Aerial garden teeming with wildlife
Print Edition
Located in the southwest corner of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna is one of China’s most exquisite natural regions, with the Lancang River flowing through.
Xishuangbanna National Park is located in Dai Autonomous Prefecture and covers an area of 241,776 hectares.
The biggest attractions in Xishuangbanna include the famous White Pagodas, located on a small hill behind Manfeilong village.
They are also called the Bamboo Shoot Pagodas because their shapes are said to resemble young shoots of bamboo.
Many sites are steeped in history. The White Feilong Pagodas date from 1204, reputedly designed by three Indian monks. Highlights also include Wild Elephant Valley, a scenic spot in the Mengyang Tourism Area, set up in the 1990s for viewing wild elephants.
Visitors can trek through the forest or take a cable car for a birds-eye view — and hopefully see some elephants.
Other Xishuangbanna attractions include ancient banyan tree Mengyangxiang, said to resemble an elephant, Peacock Lake Park, the tropical scenery of the Olive Dam and the Dushuchenglin tree dating back 1000 years.
Xishuangbanna has a tropical monsoon climate and an average temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. There are two seasons: the monsoon, from May to October, and the dry season, lasting from November to April, when heavy fog prevents drought.
Renowned as an “aerial garden,” Xishuangbanna has a large area of tropical rainforest, teeming with animals and plants.
Around 20,000 species of plants have been recorded here, including 58 endangered species. Of the animals living there, 13 species have state protection — including red-necked cranes, brown-necked hornbills and the green peafowl.
The Xishuangbanna region is home to 12 ethnic minority groups including Dai, Bulang, Lahu, Bai and Zhuang, each with their customs.
Among these ethnic minority groups, the Dai is the largest. The Dai have their own written language and take the peacock and elephant as their mascots.
Their customs include the water-splashing festival and dragon boat races.
Goods produced in Xishuangbanna include pu’er tea, coffee and unique clothing and accessories craftworks made by ethnic groups.
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