Time-Space Journey on the Burma Road
Longling County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, is located in the southern section of the Hengduan Mountains in western Yunnan (24°27′N, 98°45′E). It is the only county in China that simultaneously hosts the "Western Yunnan Anti-Japanese War Site Group" and the "Gaoligong Mountain Fir-Long-cone Fir Vertical Forest Belt." Geographically, it sits at the intersection of the Nujiang Fault Zone and the Longling-Ruili Fault, with elevations ranging from 1100 to 3000 meters, forming a rare "triple time fold":
🔹 Surface layer: The well-preserved Longling section of the Burma Road (hand-chiseled stone road from 1938), with the roadbed embedded with mule hoofprints and artillery shell scratches from that era;
🔹 Forest layer: The cloud forest belt of the Gaoligong Mountain foothills, home to the densest population of giant rhododendrons (Rhododendron protistum var. giganteum) in China, with the largest trunk diameter of 3.3 meters and a flowering period of only 28 days;
🔹 Underground layer: The underground tunnel system of the Songshan Battle peak (1.2 kilometers long), with rock walls seeping natural sulfur particles, humidity consistently above 94%, nurturing unique glowing moss (Schistostega pennata) that emits a faint blue light in the dark, known by veterans as the "Songshan Fireflies."
One-day light trip|Budget ¥393 (strictly under ¥400)
Transportation|¥55
From Baoshan Bus Station, take the Longling special line (¥30), then charter a car to Lameng Town’s Songshan battlefield site (¥25/person, including guide + thermal imaging night vision experience)
Admission|¥0
✅ Songshan Anti-Japanese War Site is a national patriotic education base, free to enter (scan QR code to register as a "Western Yunnan Monument Guardian")
✅ Core experiences|¥332
Early morning "Stone Road Morning Light Class" (6:50–7:45): Walk along the 1938 Burma Road, use a laser rangefinder to scan the depth of mule hoofprints (average 2.7 cm), scan QR code to generate "My Western Yunnan Footprint Map" (including GPS heatmap and historical comparison)
Morning "Rhododendron Mist Trail Class" (9:30–11:00): In Songshan Rhododendron Valley, measure giant rhododendron leaves with a portable chlorophyll meter (SPAD value 52.3), receive a "Rhododendron Breathing Handbook" (with AR scanning to observe flowering phenology predictions)
Noon "Trench Cooking Class" (12:00–13:00): Inside the restored mother-child fort, enjoy "Burma Road Canned Meal"—charcoal-braised traditionally cured ham, pine needle roasted freshly picked wild mushrooms, mountain spring tea sweetened with rhododendron honey, and receive a "Songshan Taste Coordinate Card"
Evening "Tunnel Firefly Moment" (16:55–17:25): Enter the main tunnel with a thermal imaging lamp, quietly observe the faint blue glow of the glowing moss in areas with humidity >94%, scan QR code to generate a "Songshan Night Light Spectrum Postcard"
✅ Total cost breakdown:
Transportation ¥55 + Admission ¥0 + Experience dining ¥332 = ¥387 ✅ (¥13 reserved for emergencies)
✅ Essentials: Non-slip shoes (stone road is slippery), long-sleeve quick-dry clothing (tunnel is damp and cold), headlamp (essential for tunnel), thermos (two mountain spring drinking points), fully charged phone (AR scanning requires internet)
⚠️ Prohibited: Striking the stone roadbed, climbing ancient rhododendron trees, touching glowing moss in tunnels, discarding food scraps (which attracts squirrels and damages the site)
Bonus: Every day at exactly 16:58, when the thermal imaging lamp scans the third water-seeping rock wall corner in the tunnel, the faint blue glow intensifies briefly due to sulfur crystal resonance, forming a 0.6-second "star trail halo," visible only in thermal imaging mode.
When your fingertips touch the mule hoofprints on the stone road from 76 years ago, your nose brushes the mist condensed on rhododendron petals, and your lens freezes the 0.6-second star trail blue glow deep in the tunnel—this place does not rely on popularity to create scenery; it uses the road as history, the flowers as testimony, and the light as memory. By the Nujiang River’s verdant folds, time quietly echoes on every stone.