Live Your Best Lives
When spring comes and flowers bloom, I always think of a sentence: facing the sea, spring flowers bloom~
When spring comes and flowers bloom, I always think of a poet, he is Haizi.
From tomorrow on, be a happy person
Feed horses, chop wood, and travel around the world
From tomorrow on, care about food and vegetables
I have a house facing the sea, with flowers blooming in spring
From tomorrow on, write to every one of my loved ones
Tell them my happiness, which the lightning of happiness told me
I will tell everyone
Give every river and every mountain a warm name
Stranger, I also wish you well
May you have a bright future
May your lovers finally get married
May you find happiness in this world
I also want to face the sea and enjoy the blooming flowers in spring!
Haizi once said:
When you come to this world, you must see the sun,
and walk on the street with your loved one~
Manting Imperial Garden in Xishuangbanna,
Wander through 1,300 years of history,
Pass through hills, rivers, and eerie blackwood forests.
Encounter the vibrant, elegant, and magnificent Dai architecture,
embodying Xishuangbanna's unique tropical charm.
Follow the thread of history and discover the stories of the Dai King and his wife.
As long as you set your heart,
you’ll find that the city you’ve been living in is full of surprises.
Open them up and you’ll find that they’re full of secrets. There’s no need to bother planning a long trip, nor do you have to passively travel by watching the updates on WeChat Moments.
Just wandering around the Dai villages around Jinghong is a chance to embark on a journey through time.
Walking along the streets of Xishuangbanna at noon,
without the shade of trees, is pure torture.
Only the roadside plants happily receive the nourishment of the sunshine at 21° north latitude, their branches and leaves thick, and even their postures more flamboyant.
Banna has many plants, and even more botanical gardens.
At the Zhongke Botanical Garden, you can truly feel the originality and relaxation when you are surrounded by a large forest with rich original ecology.
Compared to other places, the Buddhist temples in Banna have a more atmospheric feeling, and this atmosphere is multifaceted and charming.
It embodies both a resolute faith and a hope for the future;
it boasts both the splendor of exotic lands and the simplicity of a place desolate from the hustle and bustle;
it's a place where you can stroll along with a few friends or stand alone in silence and gaze at the beauty.
Nothing embodies these multiple atmospheres more vividly than the Jinghong Grand Golden Pagoda.
“Night is the beginning of the day in Banna.”
How many people were envious when he said this.
In Banna, night is the perfect time to go out.
The warm breeze is just right, and the night market is just right.
Life is full of surprises.
That's why we need to travel,
we need love,
we need to wear a swimsuit and go to the pool for a floating afternoon tea~
After spending a long time in the same environment, I tend to visit places I rarely encounter in my daily life, such as those with exotic ethnic minorities, to experience the local customs. In such an atmosphere, the locals' clothing differs significantly from our usual urban attire. Local clothing possesses unique characteristics unique to each ethnic group. It's not just clothing; within this folk environment, we'll also see strikingly different architecture.
Both clothing and architecture are shaped by unique local customs, creating a unique charm. When visiting such places, it's crucial to adapt to local customs and immerse yourself in the local atmosphere.
I always feel that this way, I can also experience a lot of different fun and learn different knowledge in the local area.
When traveling, whether you are walking the streets to experience their customs, eating their food, or admiring their architecture, it is also a good idea to dress like the locals.
And in Xishuangbanna, wearing Dai clothing and taking photos at the Xingguang Night Market has become a must-see online activity for visitors~
Before coming to Xishuangbanna, my daughter Yingying was clamoring to wear Dai clothing for photos~
I checked a certain book and found many sellers showing off their 199 yuan packages, all with really beautiful photos. At the time, I thought, I could easily be a hands-off owner on this trip, spending 199 yuan every night to hire a photographer, pamper myself with a set of Dai clothing, and even have retouched photos. Well, I admit, I laughed my ass off in my dreams~
It turns out that this is only possible in dreams~
First of all, let me give a disclaimer. The following "complaints" are only my personal experiences and feelings, and are limited to the photographers I hired with a price range of 199 yuan and 599 yuan. I believe that there must be many good local photography studios and photographers in Banna, but we are just not destined to meet them~
First of all, let's talk about the 199 package. Please don't have too high expectations for the photos of the 199 package~
(Everyone, please pay attention, many sellers show advertising pictures with gorgeous clothes and complicated jewelry and headdresses, which can't be the clothes and accessories that come with the 199 package).
