Beautiful Xingyang paper umbrellas, traditional hand papermaking, as well as ethnic folk arts and handicrafts are all featured local products of Tengchong.

Tengchong bamboo hats, commonly known as woven bamboo caps, come in large, medium and small sizes. The small-sized ones stand out for their exquisite craftsmanship. They keep users cool in summer and shield people from rain. These hats are woven from thorny bamboo and giant bamboo. Those made of thorny bamboo are regarded as the finest grade. Tengchong is also famous for three treasures: rattan weaving, Tengchong rice paper and Tengchong medicinal herbs, which are hugely popular among tourists.

The primeval forests along Tengchong’s border with Myanmar abound with rattan vines. This plant features tough texture and extremely long stems. Its outer skin is glossy, smooth and highly elastic. Though it looks like bamboo strips, it is actually rattan, making it an excellent natural weaving material. Local craftsmen produce exquisitely made rattan furniture and suitcases in a wide range of styles. These daily necessities are sturdy and durable, and have been well received by consumers throughout the ages.

Rice paper has long been favoured by painters and calligraphers. The most authentic rice paper traditionally comes from Xuancheng in Anhui Province. Nevertheless, Tengchong rice paper boasts outstanding colour, texture and water absorption, earning high recognition among artists. First produced in the Qing Dynasty, it was originally called Guanyintang White Paper after its production site on the northwestern outskirts of the city. Since a merchant surnamed Yu once monopolized its trade across Southeast Asia, it also became known as Yu Xuan.

Tengchong is reputed as a "natural botanical garden", where medicinal plants grow everywhere. It boasts abundant resources of Chinese herbal medicines. As early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Tengchong patent medicines won nationwide fame for genuine raw materials, well-designed formulas and remarkable curative effects, enjoying high prestige at home and abroad. The Republic of China era witnessed a boom in the pharmaceutical industry. There were dozens of pharmacies and clinics offering more than one hundred varieties of medicines. Well-known shops included Yunsheng Hall and Taihe Hall.

After the founding of New China, local health authorities and medical institutions made full use of wild medicinal flora and fauna. They also built breeding bases such as the Heshun Deer Farm and Gaoligong Mountain Herbal Plantation. Numerous proven folk prescriptions were collected and improved for mass production. Famous patent medicines such as Ginseng Reconstituting Pills and Pearl Hugging Dragon Pills are refined from precious medicinal ingredients. They enjoy a solid reputation nationwide and sell well across Southeast Asia.

People in Tengchong were the first to tap into the commercial value of jadeite and pioneered jadeite processing. With nearly 600 years of craftsmanship, Tengchong has grown into a major hub for jadeite processing and trade in Southeast Asia. Countless legendary stories about jadeite originated here, and many world-famous jade tycoons such as Zhang Baoting and Cun Zunfu made their fortunes in this city. In September 2005, the Asia Jewelers Federation awarded Tengchong the title of "China’s No.1 Jadeite City".

Safflower oil camellia has been cultivated in Tengchong households for more than a thousand years. Centuries of artificial planting and natural crossbreeding have cultivated numerous fine varieties. Records of Two Floras in Yongchang, a book compiled in the Ming Dynasty, records: "Thirty-six varieties of camellias and twenty kinds of azaleas grow in Yongchang."

The safflower oil camellia commonly seen across Tengchong is the original wild population of Yunnan camellia. Its seed oil is rich in amino acids essential to the human body, making it a precious natural edible vegetable oil. The hybrid camellias still retain the natural properties of their parent species. The fragrance released by the plants and flowers effectively protects the human respiratory system.

Tengchong jade craftwork is a celebrated Yunnan folk art with a history of over 500 years. Crafted from jade stones, these wares feature delicate workmanship and attractive shapes and colours. The catalogue includes bracelets, hairpins, earrings, jade pendants, Buddha statues and hundreds of other items, among which eighteen varieties are exported overseas. Most products are carved from Burmese jade, namely jadeite, with elegant shapes, fine craftsmanship and compact texture. The full range covers bracelets, brooches, hair ornaments, Guanyin statues, Buddha figures, earrings, heart-shaped pendants, large and small decorative carvings, elephant and beast sculptures, and rings.

Tengchong volcanic rocks include basalt, olivine basalt and andesite. These stones feature abundant pores, low density and high compressive strength. They have excellent thermal insulation, sound absorption, fire resistance, acid and alkali resistance, and are free from pollution and radioactive elements, making them eco-friendly green raw materials. Pumice volcanic stone is acid-proof, heat-resistant and radiation-free. It is lightweight, heat-preserving, sound-insulating, anti-slip and water-absorbent, widely used in landscaping, construction and decorative stone cladding. Small trinkets made of volcanic stone are sold at roadside stalls and small shops all over Tengchong