The Dulong River basin lies at the northern edge of the Gaoligong Mountains, where fault-block mountains and deep canyons create a natural barrier, preserving this primitive land.

Dulong is a mountain-dwelling ethnic group in southwest China. It is one of the least populous of China's 56 ethnic groups. It is also called a "direct-transition" minority ethnic group because the Dulong people didn't bid farewell to primitive life until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Since then, they have directly stepped into the socialist society.