On our first night in Banna, we found a fairly large photography studio on Ganbai Street and inquired about the price. Renting a simple Dai costume from the studio cost about 100-150 yuan, including makeup.
If you purchase a photography package for 199 yuan, it usually includes three shooting locations, 10 photos at each location. You add the photographer on WeChat, and the original photos will be provided the same day. You can then select 10 photos from the original photos, which the studio will "fine-tune" and produce within 10 days.
After my own test, it didn't take 10 days, the photographer sent us the so-called "retouched" pictures on the third day.
Well, the angle is not good, the pictures are terrible, and the filters are ugly, high saturation, high contrast, and high sharpness "three highs" pictures.
Please forgive me for damaging Yingying's image. I didn't include the pictures of the 199 yuan package in my travel notes.
The 199 yuan set meal took about 20 minutes for Yingying to pick out her outfit, put it on, match it with a belt and headdress, and then put on some simple makeup (Yingying also applied a simple foundation). Now, please hold on tight, you're on the photo shooting line~
The staff led Yingying, who was dressed up in all her glory, and seven other equally dressed and cheerful beauties to the night market~
It only took a few minutes to walk from the Ganbai Street photography studio to the night market. We arrived at around 6:30~
The picture below is the first shooting spot. The photographer was already waiting for us there. Didn't you feel the VIP service? It was awesome~
Yeah, the equipment is pretty good too: Canon 5DIII, 24-70mm red circle, 16-35mm red circle lens. Looks professional, right?
Actually, the photographer wasn't waiting for us because he was still taking pictures of the previous group of 8 guests. We could only sit aside and wait for him.
The photography business here is really booming. Looking around, there are at least hundreds of people taking photos in Dai costumes. Each photographer leads a group of beautiful women to occupy a spot about two meters away, with lights on, taking pictures in a fixed assembly line~
Yeah, as shown below~
The photographer who took the 199 yuan package for us briefly taught Yingying some dance moves that might be from the local Dai people during the photo shoot.
According to the 199 yuan package, it takes about 10 minutes to take 10 photos at each spot.
There were 8 people in our group. Plus the journey to each spot (if the photographer didn't take us to the river, the distance between the shooting spots was quite close), and the time waiting for the location, it was almost 11 o'clock after we finished shooting at three spots. To be honest, we were tired and hungry. Fortunately, there was a wonderful night market next to it~
At first, I really believed the studio's promotional pictures, thinking that the photographer had been shooting here for a long time and would know how to frame, how to pose, and how to shoot better. I once believed that the photographer could take great pictures~
So, in fact, I didn't take pictures for Yingying while waiting at the beginning because it was too crowded~
Luckily, when the photographer was taking pictures of other girls, I took a peek and found something wrong. Pictures taken like this would probably be impossible to edit.
We immediately decided not to rely on the photographer and still needed to rely on ourselves.
Whenever there was a break between photographers, we would use other people’s lighting and borrow their props (usually photographers would bring fans, paper umbrellas, alms bowls and other small props) to take a few photos.
The second “fixed” shooting point~
(The clothes and accessories in the pictures were bought by myself later~)
The third “fixed” shooting point~
(These spots are commonly found in the 199 yuan package. The more expensive packages will shoot at the riverside and the night market~)
The next night, we still didn't give up, thinking that the previous night's cheap shots were probably not good enough, and the photographer was working on an assembly line, so of course it wouldn't be possible to produce great photos.
Would it be better to find a one-on-one photographer~
So, we found another photography studio, bought a 299 yuan package, and added a 300 yuan one-on-one shooting service~
Similarly, 50 original photos were delivered that night, and 15 refined photos were delivered within ten days (in fact, they were delivered to us three days later).
The following pictures show the results of the 599 yuan one-on-one package~
First, the equipment is excellent: a Canon Mark II, an 85mm fixed red circle, and a 16-35mm red circle. The costumes are newer and more gorgeous, the hair is done, and the headpiece, belt, and jewelry are more exquisite.
Second, the framing is more attentive than the 199 yuan package, and they even go further to take pictures at the riverside and the night market.
There are relatively fewer people taking pictures here than at the night market~
Third, the props are more exquisite, and the photographer pays more attention to details and angles.
And, most importantly, because it's a one-on-one service, the photographer has more time and energy to teach the client various gestures and poses, which is much better than the photographer for the 199 yuan package.
