Cities > Ruili City
Overview
Chinese Name: 瑞丽市English Name: Ruili City
Climate: South Asian subtropical monsoon climate
Background
Ruili City, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, was historically known as "Mengmao." Located in western Yunnan Province, it is the birthplace of Dai culture and one of the earliest, best-developed, and most open areas in China's southwest border region. As of September 2022, Ruili City has a total land area of 944.75 square kilometers and administers 1 subdistrict, 3 towns, and 2 townships; it also administers 2 township-level units. The government is located in Mengmao Subdistrict. At the end of 2023, the permanent population of Ruili City was 234,000. The main ethnic groups are the Dai, Jingpo, De'ang, Lisu, and Achang.Climate
Ruili City is located north of the Tropic of Cancer and has a South Asian subtropical humid monsoon climate. The climate is warm throughout the year, characterized by long summers and short winters, distinct dry and wet seasons, long sunshine hours, abundant rainfall, and frequent fog in winter. The annual average temperature is 21.0°C, with the coldest month averaging 14.0°C and the hottest month averaging 25.0°C. The historical extreme high temperature is 36.4°C, and the extreme low temperature is 1.5°C. The annual average rainfall is 1384.5 mm, with 1234.4 mm falling between May and October, accounting for 89.2% of the annual rainfall. The maximum monthly rainfall is 567.1 mm. The annual average relative humidity is 76%, with a minimum of 13%. There is a long frost-free period, with an annual average of 359.9 days. The annual sunshine hours are 2312.7, accounting for 52% of the possible sunshine hours. The annual average wind speed is 1.0 m/s, with the prevailing wind from the southwest. The annual average evaporation is 1123.0 mm, and the annual number of thunderstorms is 65.7 days. The complex geographical features, influenced by significant altitude differences, result in a prominent three-dimensional climate and diverse climate types.Customs
Jingpo "Soul Burial" Ceremony（景颇埋魂）
The Jingpo people in Ruili City have the custom of "soul burial." This originated from the Jingpo people's primitive religion. The Jingpo people regard the death of elders as glorious. The "soul burial" ceremony is presided over by a "Dongsasa" (shaman), who sings and dances to praise the deceased's conduct and deeds in life to educate future generations and commemorate friendship. After the "soul burial," when returning home, the "Jin Zhai Zhai" dance is performed on a large flat area, with the "Song of Sending Souls" sung. The dance is accompanied by four nude men painted with red, green, black, and white stripes, dressed as male and female ghosts, performing a mime dance that depicts how humans fell in love, had children, and the like in ancient times. The dancers sometimes hold spears and wooden boards to perform actions to drive away evil spirits, until they are deemed to have driven the evil spirits into the forest."Tossing the Packet" (丢包)
The Dai people in Ruili City have the entertainment custom of "tossing the packet," which is a recreational activity organized by unmarried young Dai men and women during the Spring Festival, and it is also a way of expressing affection. During the activity, girls throw their love tokens – flower packets – into the air, choosing their beloved person in the process of throwing and catching, embodying the spirit of freedom in love and the yearning for future life. The flower packet becomes a messenger of love.Elephant Foot Drum Dance (象脚鼓舞)
The Dai people in Ruili City have the custom of performing the Elephant Foot Drum Dance. The Dai people are a singing and dancing ethnic group, and their Elephant Foot Drum Dance has distinctive ethnic characteristics. The drum dance is divided into three types: long drum dance, short drum dance, and large drum dance. The long drum dance has a drum that is 7 feet long, with a drum surface made of cowhide or python skin, and a drum tail shaped like an elephant foot, made of round wood. Performers, accompanied by the drum and gong, use their fingers, palms, fists, and feet to beat the drum surface, and people and the drum rotate and sway together, gracefully and generously, with rapid drum beats. The short drum dance has a slightly shorter drum body, 5 feet long, and the rhythm is slightly slower during the performance, with steady drum beats and a deep, short sound. The large drum dance has a loud and deep sound during the performance, shaking the heavens and the earth, and the scene is spectacular. The drum dance is a dance that is popular and danced by everyone in the Dai community.Peacock Dance (孔雀舞)
The Dai people in Ruili City have the custom of performing the Peacock Dance. The Peacock Dance is an important symbol of Dai culture, the Dai's most original, oldest, and most typical ethnic totem and symbol, embodying traditional virtues such as beauty and kindness. It is also a symbol of the Dai people's pursuit of auspiciousness, happiness, and a beautiful life. In the Ruili basin, where the Dai people gather, there are almost monthly "Bais" and annual song and dance performances. For the Dai people, without singing and dancing is like "eating without salt." Singing and dancing have become an indispensable part of Dai life. During the Dai's annual "Water Splashing Festival," "Closing Gate Festival" and other religious and folk festivals and the harvest season, the Dai people will gather together, beat the Elephant Foot Drum, and perform the "Peacock Dance."Ga Yang (嘎秧)
