Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture was established on January 23rd, 1953. It covers total land areas of 19,125 sq km with just over one million people, in which the fixed population is about 889,000. Xishuangbanna governs one city and two counties (Jinghong city, Menghai and Mengla County). There are 10 state farms and 6 central or provincial units of scientific research. Xishuangbanna is National Scenic spot, National Ecological Demonstrative model, and the member of UN Biological Diversity Protection Association. Xishuangbanna has a reputation for beautiful “tropical-rain forest, harmonious home, winter resort, mysterious folk costumes”. It is a good place both for Dai people in southeast Asia to find their root, for Northern people to spend their winter, and for domestic and foreign tourists to return to nature, enjoy natural Oxygenous bar and healthy life.
The agricultural average in the prefecture is 1.55 million mu, national natural reserves 4.02million mu, percentage of forest cover 78.3%. Xishuangbanna accounts for one fifth of biological species in the whole of China. The tropical rain forest is the very unique in the country. 13 ethnic groups have resided here for centuries, the population accounting for 77.3% of the total population, among which the population of Dai is 314,800, accounting for 34% of the total. Jinuo minority is the last minority that is acknowledged by the State Council with its population of 22,400. Xishuangbanna borders Myanmar and Laos, near to Thailand with 966 km border line. It has four national ports. The lancang-Mekong river which links six countries and Kunming-Bangkok highway run through our prefecture.
The prefecture's GDP in 2009 amount to13.86 billion yuan, the local revenue was 860 million yuan, the disposable income of urban residents was 12,225 yuan, and the rural per-capita net income was 3,750 yuan. It received 7.32 million domestic and overseas tourists, realizing total revenue 5.03 billion yuan.
The goals of Xishuangbanna are: strive to realize General Secretary Hu Jintao’s earnest hope which is to build a richer, more democratic, more civilized, and harmonious socialistic Xishuangbanna. For the 11th five year plan, “the basic economic performance by science and technology, promote the development by reform and opening-up, make a all-round consideration to seek the coordination, work as one to construct the harmony” and its main strategies are: “education flourishes the prefecture, opening enliven the prefecture, ecology enriches the prefecture, tourism strengthens the prefecture, rules the prefecture by law.”