It took me about an hour and a half to shoot 50 photos, and I'm done.
Well, above the dividing line are the 1-on-1 photos for the 599 package. What do you think? Personally, I don't like them very much.
I finally understand my market value. A photographer like me who can take hundreds of photos a night and edit them the same day should be worth at least a thousand yuan.
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Let's talk about Dai clothing~
According to records, the clothing of the Dai people, "Shuibaiyi women wear short jackets on top and long skirts on the bottom. The skirts are ground-length and they do not wear underwear. The clothes are made of silk and linen, and decorated with willow flowers in red, yellow, green, purple and other colors... The nobles wear gold and silver belts, which weigh up to ten taels."
Although the Dai women's clothing nowadays also retains the old tradition of "short jackets on top and long skirts on the bottom... the skirts are ground-length", the styles of the clothes and skirts have developed in the direction of gracefulness, brightness, elegance, softness and thinness on the basis of absorbing the "essence" of traditional clothing, showing the colorful characteristics of peacock feathers in the hometown of peacocks.
Dai women's clothing varies by region.
Dai women in Xishuangbanna wear a variety of tight-fitting undergarments, a tight, collarless, narrow-sleeved blouse, and a colorful, ankle-length skirt, cinched with an exquisite silver belt.
Dai women in the Dehong area also wear colorful, short, large skirts and tops, while others wear white or other light-colored, large-collared blouses, long pants, and an embroidered apron. After marriage, they switch to a double-breasted blouse and skirt.
Ethnic characteristics always captivate people without them realizing it, and now ethnic style has an irreplaceable place in the current trend.
The beauty of Dai clothing is inseparable from the Dai brocade craftsmanship. Dai brocade has a long history and is rich in the color of life.
Traditional Dai clothing is exquisite and elegant, showcasing the feminine beauty and grace of women. Xishuangbanna is geographically close to Thailand, so the ethnic costume has undergone many changes since its development. The Dai-Thai style has become a favorite of Dai girls. Although not as gorgeous as Thai clothing, it is more exquisite than traditional clothing.
The Xishuangbanna-style short blouse, in particular, is particularly distinctive in its ethnic style, with long, thin sleeves barely wide enough to fit an arm.
The blouse, while tight-fitting, reaches only to the waist, and the back hem even lower, revealing a bit of the back, adding a touch of color to the overall outfit.
Regarding hair styles, young and old, women wear their hair in a bun, either at the back or slightly to one side of the head, adorned with combs and hairpins, or with fragrant flowers or vibrant silk flowers.
Dai women in Dehong, Yingjiang, Longchuan, and Lianghe wear a light crimson short shirt with a large front, long trousers, an embroidered apron around their waists, and braid their hair into a bun on top of their heads before marriage. After marriage, they change their attire to a black or white short shirt with a front opening and a black skirt, tie their hair up on top of their heads, and wrap it with a towel.
It's not bad to be a simple woman.
Put on simple makeup.
Wear simple clothes.
Do simple things.
Just stay elegant and calm, and that's all!
Coming from the cleanest snow water on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the place closest to the sun,
along the mysterious Lancang River and Liusha River, accompanied by folk songs and surrounded by brocade flowers on both sides, we arrived in Xishuangbanna.
The purple mist emanating from it nourishes the myriad plants and blooming flowers in Manting Garden, and the flowers emit a refreshing fragrance.
This was once the imperial garden of the Dai King in Xishuangbanna. The beautiful scenery of rippling blue waves and lush green grass makes people who come here linger.
Wander through 1,300 years of history in Xishuangbanna's Manting Imperial Garden, passing through hills, rivers, and eerie blackwood forests. Vividly colored, elegant, and magnificent Dai architecture evokes Xishuangbanna's unique tropical charm. Following the thread of history, discover the stories of the Dai King and his wife.
Manting Park. In Dai language, "Man" means village, and "Ting" means planting trees and growing flowers.
In Dai history, this park was once a place where feudal lords, Zhao Pianling, and Tusi (chieftains) could enjoy the scenery and appreciate flowers.
Upon entering Manting Park, the first thing that catches your eye is a full-length bronze statue commemorating Premier Zhou Enlai, dressed in Dai attire, holding a water bowl in his left hand and an olive branch in his right, participating in the water splashing ceremony.
To the left of the statue are two bodhi trees planted by a Thai princess, symbolizing the Sino-Thai friendship.
