Xishuangbanna is one of the most compelling corners of China — a subtropical region in the far south of Yunnan that feels less like China and more like Southeast Asia. The Dai people, who share culture and language with the Tai peoples of Thailand and Laos, have called this region home for centuries. They are joined by more than a dozen other ethnic minorities, making Xishuangbanna one of the most ethnically diverse parts of the country.
The region covers around 25,000 square kilometres, bordered by Laos to the south and Myanmar to the west, with the Lancang River (the upper Mekong) threading through the landscape. Jinghong, the regional capital, is the main base for travellers. Its name means "city at dawn" in the Dai language — a fitting description for a place that wakes slowly, with monks making their morning rounds and markets filling with tropical produce.
The appeal is in the combination: old Buddhist temples in forest clearings, elephant reserves in the hills, villages where traditional weaving and water festivals still take place, and a warm, humid climate that keeps everything spectacularly green. The tropical rainforest around Xishuangbanna is among the most biodiverse in China.