Located
on the banks of the
Lancang (Mekong) River
in the Southernmost part
of Yunnan Province,
bordering on Myanmar
(Burma) and Laos, is the
Xishuangbanna Dai
Autonomous Prefecture.
The Lancang River links
it to the countries in
Southeast Asia,
including Thailand,
Cambodia and Vietnam.
Xishuangbanna covers a
total area of 19,185 sq
km, and is home to 13
ethnic national
minorities groups, such
as the Han, Dai, Hani,
Blang, Lahu, Jino, Yao
and Yi. The capital is
Jinghong. The name
Xishuangbanna comes from
the Dai language, and
can be found in the
historical records of
the 16th century. "Xishuang"
means 12 and "Banna"
means 1,000 mu (67 ha)
of farmland; so "Xishuangbanna"
signifies 12
administrative units.
Xishuangbanna has a
tropical rain forest
climate, With abundant
sunshine, plentiful rain
and frequent dense fog.
It has a reputation for
beautiful subtropical
scenery and unique
folk-culture
attractions. It also
enjoys great fame as
"the kingdom of plants
and animals," because of
its rich resources of
flora and fauna.
Special places of
interest in
Xishuangbanna include
Ganlanba, Menglun and
Wild Elephant Valley.
Visitors are welcome to
view natural scenery of
the tropical rain forest
and chat with the local
people in their bamboo
houses. Here you may
exprience exotic and
colorful cultures
against a backdrop of
lush scenery. |