Premier Zhou Enlai participated in the Water Splashing Festival here in 1961, so locals carved this bronze statue as a commemoration.
Manting Park is the oldest park in Xishuangbanna. Here, you can step into the magnificent Dai King's Palace and experience the ancient Dai royal culture. Dai architecture features extensive decorations on the roof, walls, beams, and columns, using a wide variety of materials. The layers of the main hall's roof represent the specifications of Dai architecture; the more layers, the higher the standard. As a result, the entire building appears solemn and majestic, with a sense of spaciousness and elegance. A treasure vase adorns the center of the roof, and numerous phoenixes, peacocks, dragons, lions, and floral ornaments adorn the ridge and eaves. The design is simple and elegant, with a unique style.
As a former royal garden, Manting Royal Garden, along with the Dai King's Palace, paints a vivid picture of Xishuangbanna's history and culture.
Located in the heart of Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna, Manting Royal Garden's tower, rainforest, lakes, wetlands, rivers, covered bridges, gardens, and buildings are all symbols of Dai culture.
A variety of plants and flowers unique to Southeast Asia are scattered throughout the park, creating a sea of blooms and a world of green.
If you choose to visit Manting Park during the day, in addition to the main attractions, there are many smaller sights, small pagodas, temples and gardens that are worth savoring and strolling slowly. It is a feast for the eyes no matter how you look at it.
Close your eyes and meditate, clasp your hands together, sit in silent prayer, and listen to the Buddhist chanting of the gods. Ascending the stairs, a group of white towers, caressed by time for many years, stand gracefully. Eight small towers surround a mother tower, the tower body is covered with gray-black water marks, and the niche is decorated with a clay sculpture of a golden phoenix. The white tower, composed of three colors of large areas of gray and black, a small amount of white and gold, has an indescribable trace of time.
The White Pagoda is a distinctive building in Manting Park. Because of its pure white body and golden spire, it resembles a bamboo shoot emerging from the ground. Therefore, the Dai people also call it the "Bamboo Shoot Pagoda." Every year during major Dai festivals, local Dai people come here to hold grand sacrificial ceremonies.
The former royal Dai style boasts both naturally occurring natural landscapes and artificially cultivated exotic flowers and garden architecture.
Walking through the gardens, you can admire both the pristine natural scenery and the cultural landscapes rich in ethnic characteristics. Wearing the distinctive Dai costumes and strolling through this exotic garden creates a truly captivating photo.
Some say that "Dai women, bamboo houses, elephants, and faith" fulfil every imagination of Xishuangbanna.
Perhaps, Dai women represent tenderness, bamboo houses represent charm, elephants represent warmth, and faith represents the eternity of all emotions.
The bearer of eternity is perhaps the Buddhist temple.
Banna has a deep affinity with Buddhism. Centuries ago, upon the introduction of Theravada Buddhism, it became the universal faith of the Dai people, a belief that persists to this day.
Buddhist temples can be found in nearly every village here. Even today, with the rapid transformation, Dai villages still boast over 500 temples and 200 pagodas.
To the south of Manting Park lies the Xishuangbanna Main Buddhist Temple.
The Xishuangbanna General Buddhist Temple is said to have been founded in the mid-seventh century by two Theravada Buddhist monks from Myanmar who came to spread the Dharma. With a history of over a thousand years, it is one of the earliest Theravada Buddhist temples in Xishuangbanna, boasting a long history and profound Dharma affinity.
Approximately 700 years ago, the Xishuangbanna General Buddhist Temple was established as the highest-ranking Buddhist temple in Xishuangbanna by the Xishuangbanna Xuanwei. It was the venue for announcing territory-wide Buddhist activities, declaring approval for promotions to senior monks, and holding oath-taking ceremonies for the Xuanwei envoys and chieftains of various Mengs. It was also a sacred site for the Xishuangbanna Xuanwei and his subordinate chieftains to worship Buddha, as well as for pilgrimages led by Buddhist temples from various regions.
Due to its long history and the emergence of many eminent monks throughout the ages, it enjoys a high reputation among Theravada Buddhist believers throughout Southeast Asia and is a holy place revered by believers in Xishuangbanna.
The sound of chanting slowly drifted from the temple into the distance, cleansing those who heard it from this mundane world.
Whether monks meditating or believers kneeling in worship, they all wished for the safety and health of all beings, and for peace and prosperity for the nation and its people.
