A Shining Jewel on the Southwest Border of Yunnan

Hu Yayi and Ye Ye

Situated in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of southwest Chinas Yunnan Province， Ruili is a border city that connects China with Myanmar. Its unique geographical location makes it an important gateway to South and Southeast Asia. The city is also known for its attractive natural landscapes， ethnic diversity and colorful folk customs. Known as the “Natural Forest Park” and “Kingdom of Animals and Plants”， Ruili is one of the most livable cities in China. Ruili is also home to five ethnic minorities， namely Dai， Jingpo， Deang， Lisu， Achang nationalities. All these characteristics add to Ruilis mystery， which attracts visitors all around the world.

A witness to the friendship between China and Myanmar

Located beside the famous boundary pillar 71 on the China-Myanmar border， Yinjing Village is about 11 kilometers from Ruili. It is a common sense that the borderline should be a dividing line that is guarded strictly and cannot be traversed arbitrarily. But Yinjing Village is typically known as “one village， two countries”. The Dai village between Ruili and Nongdao County is divided into two parts by the borderline of China and Myanmar， and the two parts of the village have different names： The part in China is called Yinjing and that in Myanmar is named Mangxiu.

Once you enter the village， you may think that you were in a foreign country for its unique construction style that is different from that in other villages in China. Besides， there are no well-marked national boundaries such as iron barriers between the two countries. The borderline in the village is mainly composed of bamboo fences， village roads， water gullies or soil ridge. Its common for local people to walk through the boundary in their daily life to do farming， and one will not be surprised to see that vegetables growing on Chinese side fruit in Myanmar or chicken raised in Myanmar lay eggs at home of Chinese residents.

In the village， you will find many things are shared by the people of two countries including the roads， well and even swing. Visitors can sit in the swing which was built in China and swing to Myanmar side to enjoy the feeling of being abroad. The local peoples in the village share the same language and cultures， drink water from the same well， and even send their children to study in the same school， getting along in harmony generation after generation. Connected but belonging to two countries， the village is also witnessing the long-standing and genuine friendship between China and Myanmar. For a long time， the trade between the two countries not only boosts economic development， but also facilitates the exchanges and combination of the two cultures， which could be reflected by the lifestyles， costumes and tastes of the locals.

In Ruili， there is a famous pagoda well-known in Southeast Asia. Located at Jiele Village and some five kilometers from the downtown of Ruili， Jiele Golden Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist building and place of worship that is said to enjoy a history of more than 2，500 years in Ruili. Having experienced many times of reconstructions， the pagoda we can now see was modeled in the early 1980s on its original style.

Jiele Golden Pagoda is called “Guangmuhemao” in Dai language， which means “a pagoda at the end of Ruili basin”. The main pagoda is 39.5 meters tall paved with golden ceramic tiles， with 16 smaller pagodas around. All of the pagodas are in gourd-like shape and of golden color. Legend has it that long time ago， the local people discovered the gleaming Buddhas Relics at the base of the golden pagoda， and decided to raise funds to build a pagoda and a temple to enshrine the Buddha. From then on， the pagoda and temple became a pilgrimage destination of piteous Buddhists around. On important occasions such as Water Splashing Festival， people of both China and Myanmar will get together and participate in Buddhist activities.

The Water Splashing ceremony is not just for fun but contains religious elements. For Dai people， water is associated with cleansing and purification of body and spirit. Therefore， during the ceremony， splashing water is an expression of peoples wishes for happiness， health and good luck.

“Moli” is a word of Dai language， meaning “a beautiful waterfall”. Its said that Sakyamuni used to practice Buddhism here and left his footprints in the area， thus it is also named “Zhaduo” in Dai language， commonly known as “Buddhas footprints”

A gift of nature greeting guests around the world

With the tropical monsoon climate， Ruili is endowed with rich resources and splendid natural scenic spots. The ample sunshine and rain makes Ruili a popular tourism city at home and abroad. One of the most famous tourist attractions is Moli Tropical Rainforest Scenic Area， which is located in the Moli valley at the junction of the cities of Ruili， Longchuan， and Mangshi. “Moli” is a word of Dai language， meaning “a beautiful waterfall”. Its said that Sakyamuni used to practice Buddhism here and left his footprints in the area， thus it is also named “Zhaduo” in Dai language， commonly known as “Buddhas footprints”.

Taking a tour in the rainforests， you will see a crystal clear hot spring pool of moderate temperature. It is hearsay that the spring is the bath the wild elephants built for Sakyamuni. Near the pool， there is a golden Dai-style pavilion， and inside the pavilion lies a stone with a clear giant footprint on it left by Sakyamuni. Walking along the Zhaduo River， you will find a vast stretch of colorful flowers and thousands of species of tropical and subtropical plants. After a 30-minute walk， a magnificent sight with sounds as loud as thunders will be suddenly unfolded before you — this is the spectacular Moli Waterfall.

When it comes to forests， what pops into your mind may be the large quantities of luxuriant trees. But in Ruili， there is an exception — a single tree constitutes the forest. The One-Tree Forest is in fact a large banyan tree， which is regarded as a holy tree by Ruili people. It is 28 meters high， and what makes it precious is that it has been growing for over 900 years with 32 aerial roots straight pinning into the earth. These aerial roots that arise above soil are intertwined with one another， and thus form the spectacular view of one-tree forest. People in Ruili often say that the banyan tree is greeting the guests from afar with its strong roots spreading as if it was embracing all the guests.