Xishuangbanna Dai Garden is located in Menghan Town, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is a national 4A-level scenic area. Its distinctive feature lies in the integration of natural landscapes and cultural landscapes, boasting charming subtropical courtyard scenery, rich Dai living customs, typical Dai stilted bamboo house architecture, traditional handicraft production, and the mystical Theravada Buddhism culture. The scenic area covers a total planned area of 336 hectares, with its main part consisting of five well-preserved Dai villages: Manjiang, Manchunman, Manzha, Mangga, and Manting. There are 326 households and 1,536 residents in total.
History and Culture
Dai Garden has a profound historical and cultural heritage. The Manchunman Buddhist Temple and Manting Buddhist Temple here have a history of over 1,400 years, accumulating rich and profound Theravada Buddhism culture. The temples house the famous murals The Rebirth of Rudi Mi and The Story of Sakyamuni. In the early 1960s, the renowned essayist Feng Mu encountered a grand gathering of butterflies on the forest path from Manting to Manzha and wrote the famous article Butterfly Gathering by the Lancang River. Dai Garden is a "living" ethnic history museum, a high-quality folk eco-tourism scenic area that centrally showcases the Dai people's history, culture, religion, sports, architecture, living customs, costumes, food, and daily production activities.
Major Attractions
Welcome Square
As the gateway to Dai Garden, it greets visitors with unique Dai etiquette, allowing them to experience the hospitality of the Dai people.
Mansongman Ancient Buddhist Temple
With a history of over 1,400 years, it is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Xishuangbanna. It showcases Buddhist cultural activities such as making merit offerings to the Buddha, reciting scriptures, and worshipping the Buddha.
Dai Villages
Visitors can tour Dai residential houses, enjoy courtyard scenery, experience Dai living customs, and feel the joy of the Dai people's daily life.
Riverside Activity Area
This is a venue for large-scale traditional festivals of the villagers, where folk activities such as launching sky lanterns (gaosheng), releasing Kongming lanterns, and cockfighting are held.
Market Shopping Area
It sells Dai-style barbecues, brocades, folk handicrafts, Dai bags, wood carvings, and other products. There are also opportunities to appreciate the tea ceremony of Xishuangbanna's famous teas and dine at Dai-style specialty restaurants.
Water-Splashing Square
As the main activity area of the scenic spot, it features a large open-air theater where a professional water-splashing team of over 100 people performs daily. Visitors can participate and experience the fun of the Water-Splashing Festival every day.
Open-Air Theater
It truly and accurately reflects the essence of Dai traditional culture through singing and dancing, recreates the historical origin of the Dai King's marriage proposal, and showcases Dai living customs. With over 100 performers, the performance is of grand scale and spectacular scene.
Peacock Garden
It houses a large number of peacocks. There are wonderful peacock dance performances at specific times every day, and visitors may be lucky enough to see peacocks spreading their tails.
Tour Routes
Route 1: West Gate → Manjiang Buddhist Temple → New Water-Splashing Square → Manjiang Village → Manchunman Buddhist Temple → Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Area → Manchunman Village → Peacock Garden → Song and Dance Theater → Manzha Buddhist Temple → Manzha Village → Border Wharf (speedboat tour) → Manting Village → Manting Buddhist Temple (White Pagoda) → Pagoda-Wrapped Tree → Mangga Village → Summer Lotus Campsite → North Gate (or return to Water-Splashing Square and West Gate). The whole journey is approximately 6-7 kilometers on foot.
Route 2: West Gate (by vehicle) → Border Wharf (by vehicle) → Manting Buddhist Temple (by vehicle) → Peacock Garden (on foot) → Song and Dance Theater → Manzha Buddhist Temple → Manzha Village → Peacock Garden (by vehicle) → Water-Splashing Square (on foot) → Manchunman Buddhist Temple → Manjiang Village → Manjiang Buddhist Temple → West Gate.
Travel Tips
- It is recommended to wear lightweight and comfortable clothing and shoes for easy walking in the scenic area.
- Bring sun protection products, sunglasses, hats, etc., and take sun protection measures as the sunlight in the scenic area is strong.
- When participating in the water-splashing activity, prepare a change of clothes in advance to avoid inconvenience after getting wet.
- If you are interested in Buddhist culture, you can spend more time at temples such as Manchunman Buddhist Temple to experience the solemnity and mystery of Buddhist culture.
Notes
- Respect the local religious beliefs and customs. For example, keep quiet when entering Buddhist temples and do not touch Buddha statues casually.
- Pay attention to safety when participating in the water-splashing activity to avoid accidental injuries caused by crowds or other factors.
- Protect the scenic area environment: do not litter, and do not damage public facilities or natural landscapes.
- When purchasing goods or services in the scenic area, pay attention to prices and quality to avoid unnecessary disputes.
Transportation
- You can take a bus to Dai Garden at the north of Gaozhuang, with a fare of 10 yuan.
- Take a passenger bus at Xishuangbanna Passenger Station and get off at Menghan (Ganlanba). It is approximately 1.3 kilometers from the entrance of Dai Garden.
- The cost of a ride-hailing service from Jinghong City to Dai Garden is about 45 yuan.
Opening Hours
08:00 - 18:00 daily.
Tickets
Entrance ticket: 45 yuan per person. The scenic area's battery car is charged separately at 40 yuan per person (limited to 4 rides). The speedboat at the border wharf costs 299 yuan per person. Prices are subject to the actual fees of the scenic area.
You can search for the official WeChat public account of the scenic area "西双版纳傣族园景区" to get the latest updates. As of May 21, 2025, this official public account does not provide an online ticket-purchasing function.