Yunnan's Southernmost region
The local name for this prefecture, 750km
south west of Kunming, is "Sip song pan na," which
is Thai for "Twelve thousand rice fields." In fact,
there are many connections between this area of southern China
and its Lao and Thai neighbours.
More than 50% of Xishuangbanna's 650,000
population are ethnic Dai - close cousins to the Thai people
to the south - while only 25% are Han Chinese.
Temples in this area have a distinctly Thai
feel and look to them, complete with saffron-robed monks.
The April Songkran water-throwing festival and the Isaan rocket
festivals are also celebrated in Xishuangbanna.
What to See in Xishuangbanna
Menglun Botanical Garden
Established in 1959 by the famous botantist
Cai Xitao, this 860 hectare garden, on Hulu Island, 96km from
Jinghong, is filled with thousands of native and imported
tropical and subtropical plants, including many rare and unusual
specimens.
Jinghong
surrounded by tropical vegetation, the district
capital of Xishuangbanna is home to the Peacock Lake, Manting
Park, Dai Nationality Cultures and Customs Garden, and the
Tropical Botany Institute. Ethnic tribes inhabit the outlying
areas of the prefecture, and several wildlife reserves have
been established around the prefecture's border, offering
the possibility of organised trekking in the future.
Ganlan (Olive) Basin
This area of rain forest and tall bamboos
acquired its name from its shape and verdant greenery. 37km
from Jinghong, 64 Dai villages are scattered throughout this
peaceful part of Manghan.
Yexianggu
Known as Wild Elephants Valley, the 369 hectares
of rolling hills and rain forests, 47km north of Jinghong,
are inhabited by large numbers of wild Asian elephants, wild
oxen, green peacocks, monkeys and many other species. The
reserve is furnished with animal-watching facilities, an elephant
training school, butterfly breeding centre, and an aviary
of exotic birds.
|