The human world is like this: no matter how much disappointment and pain there is, there are always those who cling to that pure land.
Life is not only about the daily necessities of life, but also about the inexplicable faith. Whether it is religious faith or philosophical faith, it will lead people to embark on a journey to pursue the original face of the world and find their true selves in the journey.
Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple,
Connected to Manting Park,
Tourists usually enter the Zongfo Temple from Manting Park.
Zongfo Temple is a completely open temple with no tickets sold. Devotees and tourists are welcome to enter the temple to worship Buddha or sightsee at will.
Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple,
There are many reasons why so many people come here. It is said that it was built in the mid-seventh century by two Theravada Buddhist monks who came from Myanmar to spread the Dharma. It has a history of more than a thousand years and is one of the earliest Theravada Buddhist temples in Xishuangbanna. It has a long history and a deep connection with the Dharma. This is Theravada Buddhism.
This is Theravada Buddhism.
The overall architectural style is very similar to that of Southeast Asia.
If the sun shines directly on it, the golden light will be very shocking.
So it is better to go there on a sunny day.
As long as you are willing, you will find that the city you have been living in is full of surprises, and there are secrets inside. You don’t have to worry about planning long-distance travel, and you don’t have to passively travel by watching the scrolling in the circle of friends. You can start a journey through time by just visiting a few Dai villages around Jinghong.
Manyuan Village is affiliated to Manlene Village Committee and is 10 kilometers away from Menghan Town.
The road into Manyuan Village has been hardened and is lined with trees.
You can see the village gate from a distance, and the totems with Dai characteristics on the village gate are particularly eye-catching.
When we walk into Manyuan Village, we can see that the roads in the village are spotless and the traditional Dai buildings with railings are neat and uniform.
The first impression of Manyuan Village is that every household has low walls, which serve as courtyard fences and ornamental flowers and trees. The paths in the village are lined with trees and birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant. Just take a photo and you will see a beautiful scenery.
This afternoon, I just walked around and had fun, roaming peacefully on the trails. Flowers and plants were planted everywhere, and a few clay pots were hung. Some of them had grown moss, giving off the beauty of the starry sky~
The bamboo house is the living residence of the Dai people, and the Buddhist temple is the habitat of the Dai people's soul.
All the Dai people in Xishuangbanna believe in Theravada Buddhism. There are Buddhist temples in every village, and the temples are connected to Buddhism.
To the north of the village, climbing up dozens of stone steps, is the Manyuan Village Buddhist Temple. This is the most magnificent building in the village, gorgeous yet quiet. Standing on the temple, you can overlook the entire Manyuan Village.
Bamboo weaving craft of the Dai people is a traditional arts and crafts form of the Dai people. It has a long history, simple shape, beautiful and practical.
The Dai people have bamboo weaving skills passed down from generation to generation and have distinctive national characteristics.
The Dai bamboo weaving craftsmanship is exquisite, the shape is simple and elegant, and there are many varieties. Among them, bamboo baskets, lunch boxes, betel nut boxes and other bamboo utensils are the most representative.
Compared with the splendid ancient Buddhist temples, I prefer the simple and plain Dai buildings in Manzhang Village. Because of their simplicity, they give people a sense of history.
Their houses are very special, they are all wooden lofts.
The first floor is usually used to raise livestock and poultry, or to place agricultural tools. The pillars in the attic are all rectangular, not cylindrical. What is even more strange is that these pillars are only placed on the surface of the ground and are not buried in the soil.
The owner said that such a building is based on the local climate and natural conditions.
There are two reasons: First, this is a mountainous area, and snakes come and go at will. Snakes can easily climb into the round pillars, but snakes cannot climb up the rectangular pillars. Second, the mountains here are low. If there is heavy rain, the water from the mountains may wash down, and floods may occur at any time. In such a wooden loft, the pillars are not buried in the ground. If a flood occurs, the entire loft will float and automatically become a small boat.
Manzhang Village in Mengyang Town, Xishuangbanna, is the best-preserved traditional Dai village today.
The meaning of "Manzhang" is that in Dai language "Man" means a village and "Zhang" means an elephant. Manzhang is a village where elephants often appear.
Of course, I didn’t meet them here~
The village has a very rich traditional culture, as well as folk customs and customs, which have been preserved very completely to this day.
It is like a world of flowers and a botanical park, with various flowers, plants and trees planted in every home.
