Xishuangbanna   "Twelve thousand rice fields" is the literal meaning of Xishuangbanna, an area covering nearly 20,000 square kilometers of paddy fields, hills, woods and tropical rain forest.    Its natural—and cultivated—beauty is its draw, along with its remote location in southern Yunnan Province, nestled against the borders with Burma (Myanmar) and Laos. Home to smoky pu'er tea, a number of minority ethnic groups, numerous festivals and some of China's most striking wildlife, including elephants, peacocks, monkeys, tigers and leopards (though you're exceedingly unlikely to glimpse a rare jungle cat in their natural habitat).     In many ways, Xishuangbanna has much more in common with Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand, Laos and Burma  than with Han-dominated China, and in recent years has seen a strong upsurge in tourism as foreigners and Chinese tourists alike flock to this lush corner of the People's Republic. The Dai, Hani, Lisu and Yao minorities and a passle of other hill-tribe peoples   Nature reserves occupy a total of 2,065 square kilometers. Xishuangbanna is famed for its wild herds of elephants, looking auspicious in an awesome fashion, and its swarms of peacocks. There is little to recommend in most of the towns, so you need to visit the surrounding small temples and villages to see the best side of Xishuangbanna. Aside from Mengla, most main centres can be reached on day trips from the capital Jinghong

History

In ancient times, Xishuangbanna was legendary for farming by elephants and the practice of tattooing. The region was known as "the land that rides on the back of elephants." Xishuangbanna got its name in Ming Dynasty (1570). While there is little written history to go on, Xishuangbanna has long been a place where the Dai, Hani, Yao, Bulang and Jinuo minorities live in compact communities and practicing their cultures, traditional arts and customs. In the history, the chiefs of Xishuangbanna all submitted to the rule of dynasties and would pay feudal leaders with presents of tamed elephants and trunks. Xishuangbanna is unique in that, even today, many of the minorities are dependant on the rain forests for all their daily needs.

Climate

Min. 10 C (in Jan)  The region sits at a lower altitude than most of Yunnan, and has a tropical climate with minimum temperatures around 10 C and maximum hovering around 26 C.The best season to visit is spring, between January and March. The rainy seas runs from May to August. The Max. 20 C (in Jul)