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Xishuangbanna, located in the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province, is a humid tropical area on the border of Burma and Laos. It is celebrated for its numerous species of plants – botanists have dubbed it “the green diamond on the crown of the kingdom of plants.” Xishuangbanna in the Dai nationality’s language means “twelve administrative areas.” With Yunjinghong at the center, the scenic area in Xishuangbanna extends to Mengcang, Mengzhe, and the Lancang River Valley, the whole area being covered by dense, tropical primitive forest. The tropical forest along the Mengcang River Valley is typical of the botanical kingdom of Xishuangbanna. In Mengzhe, scenic spots include the octagonal pavilion at Jingzhen, the Mengbang Reservoir, the Manlengmian Temple, and a huge tea plant called Tree of King Tea. Along the Lancang River Valley, there is a place called the Olive Plain (Ganlanba), so named because the terrain here resembles an olive fruit. In this natural park, peacocks can be found. Its charming small White Pagoda, Immortal’s Cave (xianrendong), Dazong River Falls, and Tiger Jumping Stone (Hutiaoshi) are surrounded by many varieties of wild plants.
Xishuangbanna is inhabited by a number of ethnic groups, of which the Dai nationality has the largest population. Visitors will be fascinated by their special customs, festival activities, architectural styles, and garden-like villages. To reach this remote area, you can fly to Simao from Kunming, then travel for seven hours by bus to get to Xishuangbanna.
White Dragon Pagodas
These nine pagodas are located on Manfeilong Hill at Damenglong of Jinghong County. The white pagodas with their golden pointed tops look rather like bamboo shoots freshly out of the earth, and so they are also called the Bamboo Shoot Pagodas. These pagodas, with the largest in the center circled by the eight smaller ones, were built in 1204 and contain some elegant sculptures and paintings.
Olive Plain (Ganlanba)
It is forty kilometers down the Lancang River south of the Jinghong County Town. It is a natural park with crystal clear river waters and luxuriant forests dotted with ancient temples and the bamboo houses of the Dai people. The tropical forest here is also the habitat of many rare species of birds.
The traditional New Year’s Day of the Dai people, commonly known as the Water Sprinkling Festival, falls on the 14th day after Clear and Bright Festival usually the 5th of April. On this day thousands of people, old and young, come form the villages to sprinkle each other with water as a way of saying “Happy New Year” and of wishing one another longevity and a good harvest.
(china.org.cn)
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