Xishuangbanna (often just Banna is used; Chinese: 西双版纳; Lü: ᧑᧒ ᦗᧃ ᦓᦱ) is an autonomous prefecture in the south of Yunnan, near the Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese and Burmese borders. The ethnic groups and the local languages in this area are more Southeast Asian than Chinese.

Position within Yunnan

The region is a very popular destination for Chinese tourists. It offers most of the attractions of Thailand — warm climate, tropical fruits and flowers, elephants, prostitutes (legal in Thailand, illegal in China), jungle treks and a reasonably well-established tourist industry — without the complications of a border or different language and currency.

For other tourists, especially backpackers, the region serves as stop on the Banana Pancake Trail; it is on a major route between China and Southeast Asia.

Understand

"Xishuangbanna" is a Dai language, "Xishuang" means twelve, "Banna" means an administrative unit that provides feudal taxes (literally translated as "twelve thousand rice fields"), and actually refers to twelve administrative regions.

Xishuangbanna is the region with the best preserved tropical ecosystem in China. It is known as the "plant kingdom", "animal kingdom", "biological gene bank", "an emerald on the crown of the plant kingdom" and so on. It has the only tropical rain forest in China. It is a nature reserve, a member of the United Nations Biodiversity Conservation Circle, and an observation point for sustainable tourism development of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Plant species account for 1/6 of the country and animal species account for 1/4 of the country. Xishuangbanna is the second largest natural rubber production base in China, the origin of large-leaf tea, and the hometown of Pu-erh tea.

Xishuangbanna is famous for its tropical rainforest natural landscape and ethnic customs, and is one of the hot tourist cities in China.

Climate

Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       59     21 13       44     23 13       15     28 16       81     29 19       142     29 22       148     28 24       112     27 23       126     27 23       59     28 22       80     25 21       66     24 18       44     21 13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       2.3     70 55       1.7     73 55       0.6     82 61       3.2     84 66       5.6     84 72       5.8     82 75       4.4     81 73       5     81 73       2.3     82 72       3.2     77 70       2.6     75 64       1.7     70 55 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Cities

• 1 Jinghong , capital and main center of the region
• 2 Mengla
• 3 Menghai
• 4 Mohan , small town on the Laotian border

Talk

As anywhere in China, Mandarin is the lingua franca used for communication between speakers of different languages. However this area, like most of Yunnan, has several different ethnic groups and most of those have their own language. In Banna, the largest group are the Dai, ethnically and linguistically very close to Thais.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport (JHG ^IATA), Gasa Town, Jinghong City, ☏ +63 691 215 9130. There are some flights from several Chinese cities, but much the most frequent are from Kunming. There are also a few flights from Bangkok; see Jinghong#Get_in. (updated Sep 2022)

By highway

There is a highway south from Kunming into this region, via Pu'er.

Get around

By bus

The airport bus can easily reach the city from the airport, and the airport special line No. 1 also passes through the night market and temple attractions. The price is RMB 4. The tourist route can choose ordinary bus and tourist line. Among them, ordinary bus No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and bus Z21 pass through many tourist attractions, and the price is RMB 3 yuan. Attractions will have corresponding tourist bus lines, most of which are 5 yuan for round trips. Payment methods can be credit card or coin.

By taxi

The starting price of taxis in Xishuangbanna is 7 yuan (3 kilometers), including 2 yuan fuel surcharge.

See

Buddhist temple in Dai architectural style

Religious sites

• 1 Xishuangbanna Zongfo Temple (西双版纳总佛寺), 18 Baji Road, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, ☏ 86 691-2160502NOCC. 8:00am-18:00pm. (updated Sep 2022)

Parks and nature

• 1 XiShuangBanNa Tropical Botanical Garden,Chinese (中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园) (Menglun Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province), ☏ +86 691-8715914. 8:00am-18:00pm. 80￥. (updated Sep 2022)

Do

Stay in a Hani village homestay and visit tea plantations, do jungle hikes and try the local foods. 300 yuan per night with three meals included.

Eat

Night market

• Mekong Starlight Night Market (湄公河·星光夜市), Gaozhuang Xishuangshi Scenic Spot, Jinghong City, ☏ +63 691-2221171. open all day. (updated Sep 2022)

Buy

Food

·Dried fruit（水果干）：Xishuangbanna is located in a tropical region, so there are plenty of fresh tropical fruits and handy dried fruits, such as dried mangoes and pineapples.