There is a small river outside Manzhang Village. The whole village and the quiet flowing river complement each other, weaving a very beautiful landscape painting.
It was the first time I saw someone raising a chicken as a parrot on a shelf. It was a beautiful little rooster. I thought it was a "carefully selected" chicken at first, but later I discovered that there are many such chickens in Manzhang Village~
After arriving at Daman Zhang Village, you can also feel and experience Dai pottery and Dai weaving, etc. These are intangible heritage protection projects, and they are also a kind of inheritance of national culture and skills~
The Dai people have loved using pottery since ancient times
Pottery making is called "banmo" in Dai language and is commonly known as "earth pot"
The "Biography of Baiyi" written by Qian Zuxun in the early Ming Dynasty wrote:
The Dai people "only use pottery tools"
Because of their love for pottery
The Dai people also use it in various large and small objects around them
Contain water, wine, rice, tea and roof decorations...
I found a tractor on the edge of the village, and unexpectedly found that it was quite nice to take pictures~
Come, let me hug Yingying’s thighs~
Everything grows at this time
Everything is clean and bright
So it is called Qingming
——"Hundred Questions of the Years"
Walking on the road in Xishuangbanna at noon,
Without the shade of trees, it would be a kind of torture.
Only the plants on the roadside happily receive nourishment from the sunshine of 21° north latitude. Their branches are fat and their leaves are thick, and their postures are even more public.
Banna has many plants and more botanical gardens.
In Banna, getting up early is not a difficult task, but more like a temptation.
The botanical garden in the early morning is particularly tempting. The plants have just woken up and are in better spirits. There is no sunlight or the flow of people.
Xishuangbanna There is no severe cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer, and flowers bloom all year round.
All kinds of tropical and subtropical flowers can adapt to grow here.
Writer Mao Guocong once said that Banna is a magical land. The magic is that "it does not reject thorns and weeds, it makes all trees grow very tall, it makes all flowers grow enchanting, and it makes all fruits grow into what they want."
Here respects the freedom of every life to grow.
So the botanical garden here is more like a "botanical museum" gifted by God. On the one hand, it displays the passion and vastness of life, and on the other hand, it restores the original power.
The famous botanical garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the botanical garden with the largest area, the richest collection of species, and the most specialized botanical gardens in China.
Located in the tropical forest, the Tropical Botanical Garden is surrounded by several ethnic minority brother villages such as the Dai, Hani and Jinuo ethnic groups.
Zhongke Botanical Garden is quite far from Gaozhuang, so it is recommended that you rent a car to go there~
In the garden, you can see the king lotus with leaves as big as a dustpan, firecrackers shaped like firecrackers, birds of paradise flying like birds, bougainvillea with flower-shaped leaves, egg-yellow frangipani, dancing dancing grass, shy trees and shy grass, rain trees that make rain, miracle fruits that change the taste and other tropical exotic flowers and trees, etc.
There are also many special areas in the botanical garden:
Celebrity Tree Garden - wonderful stories told by trees;
White Bamboo Garden - the luxury goods of the Dai people's clothing, food, housing and transportation;
Museum - a collection of ethnic cultures in the tropical rainforest;
Hundred Gardens - a riot of beauty, the landscapes and clouds are colorful;
Cai Gong Memorial Garden - the story of Cai Xitao, the son of the earth;
Palm Botanical Garden - the prince of the plant world.
Walking into the most forgotten forest paths
You will find these inconspicuous paths
In fact, they are quite beautiful~
Tips: The Zhongke Botanical Garden is well worth a visit. If you are not in good physical condition, you can buy a ticket and take the tour bus in the scenic area. It feels like it is a quick trip~
If your physical strength is OK, I recommend you to hike and discover more little beauties along the way!
In addition to the Rainbow Staircase that reminds me of the Rainbow Staircase in Istanbul, what impressed me most is that it is far from the city, the tickets are expensive (160 yuan), the performance is not good, and there is no good scenery~
My personal suggestion is that if you have other choices, choose other places~
It is estimated that there is really nothing to be done in this scenic spot, so I put up a homonym for "picking wealth" for everyone to pose for photos~
This is what I call the rainbow staircase. Here’s a little suggestion. If you want to take pictures without “relatives”, just wait until the performance is over and come down and take pictures because the performance is really not that good~
Oh, by the way, there is also an "Internet celebrity" shooting spot~
It’s really not much fun, but I couldn’t bear to pay such an expensive ticket, so I had to take pictures on the side of the big drum in front of the exit~
Compared with other places, the Buddhist temples in Banna have a more atmospheric atmosphere. This atmosphere is multi-layered and charming.
