About Xishuangbanna's history and culture, geography and climate, as well as customs and habits

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, located in the southwestern part of Yunnan Province of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous prefecture under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province. Xishuangbanna, the ancient Dai word for "Mengbalanaxi", meaning "ideal and magical paradise", is famous for its magical tropical rainforest natural landscape and ethnic minority customs, and is one of China's hot tourist cities. The annual Water Splashing Festival is held in mid-April and attracts many domestic and foreign tourists.

Xishuangbanna is located in the southern tip of Yunnan, connected with Laos and Myanmar by mountains and waters, and close to Thailand and Vietnam, with a land area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers and a national border of 966 kilometers. She is beautiful, rich and marvelous, like a bright pearl set in the southwest border of the motherland. The Lancang River runs through the north and south, and is called the Mekong River after leaving the country, and flows through five countries, namely Myanmar, Lao, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and then converges into the Pacific Ocean, which is known as the "Oriental Danube River". Therefore, Xishuangbanna is not only an important channel and base for Southeast Asia and South Asia, but also a window for Yunnan to open up to the outside world. Xishuangbanna governs Jinghong City, Menghai County, Mengla County and 11 state-run farms. It is home to 13 ethnic minorities, including Dai, Hani, Lahu, Brown and Jinuo, accounting for 74% of the state's population.

Xishuangbanna is located in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in the south of Yunnan, with a latitude of 21°08′~22°36′ north and a longitude of 99°56′~101°50′ east. It is a tropical humid zone south of the Tropic of Cancer. Due to the high angle of incidence, the altitude angle at the winter solstice is as low as 45°. This area is rich in heat, warm all year round, and evergreen in all seasons. The region is rich in heat, warm all year round, with four seasons of evergreen. It is characterized by "constant summer without winter, and a rainy autumn". The year is divided into two seasons, i.e. the rainy season and the dry season; the rainy season lasts for 5 months (late May - late October) and the dry season lasts for 7 months (late October - late May), and the rainy season accounts for more than 80% of the annual precipitation. The region is rich in heat, warm all year round and evergreen. And because of the close proximity to the ocean, controlled by the southwest monsoon of the Indian Ocean and the southeast monsoon of the Pacific Ocean, the region is always humid and rainy, so the forests are thick and dense and the plants are abundant. Therefore, Xishuangbanna is known as the "Kingdom of Plants". On October 8, 1993, UNESCO officially admitted Xishuangbanna as a national nature reserve and an international biosphere reserve. A glance at the world map will show that almost all other areas at the same latitude in Xishuangbanna are deserts or Gobi, but the 20,000 square kilometers of land here is like a piece of emerald inlaid in the crown, which is particularly eye-catching. In this rich land, there are 1/4 of the country's animals and 1/6 of the plants, is a real "animal kingdom" and "plant kingdom".

The Dai people have a long history and have created a splendid culture in their long life, especially the Dai calendar, Dai literature and colorful national folklore and art, which are famous in the world. As early as more than a thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Dai people wrote many beautiful and touching myths and legends, fables, novels, poems, etc., on the leaves and paper, and there are more than 550 long poems written in Dai language alone. The masterpieces such as "Shao Shu Tun and Nanmu Nona" and "Hulu Letter" have been adapted into movies and dramas, which are very popular among the masses. The dance of the Dai people has a high artistic level and distinctive national characteristics, and the movements are mostly analogous to and glorify the behavior of animals, such as the popular "Peacock Dance" and "Elephant's Foot Drum Dance".

Folklore taboos

Can't touch the head of the "Little Monk"

Xishuangbanna Hinayana religion stipulates that a man has to lead a religious life away from his family, and can only be relieved of his sufferings when he encounters any difficulty in social life, and can only have a social status after he is born to be an adult. When a boy is seven or eight years old, he has to become a monk in a Buddhist temple for a period of time, called "Little Monk". Little monk" in the Buddhist temple life to take care of themselves, to labor, but also to study the Buddhist scriptures, to carry out strict cultivation education. After two or three years, they can "return to secularism", and only men who have returned to secularism can get married and start a family. If a man has not been a "monk", he is regarded as a stranger or a savage, and has no status in society. Cultivation in the monastery, not allowed to talk and laugh with women, no outsiders are not allowed to touch the head of the young monks, (which is the exact opposite of the Han Chinese favorite children touching the head), if the outsiders (especially women) touch the head, is considered an enemy." Little monk" "cultivation" time all null and void, must start from scratch. Therefore, foreign tourists, if you visit the temple must remember this custom.

