Yanjing County is located in the border region of Mangkam County of Tibet Autonomous Region and Dechen County of Yunnan Province. It is the first station of the ancient Tea and Horse Path in Tibet.

In history, it is a place of strategic importance, for it is leading from the Tibetan regime Tubo Kingdom to the Nanzhao, a local regime in ancient China, and the only way for tea entering into Tibet.

Yanjing is well-known for its salt production, the only Catholic Church in Tibet, as well as harmonious co-existing of Tibetan Buddhism and Catholicism.

People there take brine out of the middle region of the Lancang River and make salt. What’s more fascinating, red salt would be produced on one bank and white salt made on the other bank of the river. As a result, villages on shores are named as Hong Yanjin and Bai Yanjing, meaning red salt well and white salt well respectively.

People evaporate brine in the sun and make salt on the top of a wood shed. The horseback traders would take the salt to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and other Tibetan-inhabited regions in exchange for daily necessities. From June to September, the swelling water of the Lancang River would submerge some salt sheds while the following autumn would become the best season for making salt.

The Yanjing County is divided into Shangyanjing (up salt well) and Xiayanjing (down salt well) by a ditch. In the Shangyanjing stands the only Catholic Church in Tibet. Early in 1865, foreign Catholic missionaries took the religion to the area and changed the history when all Tibetans there believed in Buddhism.

In the Xiayanjing lives the Naxi people who wear Tibetan clothes, have Tibetan food, speak Tibetan with the Naxi accent, and particularly, they believe in Tibetan Buddhism.

Harmonious blend of the two religions could be seen everywhere in the little place. A Tibetan may be in traditional costume while wears a cross at her or his neck or even has a foreign name such as "Mary" or "St. John".

At the Tibetan styled Catholic Church, the internal design seems to be with foreign favor. While when you look closely, you will find Khada, a white silk scarf symbolizing respect and blessing among Tibetans in the church or even at the Virgin Mary's neck.

In the opposite of the church, there is white pagode around which an old woman is taking ritual walk. Here, everything is so peaceful and harmonious.