It has both a firm belief in faith and a living hope for the future;
It has both the splendor of a foreign land and the simplicity of a lost prosperity;
It can be used to walk slowly in the company of three or two friends, or it can stand silently and look at it alone.
Nothing can interpret the multiple atmospheres more vividly than the Jinghong Shwedagon Pagoda.
Actually, we wandered around the night market behind the Shwedagon Pagoda in Jinghong every night, but we never thought of visiting it during the day~
The day before we left, we didn’t play much at the "Copycat Nokia", so we had a lot of free time. We went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then walked to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Jinghong. Fortunately, we came and didn’t miss it!
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Xishuangbanna Jinghong is 66.6 meters high, which means that one river ( Lancang Jiang) connects six countries.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is in the form of a pagoda forest, with a large pagoda as the core in the middle of the pagoda base, which is the Bayeux Sutra Museum. It has a total of two floors of space, with four entrances from east to west, north and south, and the Zhou Buddha is worshiped around the central tower pillar.
There is a characteristic solid small pagoda at each corner, surrounded by sphinxes guarding the pagoda.
The peacock on the eaves is a symbol of auspiciousness, happiness, beauty and kindness in the hearts of the Dai people.
The four characteristic small pagodas surrounding the big pagoda represent the other four sceneries respectively: Jingdong( Myanmar ), Jingrai (Chiang Rai, Thailand ), Jingmai (Chiangmai, Thailand ), Jingbang (Laos Luang Prabang ).
In Banna, every larger Dai village has a Buddhist temple. This is a symbol of spirit and belief, and a place of physical and mental yearning.
This is the same as Christian or Islamic villages in the West and the Middle East, where larger villages and towns must also have a Christian church or mosque.
Surrounded by beautiful buildings with spires pointing to the sky is the worldly life that is gathered together. Without such a spire pointing to the sky, it would be a very different life.
In Dai families, many men need to be ordained and become monks for several years at the age of seven and live in Buddhist temples.
Although most of them will still have to make a secular living in the future, this youth experience is extremely important. It is the spiritual cleansing that starts early.
There is a dragon passage in the southeast and northwest of the Shwedagon Pagoda. The body of the dragon is carefully carved and decorated with shiny colorful chips. The body of the dragon is cut into small pieces with glass lenses and adhered according to the dragon pattern. It is particularly dazzling in the sun, making the white dragon look proud and lifelike.
"Night is the beginning of the day in Banna."
Once you say this, many people will envy you.
In Banna, night is a good time to go out of the house, the warm wind is just right, and the night market is just right.
In fact, pendulum riding is one of the folk festivals of the Dai people.
Because the scale of the festivals varies, some are held in villages, and some are held jointly by several villages, and the times are also different.
The display area is located in a relatively spacious area, with food, handicrafts, stalls, as well as unique Dai brocade, gold and silver handicrafts, etc. All kinds of products are everywhere and dazzling.
During the time of the show, people dressed in festive costumes met to set up the show.
The coverage of the Dai people's "rushing for sale" is much broader than market trade. It integrates sacrifices, gatherings, various arts, and commerce.
There are not many people on Qianbao Street during the day, but it is crowded at night~
Many storefronts on the street are very colorful. It is recommended that you take pictures when there are not many people~
Starting from 5 or 6 pm, merchants have started to set up stalls in the night market.
Red and blue simple sheds of various colors are set up and arranged quite neatly.
The aroma of the barbecue stall is emitting sizzlingly, and the white heat is steaming freely in front of the spicy hotpot stall.
The night market is casual but has a different kind of charm, attracting all kinds of people including children, couples, and the elderly.
Here, you may be able to find your favorite small items or find the delicacies you have been craving for a long time.
The night market in summer is a world of barbecue stalls, crayfish and beer.
Looking at the food, drink, fun, lively crowds, and bright smiling faces, the world came alive.
The fireworks in the world are magnified to the extreme here.
It is better to visit the night market in Gaozhuang, the three major night markets, Starlight Night Market, Ganbao Street Night Market and Liuguo Water Night Market, have everything you need.
