China- CHINA’S JUNGLE ADVENTURE- Xishuangbanna, China- Hidden in the Southernmost Tip of China, Along the Myanmar and Laos Borders

Usually when we mention jungles, most people think of Africa or New Guinea. Hidden in the Southernmost tip of China, along the Myanmar (Burmese) and Laos borders, is a wild, exotic jungle in the Xishuangbanna (pronounced SHEE-SHWAH-BAHN-NAH) autonomous zone of Yunnan province.

Take an exciting trip “off the beaten path” to be part of their festivals, watch for elephants from the safety of a tree hotel, or visit ethnic villages. We arrived for the “Water Splashing Festival” and stayed around the capitol, Jinghong. The Hinayana Buddhist Dai believe

the act of splashing water on each other washes away evil and brings good fortune to family, friends and guests. They welcomed each plane with ceremonial music and splashed water on everyone (dipping flowers or leaves in water and gently shaking them toward the passengers).

For over 1,300 years, the Dai have celebrated their New Year with water splashing, parades, music, and dancing. Since the weather is hot, a little good luck water splashing is refreshing, but this takes place everywhere you go during the 3-4 days of the festival.

It seems as though the entire population of this sleepy little town suddenly awakened to participate in the festivities. Fiercely competitive Dragon Boat races move to the beats of elephant foot drums and mangluo gongs. These long Dragon Boats date back 2,000 years and are designed with a dragon’s head carved on the bow and dragon’s tail on the stern. It takes the efforts of 30 oarsmen to run each boat. The

“Gaosheng” (a section of bamboo poles filled with gunpowder) are lit and shot into the air as giant skyrockets where they explode for a different style of fireworks. Colorful parades fill the streets with elephant, dragon and other images while the people are singing and dancing. The Dai women wear long skirts with silver belts and flowers in their hair, while the men dress in turbans and short tunics tied at the side. Even the villages are decorated with colorful paper cutouts and traditional dishes are prepared for the feast. What a celebration!

The Dai are linked by language and culture to Thailand and this region is called China’s mini-Thailand. In addition to the Water Splashing Festival you can also see festivals of the other 12 minorities throughout the year. This is not the regular tour of China.

The dense rainforest forms a thick canopy as you drive along the roads from village to village. Watch rice paddy farmers guiding their oxen driven plows through the water fields just as their ancestors worked thousands of years ago. Choose from trekking, car, river rafting, and camping tours into the jungle. Here elephants, leopards, tigers, pythons, Malay bears, peacocks, wild boar, black gibbons, and golden hair monkeys roam free. Over 60 species of mammals and 400 species of birds live within 250 acres. Visit a 200-year-old tea plantation, a rubber plantation, minority villages, Buddhist temples, botanical gardens, pagodas, minority houses on stilts, folk dances, and more.

Wild Elephant Valley is a nature reserve to protect the jungle and wild animals. Around 31 miles North of Jinghong, this is a MUST SEE.

Watch 70 wild Asian elephants roam around at night. Another exciting sight is Nationality Ethnic Group Park, dedicated to preserving the ethnic customs of 6 ethnic nationalities- Dai, Aini, Lahu, Bulang, Yao and Jinuo. This is a chance for visitors to see all of these groups close-up, to experience their way of life. The park is just 2-1/2 miles from the airport, in the suburbs of Jinghong.

Within a garden and lake setting, the 4 star Daiyuan Hotel offers a choice of restaurants including one with local folkloric shows. The modern 3 star Jinglan Hotel has a gym, sauna, billiard room,

and serves both Chinese and western-style food. The garden-style 3 star Crown Hotel is designed to resemble the Dai minority homes. They have Chinese and Western-style restaurants, a business center, dance hall, swimming pool, and bowling alley.

Take a short 75-minute flight from Kunming to Jinghong, or make connections via Bangkok. This would be a great Thailand combination tour. There are also train, river and bus connections. CITS (China International Travel Service) invites visitors to meet china’s colorful minorities and observe their customs. CITS will arrange visits to Dai homes, invitations to banquets, and trips into the jungle. Inquire about the dates of their minority festivals so you might be able to catch one of them.
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