In Jinghong, the capital city of the Xishuangbanna area, the Dai people like drinking "bamboo tea". Their "bamboo tea" is kind of green tea processed in bamboo tubes. Tea makers put preprocessed tea leaves into bamboo tubes and seal the tubes with sweet-scented bamboo leaves. They bake the tubes on fire until they turn brown and the tea leaves on the inside dry out. The bamboo tea has a special flavor that combines the aromas of tea and of bamboo.

There are many teahouses in Jinghong and other cities and towns in Xishuangbanna, where high-quality and local-flavored green tea is served.

In the ancient town of Yiwu, one can see both the remainder of the Ancient Tea Horse Road and enjoy tea made of the famous Qizi Tea blocks, the best Puer tea in China.

Tourist Information

Transport

Go to Xishuangbanna

Thanks to the booming tourist industry in Xishuangbanna, it is now much easier to travel to the area. Jinghong, the capital city of the Xishuangbanna region, is a transportation hub and travel base for tourists.

By Air: Since the opening of the Jinghong International Airport in 1990, travel to Xishuangbanna by air has become more popular and convenient, and there are daily flights connecting Xishuangbanna and Kunming. The area also has air connections with Dali, Chengdu and even Bangkok.

The Xishuangbanna Airport is 6km south of Jinghong city. It costs approximately RMB15 and takes 20 minutes to travel from the airport to the town by taxi.

The air ticketing office is at the intersection of Jingde Xi Road and Mingzu Nan Road.

Click to see the Air Schedule.

By Bus: There are two bus stations in Jinghong, the biggest one being at 23 Mingzu Bei Road (Tel:2123570); buses to other parts of Yunnan depart from here. Buses are relatively cheap and afford a fantastic (if slightly hair raising) experience. However, the buses are often delayed and during the peak summer season, a 14-hour trip has the potential to turn into a 24-hour hot and sweaty marathon!