The golden village of Jiangdong, Yunnan

Among all the tourists who flock to Dali and Lijiang, the two most popular tourist destinations in Yunnan Province, few would care to take a detour to Tengchong, a county in western Yunnan that borders Myanmar.

Photo by Xie Gang

Even fewer would care to stop over at a small village called Jiangdong. With only 820 households, the village is better known as Gingko Village for its more than 3,000 ancient gingko trees. The oldest ones are about 500 years old. The trees are distributed all around the village, guarding the gates of the locals' houses or in their backyards.

The best season to visit Jiangdong Village is late October to mid-December when the gingko leaves turn golden. The sky is blotted by the spreading golden umbrellas of the trees, and when the wind blows, it rains gold.

The village has not yet been developed for tourism. At the moment, no entrance fee is required, and tourists can dine and live in local family hostels.

Travel in Tengchong, Yunnan (I)

Travel in Tengchong, Yunnan (II)