The first thing you feel when you come to Gaozhuang is the obvious exotic customs, but these exotic customs are not just a single one. They are not just a collection of objects, but also a collection and blend of cultures. Creative stalls from China , Thailand , Laos , Vietnam ;
The biggest temptation at the night market is the snacks, and the most tempting among the snacks is Dai barbecue.
Lemongrass grilled tilapia, grilled pork belly dipped in pickle juice, grilled tofu in slurry, spicy and sour beef stir-fry, served with coconut milk pickled ruda, and a bowl of sweet pineapple rice and bamboo tube rice as the staple food. Such summer-like enjoyment can be easily achieved in the winter of Banna. Watching the making process of snacks is another kind of enjoyment: the rhythmic beating of chicken feet, the one-second thickening of Vietnam's small rolls of flour, and the art of hand-brewing iced coffee in Laos...
Not only the snacks are beautiful, but also the anger of the crowd.
Dai girls dancing on the roadside, street singers singing joyful songs on the roadside, fragrant soap flowers, fireworks in the sky...
This land never seems to forget to celebrate life, just like it forgets winter.
Cities with water are dynamic during the day and more ostentatious at night.
The same lights, two styles, in the sky water , complement each other, making Gaozhuang Xishuangjing the business card of Xishuangbanna.
Day1: Guangzhou — Xishuangbanna (arrive in the early morning)—Manting Park—Zongfo Temple—Night Market)
Day2: Manyuan Village—Zhongke Botanical Garden—Night Market
Day3: Jino Village - Manzhang Village - Jinghong Shwedagon Pagoda - Night Market
Day4: Xishuangbanna - Guangzhou
Tips:
1. If you do not have a photographer at home, you should choose a local Dai costume photography service:
1. It is recommended that you don’t rush to a photography studio to take photos on the first night. Go to the night market first, look at other people’s clothing styles, and see if the photographer is serious, teaches the guests a lot of moves, and pays attention to the overall shape and details. If you think the photographer is good, you can ask him for his contact information and appoint him to take the photo the next day;
2. If you want to take beautiful photos of Dai costumes, you must go to the photography studio early to choose clothes, because if you go late, the good-looking ones will be picked out by others. The second reason to go early is that makeup and styling may require queuing up in the store, and the waiting time is a bit long;
3. When choosing clothes, try to choose unique ones, even if they are more expensive, it doesn’t matter. Otherwise, when you go to the night market, you will find a lot of the same style. This is why I suggest not to rush to take photos on the first night, but to go to the night market to have a look;
4. When choosing clothing, light blue, light pink, or white are easier to produce, and you should ask the store to give you a customer photo of the clothing you selected for reference;
5. When choosing accessories, try not to let the makeup artist match you with something that is very traditional and old-fashioned. If you don’t like it, you must mention it and ask for a new one;
6. After the photographer completes the photo shoot, you don’t have to be in a hurry to return the clothes (general studios will accept clothes before 12:30 a.m.). You can take photos while shopping in the night market, which is more natural and eye-catching than staged photos. Of course, don’t affect the stall owner’s business. We usually take photos there after buying the stall owner’s things.
2. If you have a photographer at home:
1. There is no need to go to a photography studio to rent. There are many stalls selling Dai clothing in the night market. Skirts are 45 yuan and tube tops are 10 yuan. You can match the color and style according to your own preferences. Headgear and jewelry can be bought or rented at the stalls for about 20 yuan. Other props (umbrellas, fans, golden bowls, etc.) can be borrowed between other people's photos, and they are generally willing to borrow them;
2. You can go to the riverside to rent a fruit boat to take pictures, 20 yuan per person;
3. Suggestions from a foodie (just navigate to the name of the restaurant):
1. Five-star recommendation [ Chonburi ], but if you go to eat at night, you need to get the chips at three o'clock in the afternoon, and the number will not officially start until four o'clock. If you don't have time to get the chips at three o'clock, basically don't consider eating that night.
Must-order drinks: Chonburi Three Brothers, three flavors of milk tea, coffee and matcha, extremely delicious;
Dish recommendations: Their food is basically delicious;
2. [Princess Nom], although the environment is average, the products are good;
6. [Manfeilong Roast Chicken], there is a huge pit, please avoid lightning!
Because of the arrival of different people, Xishuangbanna becomes different every day.
Her own wildness and interest in life are constantly amplified.
She has rejected monotony, stubbornness and conservatism, and has become an open, tolerant and free home.
Feel slowly and with your heart,
Slowly time stops,
Slowly fall in love with this wonderful land~
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