliff paintings, fully displaying the Wa folk culture as the core, integrating ethnic culture, ethnic customs, natural landscape and cultural landscape. It is 78 kilometers long and has a total planned area of ​​more than 600 hectares. The scenic area is divided into Canglong Valley Scenic Area, Thousand-meter Chinese Painting Corridor Scenic Area, Cliff Painting Scenic Area, Mengdong Port Scenic Area, and Yonghe National Gate Scenic Area.

Hulu Town is located in Cangyuan County. It is a town built by the government that integrates commerce and Wa culture. As soon as you enter the door, you will see a large bronze gourd. You will know that the gourd is the totem of the Wa people. It is said that the Wa people were born in the gourd. They worship the gourd like their mother!

Visiting Yonghe Port is like being in a unique painting of the China-Myanmar border. This is a national second-class development port, across the bridge from the Wa State of Myanmar. Standing at the highest point of the small building at the port, you can have a panoramic view of the surrounding undulating mountains and forests and the scenery of Cangyuan County. You can also visit Yonghe Guomen New Village and admire the unique Wa-style houses. The national gate is solemn and majestic, and the five-star red flag fluttering on the side makes people feel proud. Here, the unique landscape of one village and two countries makes people feel the strong border style.

I arrived in Cangyuan County on March 11, 2026. It was only 500 meters from my hotel to Guangyunmian Temple, so I decided to visit it. The temple is free to enter, but there were very few tourists. The temple seemed poorly maintained; the surrounding open space was piled with building materials, giving it a dilapidated and desolate feel. The temple buildings are nearly 200 years old and are a national key protected cultural relic, yet they stand so forlornly and forlornly in the center of Cangyuan County, which is a bit of a pity.

Sigangli is the most popular of the many myths and legends created by the Wa people to explain the origin of the universe and mankind. It originated from the distant and mysterious "Sigangli" legend, which is the creation epic of the Wa people. Its meaning is gourd, cave or incubator, so Cangyuan was also called "the land of the gourd king" in ancient times. It is the place where the legend of "Sigangli", the creation epic of the Wa people, was born. Sigangli Cave, walk down the stairs into the cave, and it is divided into two caves on the left and right. You can walk 600 meters and 800 meters into the cave respectively. The cave is relatively dry and not cold, but the light is dim, so it is best to bring a flashlight. There are few tourists here, and the cave gives people a sense of mystery. As for the scenery, there is nothing special about it. It is similar to other caves in China.