Xishuangbanna

In the language of Dai ethnic group， Xishuangbanna means “a land of magic and dreams”， and when it comes to tourism， this autonomous prefecture in China’s Yunnan province lives very much up to its name.

Location

Xishuangbanna is the southernmost prefecture of Yunnan Province with the city of Jinghong and the counties of Menghai and Mengla under its jurisdiction. Of Xishuangbanna’s 19184.45 square kilometres of territory， tourist and scenic resorts make up 1202.13 square kilometers， and nature reserves occupy a total of 2064.6 square kilometres.

The region， though surprisingly far from the equator and at a relatively high altitude， has a rich tropical flora and a typical tropical rain forest in the lowland areas. Based on ecological characteristics， floristic composition and habitats， the primary vegetation in Xishuangbanna can be organized into four main types: tropical rain forest， tropical seasonal moist forest， tropical montane evergreen broad-leaved forest and tropical monsoon forest. During the Han Dynasty， Xishuangbanna was subordinate to the Yizhou commandery， after which control passed to the Kingdom of Shu. In the 12th century， a Tai Lue kingdom was established in this area. During the Yuan Dynasty， Xishuangbanna was reorganized as the Cheli Commandery and the local leaders are recognized as tusi. Many of the leaders adopted the Chinese family name Dao. The name Xishuangbanna also emerged during the Ming Dynasty.

The Xishuangbanna Dai people recognized the Qing Dynasty， as with previous Chinese states， as “Muong Haw”， which is traditionally rendered as “the Heavenly Dynasty”. They adapted Chinese place names to their local language by adding “Muong” in front; for example， Dali was “Muong Tali”. Xishuangbanna’s border with Burma was formally demarcated in the 1890s. In 1953， the People’s Republic of China established the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Region and ended the tusi system.

Minority people have lived on this land for generations. The distinctive natural environment here has created unusual customs and traditions. All over the region， even today， Dai houses can be seen. These bamboo structures raised on stilts deter floods and dangerous animals， allowing many people to inhabit one house safely， often along with all their animals.

Hunting is still the main source of income， in conjunction with farming. In terms of culture， the Dai people dress in spectacular colour and furs， and dancing and singing are popular ways to pass the time.

Popular destination in winter

The prefecture is one of China’s most popular travel destinations in winter and teems with tourists seeking a warm and humid climate. With an average year-round temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius， Xishuangbanna is home to expansive subtropical rainforests and wild animals such as elephants and peacocks.

The prefecture is nicknamed Aerial Garden for its luxuriant and multilayered primitive woods and tropical rain forests， which are teeming with animals and plants.

Within thick and boundless forests wild elephants and oxen ramble about， with peacocks in their pride， gibbons at play， and hornbills whispering.

Renowned as a huge natural zoo， Xishuangbannas rain forest and monsoon jungles provide a habitat for more than 500 species of terrestrial vertebrates. Over 300 species of birds， 40 species of amphibious animals and 60 species of reptiles， including the boa constrictor.

Among animals for world protection are elephants， white-breasted black woodpeckers， leopards and Bengalese tigers.

Thirteen species of wild life enjoy state protection， including loris， the gibbons， the red-necked cranes， the brown-neck horn-bills， and the green peacocks， which to the Dai people are a symbol of peace， happiness and good fortune and whose graceful postures can put professional dancers to shame. The region has 5000 kinds of plants or about one-sixth of the total in China. This has earned it the renown sobriquet - Moonstone on the Crown of the Kingdom of Plants.

Among these are such fascinating ones as the color-changing flower whose colors change three times daily and the dancing herb whose leaves rotate gently. Then there is mysterious fruit which reverse tastes， turning sour to sweet.

Species of trees that go back a million years are still propagating themselves. The King of Tea Trees， which authorities say is at least 800 years old， contitues to sprout， adding extraordinary splendor to the homeland of the famous Pu’er tea. In Xishuangbanna， there is a saying: even a single tree can make a forest and an old stalk can blossom and beat fruit.

Kindom of elephants

To the Dai people， the elephant is the symbol of good luck， might and longevity.

The wild elephants of Xishuangbanna mainly live in the Wild Elephants Valley， at the juncture of the western and eastern part of Menyang natural reserve. Located in the Sanchehe forest park of Mengyang nature reserve， about 50km away from Jinghong， wild elephant valley is among the mustsee sights in Xishuangbanna.

Elephants roam freely in the dense forest where tourists are transported in golf carts to observe the habitats of various wild animals.

It has 70 wild elephants approximately which frequent the stream through the tropical rainforest for drinking， bathing and spraying water upon one another， hence the name “the Wild Elephant Ravine”. There are “hotels in the tree”， dwellings built on tree trunks for the convenience of the activity to view wild elephants.

Tourists can stay in the tree dwellings and wait for the arrival of a herd of wild elephants， breath in fresh air， view the tropical rainforest， and meanwhile listen to twitter of birds and clear， melodious gurgling of the stream.

In the valley， there is an observation tower， especially built for tourists. The best time to see these impressive beasts is at dawn or dusk. There are currently 300 elephants living in the dense forest in Xishuangbanna， known locally as the “kingdom of elephants.”

The Xishuangbanna primeval forest park is another stop for visitors with an adventurous spirit. The park combines wildlife exhibitions， including a peacock-breeding base and monkey training center with presentations of exotic minority culture in forms of stage performances by local Dai people and ethnic food， all compacted in a natural rainforest.

In addition to its rich wild life， Xishuangbanna is also known for its religious influence. Bordering Myanmar to the southwest and Laos to the southeast， the prefecture has more than 500 Buddhist temples and pagodas scattered across its mountainous landscape. They serve as the venue where local Dai ethnic people gather for traditional celebrations like the Water Splash Festival and Dai ethnic minority New Year.

Homeland of Pu’er Tea

Pu’er tea has been famous in the world. But do you know the home of Pu’er tea is Xishuangbanna? Why it is called Pu’er tea? That’s because Pu’er city is a distribution center for the tea. So it has the name of Pu’er tea.

In mountains of Xishuangbanna， grows many wild tea， some have been more than a thousand years old. The trunk is 3.8 meters in girth and 34 meters in height. All the tea businessmen were shocked by these old tea trees. Xishuangbanna tea tastes strong. It is famous for high quality and was once tribute tea to the royals of the Qing Dynasty. Today in Xishuangbanna， Yiwu， JiNuo Shan， NanNuo Shan， Bulang Shan， Banzhang and Xiding are popular tea areas. Pu’er tea has become another pillar industry in Xishuangbanna.

“Tropical Fruit Kingdom”

Xishuangbanna is one of several tropical fruit production bases of China. Special climate and excellent natural environment for the cultivation and production of tropical fruits provide a good condition. A Wide variety of wild fruits provide species resource for the origin of the fruit varieties， biological evolution， plant breeding research and genetic resources of species. Xishuangbanna has coconut， banana， pineapple， lychee， longan， jackfruit， orang， egg yolk fruit， buffalo heart fruit， mango， anti-season watermelon， melon， pomelo， passion fruit， etc.

There are many kinds of fruits everywhere， such as on the side of the road and in the courtyard. Among the many tropical fruits， the early， middle and late maturing fruits are available. In spring and winter you always can taste fresh fruit in Xishuangbanna. No matter what season you set foot on this paradise， you can enjoy yourself in this fresh fruits “kingdom”.