November 21st, Manghong - Manlei Pagoda - White Elephant Temple (Zhanglang Village) - Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion - Man Duan Buddhist Temple - Xishuangbanna

Manghong village

Manlei Pagoda

In the corner of Menghai, there is a unique and mysterious Manlei Pagoda. Its top is designed with a dome, combining the styles of a mosque and an Indian temple, which is rare in the Xishuangbanna region and exudes an exotic charm. The pagoda has three floors. Whether you can enter depends on luck. When we went, the door was unlocked. Each floor has a unique landscape when you enter. The first floor is currently empty; the second floor is also empty at present, but there is a door leading to the outside. Whether you can go out depends on fate; the thousand-Buddha dome on the third floor is even more shocking. The densely packed Buddha statues, from large to small, converge on the lotus lamp at the top. Under the illumination of the light, it looks extremely sacred and magnificent. There is a door leading to the outside platform, and there are Dai-style statues on all four sides. The murals in the corridors on both sides tell the folk stories of the Dai people. With the gentle breeze, it seems that you can travel through time and feel the ancient legends. 

Zhanglang Village White Elephant Temple 

Zhanglang Village White Elephant Ancient Temple is located in Zhanglang Village, Xiding Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. According to the palm-leaf scriptures treasured in the Zhanglang Buddhist Temple, the temple has a history of 1,373 years. Legend has it that more than 1,400 years ago, Mahahong, a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, traveled around the world on an elephant to preach. When he came here, a sudden freezing rain made the elephant freeze stiff, so this place was named "Zhanglang," which means "the village where the elephant froze stiff." 

Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion 

Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion is located on Jingzhen Mountain in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. The pavilion is about 15.42 meters high and is composed of a base, a body, and a top. Its shape is unique, with 31 faces and 32 corners on the pavilion body, like multiple eaves overlapping. It combines Buddhist culture and Dai architectural art style, with exquisite wood carvings and rich patterns. It is not only a part of the central Buddhist temple in the Jingzhen area but also an important symbol of Dai Buddhist culture. The Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion combines the architectural styles of Southeast Asia and ancient China and has extremely high artistic value and cultural significance. 

Man Duan Buddhist Temple

Man Duan Buddhist Temple is located in Manduan Village, Man'en Village Committee, Menghai Town, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province.The Buddhist temple was built in 950 AD and is a Theravada Buddhist building, consisting of a main hall, an ordination hall, monk dormitories, and other parts. The main hall is a triple-eaved gable and hip roof building with upturned eaves and corners, and the wood carvings and murals are exquisite and rich in content, covering Buddhist stories and traditional Dai life scenes. It has a strong Dai architectural style and religious and cultural atmosphere and is an important place for the inheritance and display of local Buddhist culture. 

Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Starry Night Market

Gaozhuang Starry Night Market, also known as the Mekong River · Starry Night Market, is a bustling night market located in the Gaozhuang Shuangjing Scenic Area in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. This night market is famous for its unique Southeast Asian style and rich nightlife and is claimed to be one of the largest night markets in Asia. The night market gathers creative vendors from Yunnan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other places, offering various specialty snacks, handicrafts, ethnic costumes, and gemstone jewelry. Tourists can taste authentic Dai barbecue, Jinuo ethnic group's wax gourd boiled chicken, Blang ethnic group's flower banquet, and other delicacies here, and at the same time experience the food cultures of Southeast Asian countries. The night market also has multiple performance spots, with regular nightly performances such as night tour performances, stage shows, and bonfire parties. Every year, it also holds characteristic folk activities such as flower parades, water lantern festivals, and lemon music seasons. Gaozhuang Starry Night Market is not only a paradise for food and shopping but also an important place to experience the cultures of Xishuangbanna and Southeast Asia. 

Yours Truly

Leena Li - Charmission Travel