Down South

Xishuangbanna literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". It straddles the Lancang River, has Asia’s last elephants, and is in a tropical climate surrounded by rainforest and most medicinal plants that are available in China. Returning here I had a sense of dread since the last time I was here for the Dai Water Splashing Festival my big camera got blessed by water and broke, and my smaller one got stolen. Panhu, which is also called Panwang and Pangu, is the name of a legendary dragonlike dog- a totem to the Yao people. Many Yao people believe that Panhu is their first ancestor. They worship, offer sacrifice, and gradually began to celebrate him during their Panwang Festival. The festival was being held in Yaoqu, NE of Mengla- one of the main counties of Xishuangbanna. On the way from Jinghong, the capital, I got a phone call from a lady from Mengla. Her daughter was doing her master’s at the minority school in Kunming, my teacher told her I was coming. She picked me up at the bus station and took me to her home. Her friends came by shortly after and drove us to Yaoqu. She was born there, is Yao minority, so we stayed in her relative’s house. The Yao are hunters so we ate a lot of pork roasted in bamboo.

Dai Barbecue

Lunch-Yao fish, pork stewed in bamboo, chicken, cold noodles, pork skin, fried peanuts

Dinner

Dai Marinated Chicken Feet

Dai Spicy Chicken

Yao Babas- purple sticky rice cooked in bamboo leaves with a piece of pork lard in the middle

Red Bull, coconut milk, milk tea, water or orange drink

Auntie-so many babas

A typical Yao house

Ya Ling is the first Yao girl in her village to get her Master's

Yao Dog

Less women now are wearing the elaborate hairpieces due to balding.Dai Barbecue

Yao"watermelon" hats

Making the Babas

Eye pencil sharpener

Yao Cucumbers

Yao Fish and Pork in Bamboo. Yao fish is similar to Dai fish but not as spicy.

Roosters make excellent trouble shooters, detectives, doctors, nurses and psychiatrists.

After the festival, I headed to Menghai and Menghun to see the Lahu and Bulang people.

Akha-part of Hani

Akha

Bulang

Bulang-clothes that younger women usually wear

Bulang

Sticky rice

Puer Tea

Garbage Disposal

More Dai Barbecue

Tea fields

Pomelos

AkhaBulang

Lahu

Bulang

The Well

Northeast of Jinghong is Jinuo Mountain. The Jinuo people were named after the mountain and are China's last officially recognized minority group.

Performing the Sun Drum Dance

The Jinuo people are animists

The women chew on a black plant that supposedly protects their teeth

Typical Jinuo house

And than back to Jinghong-Uyghers selling their fruit and nut cakes.
"Where are you from...but you look Chinese."
"But you don't."

Resting in Manting Park - Garden of Spirits.
Stupa built in 1204

The girl in the yellow helped me take my picture

All for now!