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.

Manfeilong Pagoda

The famous pagoda is in Damenglong village which is 70 kilometres south of Jinghong and only a few kilometres from the Sino-Burma border. The silver pagoda was built in 1204 in honor of a footprint said to be left by Sakyamuni himself during his visit in the area. The pagoda actually consists of 9 stupas, with the primary stupa in the centre while the other 8 smaller stupas clustering to its base. The primary stupa rises 55 feet. Bells hung on the stupas give wonderful tinkles in the breezes. Below one of the stupas and in a niche the Buddha's footprint is enshrined. Not that far across a small valley, there is another black pagoda which is less famous.On the way to Manfeilong, visitors may have a visit to Manguanglong Monastery which houses a small Hinayana Buddhist community.

The Octagonal Pavilion

Fourteen kilometers west of Menghai County on Jingzhen Hill in Xishuangbanna is an important cultural relic in the form of a tower-shaped pavilion. It is the Octagonal Pavilion.

Manting Park

Manting Park is the most famous tourist location in Xishuangbanna. It is located approximately 1.5 kilometers from Jinghong City in Yunnan Province. The Park has an area of 115,400 square meters and a history of more than 1300 years.

Manting Park was built on the site of a historical palace garden. The original garden was started when the leader at that time assigned a man and a woman to plant flowers and fruits in an area close to Jinghong. Through hard work, the couple built a very beautiful garden and the leader himself enjoyed the flowers and fruits. Later, many people elected to come here and settle. Manting villages were formed and the residents helped to enlarge the Park. However, with the position of the leader in decline, the Park gradually declined to be a waste land by the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1980, the decision was made to rebuild the attraction as Manting Park on the site of the old palace garden.

Manting Park is now called Chunhuan Park. Chunhuan has the meaning of "spirit" in the Dai language. A story exists about a leader and his wife who one day came to this Park. When they entered, the wife was entranced by the charming scenery inside the Park. The story tells of how her spirit was caught when she was strolling in the Park. Hence the name of Chunhuan Park.

The first thing you will see after you enter the Park is a bronze statue of Premier Zhou Enlai, who visited the area when involved with resolving a border dispute between Burma and China. He visited this Park at that time to participate in the activities of the Dai People. The statue reflects him grasping a bowl of water in his left hand while he lifts an olive-branch in his right hand. His kind smile reminds us of the pleasant memories that the Chinese people have for Premier Zhou.

Inside the Park, there are two banian trees planted by the wife of a king of Thailand symbolizing the friendship between Thailand and China.

As you walk on, you will visit temples, towers and pavilions. The Park has three features - being the Park, villages and temples.

In the Park is also a peacock garden, a show place for elephants, and a dancing and singing area. An ancient river was built and which formed a man-made lake with a concrete bridge built across.

The southwest side of Manting Park consists of a large forest, in which small Dai style pavilions were built to allow visitors to rest and admire the various trees and flowers that are planted here.

The right side of the Park is a river built 800 years ago as protection for the surrounding villages.

The Park area is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., seven days a week. Washroom facilities are available for a small fee. All visitors are permitted to take photos while in the Park area.

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.

Wild Elephant Valley

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 (yexiang gu), at the juncture of the western and eastern part of Menyang natural reserve.

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."

Admission: 20 yuan (US$2.5)

Tropical Botanic Plant Garden

The garden is one of the major attractions in Xishuangbanna. Situated on Hulu Island, the garden contains 3,000 different types of plant. The environment here is spectacular, surrounded by rivers and mountains and containing a wealth of rare and unusual plants, trees and flowers.

Admission: 25 yuan (US$3)

National Minorities Custom Park

The park (minzu fengqingyuan) is located near pretty Liusha River, one kilometre away from Jinghong.

Occupying an area of 30 hectares, the park is covered with all kinds of tropical and fruit trees. Six minority group customs are detailed here including Dai, Akha, Jinuo, Bulang, La and Ya.

Different ethnic performances and activities are usually held each Wednesday and Saturday evening.

Orchards can be found in the park. At harvest time, visitors can pick up some tropical fruits here.

How to get there:

There is no direct flight from Beijing to Xishuangbanna. But there are many flights to Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province. Flights are available daily between Beijing and Kunming. A flight usually takes three hours and costs 2,000 yuan (US$125) one way.

Xishuangbanna has opened many flights to Kunming (one hour), Chengdu (two hours), Shanghai (four hours), Dali (one hour) and Bangkok (two hours).

After getting to Jinghong, the capital city of Xishuangbanna region, there are different transportation means to the above-mentioned destinations.

To Elephant park: The park is 45 kilometres north of Jinghong by the highway linking Jinghong and Simao. You can take the bus to Simao from the main bus station in Jinghong and get off at the park. It takes 30 minutes and costs 10 yuan (US$1.2).

To the botanic garden: From the main bus station in Jinghong, take a bus heading towards Mengla or Menglun. These buses leave every hour from 7:30 am to 3 pm. The fee is 12 yuan (US$1.4).

To minorities park: The park is conveniently located one kilometer south of Jinghong. A taxi should cost about 10 yuan (US$1.2).