Beautiful Places On Earth

Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province, China. It is the traditional home of the Dai minority people. The name Xishuangbanna was derived from ‘Sipsong Panna’ which means ‘twelve thousand rice fields’ in Dai language.

Xishuangbanna is located at a lower altitude of the Yunnan Province. Due to its tropical climate throughout the year, Xishuangbanna boasts of gathering one of the widest biodiversities of China. Besides its abundance of tropical rainforests, Xishuangbanna is also home to the last few Asian Elephants in China. Once roaming across the country, the Asian Elephant is now considered as an endangered species, with only around 45,000 left in the wild throughout Asia. Xishuangbanna is renowned in producing some of the highest quality of Pu’er tea.

The Dai people is known for its rich culture, making Xishuangbanna a major tourist attraction. This hill tribe still wears in their traditional costumes till today. Their most well known festival is the Water Splashing Festival, also known as ‘Songkran’. ‘Songkran’ is celebrated from April 13 to 15 each year and is also celebrated in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos.

Xishuangbanna, a tropical paradise

To go to Xishuangbanna, one can take the flight from Kunming to Xishuangbanna Gasa Airport. This is by far the convenient way to get into Xishuangbanna.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces is located within the Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. These rice fields are at an elevation from 1000 to 2000 meters above the sea level atop the ridges of the Ailao Mountain Range. Yuanyang Rice Terraces is the masterpiece of the forefathers of the Hani People. When they first migrated here from Tibetan Plateau some 2500 years ago, they found that the mountain area was not suitable for cultivating rice. Hence, they stepped up their efforts to transform the mountain area into terrace fields.

The slope of these terrace fields is in between 15 to 75 degrees. Some of the mountain slopes have over 3000 steps in it, and this is more than any other rice terraces in the world! Yuanyang Rice Terraces is most beautiful during the spring, particularly in April when the terrace fields are filled up with water and the planting begins. At this particular time of the year, the color of the sky will reflect on the water surface of the terrace fields, making it a perfect catch for all photographer wannabes out there! The mountain area surrounding Yuanyang Rice Terraces is always foggy, adding more mystery to its beauty.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

The Old Town of Lijiang is possibly the best preserved old town in China. The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty. The old town is a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, China. It is situated at the upper reaches of Jinsha River, at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It is home to the Naxi People for centuries.

The old town has an area of approximately 14 kilometer squares and situated 2410 meters above the sea level. It was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. In here, visitors can experience a historic and traditional Chinese urban culture. Lijiang is famous for its orderly system of waterways. There are also numerous small bridges built upon the canals.

Square Market is the main street in this old town. The main street is linked together with alleys extended in all directions. All the streets are paved with cobblestone. Together with old Chinese houses on both sides of the street, they give visitors a picturesque view indeed.

The Old Town of Lijiang is suitable for visit all year round. One can arrive in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province first before proceeding to Lijiang. Lijiang is approximately 570 kilometers northwest of Kunming and it takes about 8 hours driving.

The Old Town of Lijiang at Yunnan Province, China