The Dai people in Ruili City have the custom of performing Ga Yang. Ga Yang is a traditional folk collective dance of the Dai people. The dance movements reproduce the labor scenes of spring plowing, weeding, and harvesting, expressing the joy of the Dai people's labor and the joy of the harvest. It is generally performed during festivals such as the Water Splashing Festival and "Gan Bai," "Bai" being the Dai people's term for attending market fairs and various festivals.Festivals
Kuo Shi Festival (阔时节)
The Lisu people in Ruili City celebrate the Kuo Shi Festival. Kuo Shi Festival, also known as the Knife Pole Festival, is the most important festival of the Lisu people, equivalent to the Lisu New Year, held on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar. On New Year's Eve, elders use wine and meat to offer sacrifices to their ancestral spirits; on New Year's Day, they sing and celebrate with wine; on the second day, they practice archery and hunt. On the ninth and tenth days, Lisu men and women gather in their finest attire to perform "climbing the knife mountain, going into the fire sea, and crossing the knife bridge." Climbing the knife mountain involves performers climbing a knife ladder that is 20 meters high, made by binding 36 sharp long knives together. Going into the fire sea involves performers stepping into a fire sea made of red-hot charcoal with bare feet while performing various stunts under the shining of a blazing fire. This shows the fearless spirit of the Lisu people in daring to climb the knife mountain and entering the fire sea.A Lu Wo Luo Festival (阿露窝罗节)
The Achang people in Ruili City celebrate the A Lu Wo Luo Festival. It is the Achang people's most ancient traditional festival, held on the twentieth day of the third month of the lunar calendar and lasting for two days. During the festival, a majestic A Lu Wo Luo archway is erected in the center of the dance arena to commemorate the Achang ancestors, the heavenly father "Zhe Pa Ma" and the earth mother "Zhe Mi Ma," who triumphed over the demons that harmed humans, "La Hong." A bow and arrow are placed at the top of the archway, symbolizing that the benevolent heavenly father used it to shoot down the fake sun, "La Hong," which harmed humans. The dragons and white elephants rising straight to the sky in the middle of the archway symbolize auspiciousness. People dress in their finest attire and perform dragon and elephant dances to the sound of the Elephant Foot Drum to celebrate the festival. Competitions such as martial arts, pole climbing, lion dances, horse racing, and dragon dances are also held.Water Splashing Festival (泼水节)
The Dai people in Ruili City celebrate the Water Splashing Festival. The Water Splashing Festival is the grandest traditional ethnic festival of the Dai and De'ang people, and it is also the Dai calendar New Year, held on the seventh day after Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day). During the festival, people go to the Theravada Buddhist temples to chant scriptures, and then take clean water, add flower petals or perfume, and splash water on each other to offer blessings, to wash away the dust of the year and bless relatives and friends with cleanliness, peace, health, and auspiciousness in the new year. On this day, people consider being splashed with the most water as auspicious and joyful. During the festival, people also organize activities such as tossing packets, Ga Yang, releasing Kongming lanterns (sky lanterns), martial arts performances, and dragon boat races.Monao Zongge Festival (目瑙纵歌节)
The Jingpo people in Ruili City celebrate the Monao Zongge Festival. The fifteenth and sixteenth days of the first month of the lunar calendar are the Monao Zongge Festival, the grandest traditional festival of the Jingpo people. Thousands or even tens of thousands of people dance to the same drumbeat, a grand and powerful spectacle, earning it the name "Dance of Paradise" and "Dance of Ten Thousand Revelers." "Monao" is a Jingpo word, and "Zongge" is a direct translation of a Zaiwa word, meaning "everyone comes to dance together."Scenic Spots
Jiegao National Gate (姐告国门)
The Jiegao National Gate is located at the easternmost end of the National Gate Avenue in the Jiegao Border Trade Zone of Ruili City, 17.458 meters west of the center of Border Marker No. 81 on the China-Myanmar border, and 14.959 meters from the closest point to the border line. It covers an area of 4734.36 square meters, with the national gate building covering 629.28 square meters and the national gate plaza covering 4105.08 square meters. The function of the building project is for the entry and exit channels for government, business, and tourist personnel and vehicles. There are 4 motor vehicle lanes for entry and exit, and 8 entry and exit channels for personnel on both sides. The main structure of the national gate building is a four-story frame structure with a construction area of 1688.27 square meters; the national gate is 34.48 meters high, of which the building height is 24.68 meters, and the lightning rod is 9.8 meters high.Ruili Moli Tropical Rainforest Scenic Area (瑞丽莫里热带雨林景区)
