Arrive in Jinghong

Jinghong-Menglun-Jinghong

Start from Jinghong in the Morning, drive to Menghun, see multi-ethnic Sunday Market, many ethnic minorities living around, Dai, Lahu, Aini, Bulang, Ake and Wa gather weekly for exchange of native produces purchase of daily commodities, different costumes and odd rural merchandises make the market colorful and interesting. Later we will visit a village of Dai, where villagers are still making paper with tree bark traditional way, it was used a lot in the past to record Buddhism sutras by monks, now mostly adopted by businessmen for packing tea product. In the afternoon, drive further to Menglian via Lancang, random stops on the way to see villages, visit ethnic people or for stretch. Overnight in Menglian.

Today we will visit an Aini market in a small town close to Burmese border, around which many villages of Hani are situated,  Hani is an international ethnic group, reside not only in southern Yunnan of China, but also in Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, with quite many branches, they speak and dress pretty differently, we will see mostly a branch name Akha here, quite many Akha women in traditional costumes and headdresses would gather with an assembly of both home-grown things and collection from wildness, they are busy and noisy, making the small market lively, colorful and exotic. After market we will spend rest time of day to visit some ethnic villages around, different minorities stay together in this area harmoniously. Overnight in Menglian.

Drive to Wa people's area on top of mountain to see another market today. Wa, originated from ancient Pu, the same ancestor of Bulang, with a total population of 35 thousand, they live mostly in southwestern areas along Burmese border. In the market women play always the most active roles, so is Wa,  wearing big earrings and red-topped hats, they are busy moving around searching for merchandises while smoking pipes, or sitting together at a corner and chatting happily with each other.  After the marekt we will visit some ethnic villages, see a museum about Dai people based on an old government building complex constructed around 100 years ago, Dai used to be the local ruler, museum will tell us some about their history. Overnight in Menglian.

This is the market day of Menglian. We first see a small Dai nationality market by a small river, where Dai women sell all kinds of home-made food and home-grown vegetable, other ethnic people like Wa, Aini and Lahu are also mixed among them to make the occasion colorful. Then we move to central market of town, a bigger venue, more crowded, more lively and more various in merchandise, it's filled with mostly city people, but at certain corner many Aini peddlers in their traditional costumes and headdresses are definitely the most eye-catching part. In the afternoon we drive back to Mengzhe via Lancang, random stops will be made en route to see villages, visit ethnic people or for stretch. Overnight in Mengzhe.

Today is Thursday, we are going to visit Xiding, a small town perched on top of mountain, to see the Thursday Market of Aini and Bulang people. It's a weekly bustling occasion for ethnic people living around, to sell native produces, to buy daily commodities, to meet friends or to enjoy a little relaxation from tiring farm work. After market we will visit villages of Aini and Bulang, two main ethnic groups of the region, to find out the facts about their traditional life and culture, due to remote locations, quite many conventional things are still well maintained in their communities, language, dwelling, living, religion, etc., may not be decent, but absolutely authentic. In the afternoon we drive back to Jinghong. 

Departure from Jinghong.