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You see it as a beautiful, lush and mainly tranquil botanical gardens. In fact, it is one of the world's main tropical botanical research institutes and the work and R&D on tropical botany, ethnobotany and agriculture goes on behind the scenes.
The gardens are gorgeous and peaceful. Although it does attract coachloads of day-trippers, the people are widely dispersed over a huge area and we saw few others during the two days we were there.
It is difficult to describe the magic of these gardens, and any specific section is just fascinating. Our guide (Sara from Forest Cafe in Jinghong) knew the place well and was able to show us many of the more unusual and exotic plants. I was able to reciprocate with information about some of the more mundane agricultural crops and trees! We all learnt a lot.
Our children loved the place as they were able to run around and explore in comparative safety.
If you have an interest in any specialist area of tropical botany, horticulture or agriculture, it is easy to make arrangements to be shown some of the library collections, R&D labs and meet some of the staff: there are usually a number of foreign English-speaking scientists and students living here, and they are often pleased to show people around.
The 900 hectare centre was founded in 1958, and the Chinese Academy of Science has carefully built up the infrastructure over time, adding new sections and collecting specimens from all over Yunnan. If the operators of China's multitude of theme-parks, municipal parks, plazas and shopping malls came to XTBG, they would learn a lot about how to build and maintain roads, paths, public toilets, walkways and gardens. It's all done in good taste here, and everything looks like it has been built to last.
Two friendly Hoolock's Gibbons inhabit a small island in one of the lakes, calling out to visitors and playing hide-and-seek with them. These wonderful creatures deserve a better press, as we have seen them and their fascinating behaviour at other places as well.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Menglun, Xishuangbanna
Phone: See website
This was one of my favorite stops in Yunnan. I am not a plant person, and I couldn't identify anything (too bad all the plant signs had the Chinese and Latin names only) but still loved it. The small museum and all the maps were in English though. When you enter, you are in the Botanical Garden part, which is divided up by types of plants. The back of the park - almost completely devoid of tourists was the actual tropical rain-forest. Through the rain-forest, there was a paved path, but it was well enough done that I still felt like I was trekking through a forest. We rushed and it still took us a good part of the day to see it all. Entrance fee of 80RMB.
To get there from Jinghong we took a bus from the Banna Bus Station to Menglun. We were dropped off just in front of the main entrance. To get back we had to flag down a bus on the street going back to Jinghong. It was a bit tricky, but we weren't the only ones there. The bus is 16RMB each way and takes about an hour.
Written Feb 28, 2010
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The rainforest reserve at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens is very small - just 90 hectares - but has been well designed and there is a small visitor centre explaining (in Chinese) the rainforest ecosystem.
As with any rainforest, you really need to know the difference between your pometia tomentosas and your baccaurea ramifloras because much of it looks like a big tangle of trees and dead wood! However, the walkways, many suspended above ground, make a great walk around the forest.
All around the reserve is a Forest Meteorological Observatory, carefully measuring the micro-climate at different levels in the forest- although given that this is an articifical reserve created by man from an existing secondary forest, one wonders how useful it is for understanding a natural ecosystem!
Some small areas show arums and orchids, but you need to visit at the right time of the year to see these at their best.
Just north of the entrance to the reserve is an interesting area of tropical economic crops including experiments with shade-grown coffee and tea among hybrid rubber trees.
If you are particularly interested in tropical botany and are visiting Xishuangbanna, e-mail me as there is a particularly interesting private venture in Jinghong which also makes a fascinating visit!
Written Dec 4, 2004
Address: Menglun, XTBG
Website: http://www.xtbg.ac.cn
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The area around the central buildings has been nicely landscaped in order to show off specific treasures and botanical wonders, so if all you want to see is the "giant pandas" of the tropical world, head no further!
If a plant is known to exist in Yunnan, it can be found here.
The Palm Collection, the Bamboo Collection and the Endangered Species Garden are particular attractions. Everuthing is well-labelled in Chinese and also the Latin name, but only occasionally with the common English name.
There are several specialist arboretums spread among the grounds, and a tiy 90 hectare rainforest reserve where they have created an interesting collection using a patch of surviving secondary forest (Separate review) .
Finally, do check their website for a mass of information about the park, the research institutes and some of the work being conducted here. It will make the visit that much more interesting!
Written Dec 4, 2004
Address: Menglun
Website: http://www.xtbg.ac.cn
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The area around the central buildings has been nicely landscaped in order to show off specific treasures and botanical wonders, so if all you want to see is the...
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Menglun is around 60km east of Galanba and about 80km south-east of Jinghong. Two different roads mean that a circular route from Jinghong is possible, and several good - but very small - hotels in......
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