The Ruili Moli Tropical Rainforest Scenic Area is located 20 kilometers northeast of Ruili City. Over the years, Moli has been famous for its beautiful natural scenery and Buddhist culture, including natural landscapes such as the Zado River, strange mountains, strange rocks, and waterfalls. The forests here are lush, the air is fresh, and there are dozens of rare plants such as the big-leaved fig and the seven-leaf lotus, as well as animals such as brown bears and peacocks. In addition, there are cultural landscapes such as pagodas and Buddha footprints.Monao Wanding Border Culture Park (畹町边关文化园)
The Wanding Border Culture Park is located at No. 28, National Defense Street, Ruili City, adjacent to Myanmar. It is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, with a construction area of more than 80,000 square meters. It is a comprehensive cultural park that integrates cultural tourism, sightseeing shopping, leisure and entertainment, catering and accommodation, and creative research, reflecting the characteristics of the border. It includes a jade and jadeite street market and processing plant, a jade and jadeite museum, the Chinese Expeditionary Force Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall, the former Wanding branch of the Central Bank of the Republic of China and the International Currency Museum and the Republic of China Inn, the former International Mail Exchange Bureau and the International Stamp Museum, the Antique Car Museum, the Ethnic Ancient Weapons Museum, the Precious Wood Crafts Museum, the China-Myanmar Friendship Memorial Hall, the China-Myanmar Boundary Demarcation Memorial Hall, the China-Myanmar Ethnic Customs Museum, the Memory Hall, ethnic song and dance performances and entertainment and fitness halls, ethnic specialty commodities, and ethnic specialty snack areas. The museum group has more than 40,000 various collections. It reflects the diverse cultures of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's anti-Japanese war, jade and gemstone culture, peaceful diplomacy culture, and ethnic cultures.Ruili Single Tree Becoming a Forest (瑞丽独树成林)
The Ruili Single Tree Becoming a Forest is located on the north side of National Highway 320 in Ruili City, opposite the Single Tree Becoming a Forest Scenic Area. It is a national AA-level tourist attraction, 12 kilometers from Ruili City, with a land area of 21,811 square meters.Tusi Yamen (土司衙门)
The Nandian Tusi Yamen, also known as the Nandian Tusi Office, settled at its current site in the first year of Xianfeng (1851) of the Qing Dynasty. After continuous expansion by three generations of Tusi, it was perfected to its current scale in the twenty-fourth year of the Republic of China (1935). The building area is arranged according to the Han-style Yamen layout, consisting of 4 main courtyards, 10 side courtyards, 47 buildings, and 149 rooms, covering an area of 10,625 square meters and a construction area of 7,780 square meters. It can be described as "layers of courtyards in all directions, building after building and hall within hall". The houses are arranged neatly, with a clear distinction between primary and secondary, with a wooden structure, thick beams and columns, Qinglong roofs, carved beams and painted rafters, especially the fourth hall that uses high-quality materials, with chestnut wood in the main hall, elm wood in the left wing, and catalpa wood in the right wing, taking the meaning of "establishing the spring and autumn". The Tusi mansion is an important physical material for studying the history of ethnic minorities in Yunnan, local history, the Tusi system, and architectural art. The Tusi mansion also preserves some precious historical relics, such as a half-set of ceremonial guards, official uniforms and seals bestowed by the Qing Dynasty, as well as Buddhist scriptures written on palm leaves, historical photos, and daily necessities.Jiele Golden Pagoda (姐勒金塔)
The Jiele Golden Pagoda, called "Guangmu He Mao" in the Dai language, means "the pagoda at the head of the dam." It is located a thousand meters northeast of Ruili City, Yunnan, and is the oldest Buddhist building, place for Buddhist activities, and tourist attraction in Ruili City. The old pagoda was built with mud bricks, with the main pagoda over 10 meters high and surrounded by several small pagodas. Later, successive Tusi presided over the renovation and decoration on its basis. By the Republic of China, the 10-meter-high main pagoda rose straight into the clouds, surrounded by seven small pagodas, which were coated with gold powder, and the top of the main pagoda was covered with gold foil. The pagoda is surrounded by a circle of stone railings, and stone lion statues are placed around it. The ancient trees around the pagoda reach the sky, and everyone who sees it cannot help but admire it. In 1969, the old pagoda was destroyed. In 1981, construction of a new pagoda was restarted, and after several years, the original appearance of the old pagoda was restored on top of it. The new pagoda adopts a brick and earth structure, the main pagoda is over 10 meters higher than the old pagoda, and the surrounding small pagodas are gradually smaller, with the tops of both the main and auxiliary pagodas covered with golden foil canopies. The wind chimes tinkle when the breeze blows. After the Jiele Golden Pagoda was repaired, before the Water Splashing Festival every year, Buddhists hold Buddhist ceremonies here. Buddhist monks and nuns from home and abroad come here to preach and recite Buddha scriptures. The Jiele Golden Pagoda is one of the famous pagodas in Southeast Asia.
