Where the beautiful Xishuangbanna dream begins

Number of days: 25 days
Time: July
Average cost: 6,000 yuan
With whom：a person
Updated: 2023.10.19

Xishuangbanna, a beautiful, rich, mysterious and magical place, is full of exotic customs.

Xishuangbanna, a shining pearl inlaid in the southern border of the motherland, is a piece of original, uncarved green jade, shining brightly.

This is the last piece of pollution-free pure land in my country, with a forest coverage rate of 78.4%. It is home to 1/4 of the country's animals and 1/6 of the country's plants. It is a veritable "animal kingdom" and "plant kingdom".

Here, the Lancang River connects six countries and has four national-level ports. It is known as the "Danube of the East", attracting more and more people from China and abroad.

This place is also one of the twelve major tourist destinations in the world. According to the selection of National Geographic Magazine, Xishuangbanna was rated as one of the twelve major tourist destinations in the world.

Here, elephants are strolling, peacocks are spreading their tails, butterflies are flying, and Dai girls are walking towards you with bamboo baskets on their shoulders and their waists bare...

Ah, beautiful Xishuangbanna, a place where people can rest their souls, a place that people yearn for in their dreams, you are the paradise I yearn for in my heart.

So, I braved the danger and traveled thousands of miles to the place where my dream began, the place I longed for, the paradise on earth in my heart.

Next, I will write down the information I learned about and the photos I took in Xishuangbanna Dai Garden, Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, and Zongfo Temple into a travelogue and share it with everyone.

Xishuangbanna is located in the southern part of Yunnan Province. It is a plain surrounded by mountains. It is connected to Laos and Myanmar by mountains and rivers, and is close to Thailand and Vietnam. It has a land area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers and a border line of 966 kilometers.

The Xishuang in Xishuangbanna originated from the ancient Xishuangbang and Xishuangjing. Banna originated from the Zhaoying Meng who merged Meng and Huoquan into twelve units in preparation for gifts. Banna actually means the merger of land taxes. Xishuangbanna is the twelve Banna.

1. Xishuangbanna Dai Garden

The Dai Garden is located in Menghan Town, southeast of Jinghong City. It is mainly composed of five well-preserved natural Dai villages, namely Manjiang, Manchunman, Manting, Manzha and Manga. Most of the people living in the villages are also Dai people.

No matter which village you walk into, you will see typical Burmese pagodas and traditional Dai bamboo houses, allowing you to experience the rich Dai people and their ancient cultural heritage.

When you enter the gate of the scenic area, the first thing you see is the welcoming square, where sometimes enthusiastic Dai people will perform welcoming dances, sing blessings, sprinkle water for blessings, etc. As the Dai Garden is quite large, it is recommended to buy a package ticket that includes a sightseeing bus, which can save time and allow you to see more attractions.

Then you can take the scenic shuttle bus to the border pier to see the villages in Myanmar on the other side, as well as the filming locations of movies such as Operation Mekong. You can also take some photos and check in the beautiful scenery of the border. If you have time, you can also go to the lotus pond to take a ride on the popular train.

There is also a relatively famous ancient temple in the village, namely the Manchunman Ancient Buddhist Temple. It is one of the ancient Buddhist temples in Xishuangbanna and has a history of more than 1,400 years. When you enter the temple, you can worship Buddha and pray to the sound of chanting.

The most famous event in Xishuangbanna Dai Park should be the Water-Splashing Festival, which is a common traditional festival for people of all ethnic groups in the prefecture. On that day, the whole prefecture will have a three-day holiday, and friends of all ethnic groups and from all corners of the country will gather together to celebrate this grand event of national unity.

However, in order to attract tourists, the Dai Garden also carries out water splashing activities every day during the peak season. First, the Dai water splashing ceremony is held, and then the water splashing celebration is held. The activities are grand and lively. It is hard to believe how crazy the participants are. You should be infected just by looking at the photos. These are festive people splashing water on each other and blessing each other.

Warm tips: If you want to participate in the water splashing activity, first of all, you must calculate the time and come to the water splashing square in advance. Secondly, you must prepare the basin for splashing water. Finally, remember to prepare a change of clothes to avoid catching a cold.

2. Gaozhuang Xishuangjing

Gaozhuang Xishuangjing is located in Jinghong County, in the core of Xishuangbanna Lancang River National Customs Tourism Resort, adjacent to the Lancang River, at the gateway of Xishuangbanna, it is the first stop for tens of millions of tourists arriving in Banna.

Gaozhuang Xishuangjing is a Dai language, which means "nine towers and twelve villages" in Chinese. Generally speaking, Gaozhuang is an area and also a tourist area. There are twelve different villages in this area. However, when you walk into this area, the distinction is not so detailed. It seems that these village names are just used as house numbers, and there is no obvious dividing line. The overall area is not very large.

But there are three famous attractions here, namely the Starlight Night Market, the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Six Nations Floating Market. These three attractions are connected and are all free. This is a tourist area that integrates eating, drinking, playing, entertainment and accommodation. You can enjoy life, food and beautiful scenery here.

After visiting Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, walk inward and you will see a magnificent temple not far away. It is the Jinghong Shwedagon Pagoda in Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, also known as the Myanmar Shwedagon Pagoda.

The tower is 66.6 meters high, implying that one river connects six countries. The four small towers are solid towers, and the big tower is a museum of palm leaf scriptures. It has two floors of usable space and four entrances in the east, west, south and north. There are prayer Buddhas enshrined around the central tower column for tourists to pray. Here you can experience Buddhist culture.

3. Xishuangbanna Main Buddhist Temple

The Main Buddhist Temple is located at No. 18, Baji Road, Jinghong City. It is one of the important Buddhist temples for Buddhist believers in Xishuangbanna to worship Buddha. It has a history of more than 1,300 years. Here, Buddhist believers respectfully support the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. It is the most popular Buddhist temple attraction in Xishuangbanna.

The Main Buddhist Temple is called "Wabajie" in Dai language. It is the pilgrimage center for Buddhist believers in Xishuangbanna. Before liberation, this was the place where the highest rulers of Xishuangbanna and their chieftains worshipped Buddha. It is also a Buddhist temple of higher rank in Xishuangbanna.

According to legend, the construction of the temple was initiated in the mid-seventh century by two Theravada Buddhist monks who came here from Myanmar to spread Buddhism. The buildings are majestic and grand, with exquisitely carved beams and pillars. They mainly include the Uighur Hall, Fushun Tower, Bell and Drum Tower, and the Buddhist College teaching building.

The main colors of the Weihan Hall in the Zong Buddhist Temple are gold, silver and red. The roof is covered with purple-red tiles, the beams and walls are painted gold, and the spires are decorated with silver. The whole hall is shining with golden light and the Buddha's light is shining everywhere. In the center of the hall is a bronze Buddha, which is said to have been cast and carved by Thai craftsmen in Thailand and consecrated by the Thai Supreme Patriarch. It is also the largest bronze Buddha in Xishuangbanna so far.

In the center of the Buddhist temple, there is a huge golden statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, with his eyes closed, his left hand downwards and his right hand raised upwards, accepting the worship of good men and women from all corners of the world. Here, you can feel the charm of Theravada Buddhism, appreciate the buildings and statues that are different from those in the mainland temples, and let your soul be purified, baptized and sublimated.