Diantan Border Port in Yunnan

Diantan Border Port in Tengchong City (腾冲市滇滩口岸) is a significant port on the China-Myanmar border. It is located in Diantan Town, northern Tengchong County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, adjacent to Kachin State, Myanmar. It is 11 kilometers from Yangla Xingwenquan and 61 kilometers from the county seat, with the Myanmar’s northern economic special zone of Bawang just 10 kilometers away.

Since the reform and opening-up, Diantan Border Port has played a pivotal role in border trade in Tengchong. The commodities traded include timber, iron, lead, zinc, tin ore, etc. Timber imports alone account for 71.4% of the county’s total imports annually, with tens of thousands of tons of iron ore mined each year. The port attracts both domestic and foreign merchants, with numerous companies, shops, complete dining services, cultural and entertainment facilities, as well as border inspection management, banking and credit sectors emerging to meet the needs. It has gradually developed into a scale of a border trade town, becoming a charming commercial and tourist port unique in southwest China’s border regions.

The Lianzu Village at Diantan Port is a gathering place for the Lisu ethnic group and an important area for the Lisu Knife Pole Festival and ethnic cultural activities.

Historical records show that during the Nanzhao Kingdom, tea plantations were guarded at Diantan, with Diantan Pass established during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, and Diantan Fort during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang period, military training was conducted at Diantan. Throughout history, Diantan has been a significant hub for both commerce and military activities. Despite the vicissitudes of time, cross-border trade among the border residents has never ceased. Xu Xiake recorded in his travelogue: “The pass was already blocked. Only people from Chashan could pass through, carrying tea, wax, red vines, flying pines, black fish, and trading salt and cloth with the local people of Songshan and Gudong.”