Bedroom taboos

Dai family homes, are accustomed to live upstairs, and upstairs bedroom only a partition and living room is divided into bedrooms, bedrooms are not partitioned into small rooms, several generations are living inside, is separated by mosquito nets, the middle of the intervening interval, divided into doors and access. Bedroom is not allowed outsiders to peep, the past custom stipulates that if the master finds outsiders peeping into the master's bedroom, the man should be the master's son-in-law, or to the master's home to do three years of hard labor, even if it is a female guest to the master's home to serve for three years. Therefore, tourists, whether visiting or being a guest in the Dai family, should never peep into the master's bedroom because of the mystery. Although the past customary rules have been broken now, peeping into the bedroom of the Dai family is always unwelcome.

Living Room Taboo

There are three pillars in the upstairs living room of the Dai family, two of which are separated from the bedroom and the living room side by side, and one of which is next to the fire pit. Bedroom in the two, one by the outside is called "auspicious column" can lean against the rest, leaning in one is used after death, called "ascension column", the family died, the family will be the dead people leaning against this column (regardless of gender) bathing, dressing, wrapping the body, waiting for the crematorium. One of the fireside is absolutely not allowed to rely on, that is the Dai family's "top pillar", if you rely on the pillar means no respect for the master.

The Bamboo House

The Buddhist temple must take off its shoes. After entering the door in accordance with the size of the generation, seniority, in order to sit; Dai believe that the threshold is people, ghosts must pass through the way; can not use the stool as a pillow, because the stool is only for people to sit on; can not use the foot across the fire, can not move the fire in the support of the pot with the iron "tripod"; in the street to buy food, can not point to the food with the foot to bargain; can not step on the shadow of the monks, and even more so, can not touch their heads. The Dai believe that the "head" is the leader of the people; up the stairs to light footsteps, not whistling at night; in front of a large crowd can not say bad things about other people; women can not go to other people's homes to play in less than a month after giving birth; the family has a funeral, the funeral is not allowed to go to any home.

Hani customs and taboos

In the Hani cottage, there are friends and relatives or guests to visit, the size of the family master will take the initiative to go out and warmly welcome, and help the guests to take down the satchel and other things. When the guests are seated, if you hand you a full cup or bowl of sprinkles, said to be welcomed. If the first time to the guest poured full of tea, it means that he is not welcome; if the first time only to the guest poured half a cup or half a bowl of sprinkles, it seems that the host is very petty. When the host pours wine for the guest, he himself must also pour a cup and take a sip first. The hospitable Hani people will also come up with buds, melon seeds, cigarettes and other hospitality. The host family will kill a chicken, plus salt, chili, and other condiments to cook a pot of chicken rice. Chicken rice is a must-have dish on the table of the Hani people's hospitality. There are a lot of rules when eating thin rice. After being seated, the host will honor the guests with chicken head and liver, and the chicken legs will be given to the children among the guests. This shows the host's respect and welcome to the guests. When the guests say goodbye, the host will pack some tea and tobacco for the guests. There must be a few hard-boiled eggs in the package, which is the host's blessing to the guest. At the same time, the host's gift to the guest must be wrapped in banana leaves and black cotton thread, which symbolizes the deep friendship between the host and the guest.

Yi customs taboos

Taboo play moving head; swearing in front of the crowd; Yi family has a sick taboo say death and injury and so on; taboo say "kill the New Year pig", but to say "catch the New Year pig" or "take the New Year pig"; taboo on the New Year pig; taboo on the New Year pig, but to say "catch the New Year pig" or "take the New Year pig"; taboo on the New Year pig; taboo on the New Year pig; taboo on the New Year pig. Pig"; taboo on babies with "fat", "beautiful", "heavy" and other compliments; taboo on whistling at night; taboo on taking the meat of primates (bears, dogs, monkeys, cats, etc.) into the house, also taboo on taking the meat of the animals (bears, dogs, monkeys, cats, etc.) into the house. (bear, dog, monkey, cat, etc.) meat into the house, also avoid eating their meat; regardless of gender, taboo across the fire; women are forbidden to cross the man; taboo wedding and funeral day slaughter goats; taboo to bitter artemisia poles as chopsticks and hit people; taboo from the guest side of the burning buckwheat; fire buckwheat poop out of the Yantang, it is forbidden to immediately turn and use a stick through the fire; forbidding the meat of the horses, mules, dogs, monkeys, crows, snakes, frogs; taboo guests do not leave the meat; taboo to bring the host of the meal; taboo hoe and axe together; taboo in the house will be put in the together; taboo hoe or axe in the house to find on the shoulder; pregnant women are not to comb the bride's hair, but also to sew the bride's dowry.