• Banla Hani Village  
   
  

  	After the Dai , the Hani(Aini ) people are the most common minority group in Xishuangbanna . Astop at Banla is the easiest way to see a mountain village in its naturalness and material simplicity . Although overburdened by foreigners because of its closeness to the main Jinghong- Menghai road , the Hani( Aini ) here will not flaunt their "ethnicity " . Visitors are advised to be cirsumspect and polit after crossing the Flowing Sands River into Hani territory . A path leads upward past the  house
  	into mountains beyond , affording a beautiful view in several directions if you climb high enough .  Banna lies 37 kilometers (23 miles ) west of Jinghong .

   

BACK

• Menghai 
  
  

  	Travelling from Jinghong through the valley of the Flowing Sands River(Liusha He ) brings one to Menghai , one of the rare broad plains of Xishuangbanna , a region of bounty and delight for the Dai people . Menghai's relatively high altitude of 1400 meters ( 4,600 feet ) limits it to one rice crop per year but the weather is perfect for tea . This is one of the great tea regions of China , providing Hong Kong with most of its beloved Puer (
  	bolei) tea , Tibet with essential tea bricks , and France with a popular and profitable tea for slimming , toucha . The menhai tea Factory (Menghai Chachang ) is the largest industrial employer in Xishuangbanna . Arrangements to visit the tea factory can be made through travel agencies .
  	BACK

  
  
  
  

• Mengla
  
  

  	The town and county seat of Mengla was the last region of Xishuangbanna to be opened to foreign traveller . It lies at the heart of a spur of land that thrusts into Laos , and has become popular as stepping off point for visiting Yao , Aini and Dai minority villages in the surrounding countryside , the sweet little settlement of Mamushi , northwest of Mengla , seems to hold the most promise .

  
  
  

BACK