Rocking Grandma Sees the World - Border Trip, Walking on the Border Trail
Southwest Yunnan Trip Part 13
At 16:00 on December 10, 2024, we took a passenger bus and left Lushi Ancient Town, soon entering the Lancang River Provincial Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province.
In less than half an hour, the bus stopped on a mountain at an altitude of 2,505 meters. The driver, a local who has been driving on this road for over ten years, pointed to the surrounding mountains and said they are all primeval forests where not a single blade of grass or tree can be disturbed.
The mountain road was bumpy, and after 25 minutes we stopped at Yongxin Village.
At 17:00, we stopped near a bridge over the Lancang River.
We returned to the section of Mazhuang where roadwork was done in the morning. Villagers took turns sending us to the highway by private cars. At 18:25, we finally got back on the tour bus heading to Mengding.
We had dinner at Yangtouyan Service Area, already past 20:30. The rich broth of ham papaya chicken, refreshing kimchi, vegetables, tiger skin chili peppers... For several days, Tour Guide Yang has arranged group meals very carefully. These authentic dishes with village characteristics made our taste buds truly satisfied.
At 23:30, passing through the Junsai Border Checkpoint, everyone’s ID cards were collected and verified by card swipe. This is also a feature of border tourism. When we arrived at Mengding Town, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, Lincang City, it was already past midnight on the 11th.
We walked more than 20,000 steps in one day, and no one complained about the fatigue. Instead, we joked with the hotel front desk that since we only checked in today, they should waive yesterday’s accommodation fee. Hanshen Garden Hotel has a swimming pool, but it was too late to use it.
Mengding means "Piano Dam" in the Dai language. This ethnic minority area, mainly inhabited by the Dai people, borders Myanmar. The border line is 47.35 kilometers long and includes 22 ethnic groups such as the Wa, Jingpo, De'ang, and Hui.
Although Mengding is just a town under Gengma County, it is a national first-class land trade port. The morning in Mengding is full of lively local life.
At 9:00, we took a car to the Great Buddha Temple in downtown Mengding. At the temple gate stood two stone statues. Tour Guide Yang introduced them as "Gadong," which some might mistakenly call Pixiu.
The Theravada Buddhism popular in Southeast Asia is also called the Hinayana Buddhism. The monks at the Great Buddha Temple warmly guided us on a tour. They said the two large Bodhi trees in the courtyard are over 500 years old, originally brought from Sri Lanka and have since propagated.
The monk, born in 1965, has been to Sri Lanka 15 times, which is the holy land of Theravada Buddhism. The tree he personally brought from Sri Lanka has been growing in the courtyard for over 10 years.
We visited the main hall. The monk said the Buddha statue depicts Shakyamuni as a prince. Inside the statue is a relic of Shakyamuni, also brought from Sri Lanka.
The reclining Buddha in the temple is draped in a kasaya robe. The monk said there used to be kasayas before, but they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The temple courtyard is spacious, with tall and sturdy Bodhi and coconut trees, and also houses peacocks and other animals.
The sculpted elephant was painted with pink nail polish.
After leaving the Great Buddha Temple, we went to the Yunnan-Burma Railway Ruins Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for fire safety renovations. The museum records a heroic and moving history.
In the 1940s, to build an international corridor supporting China’s war against Japan, the Yunnan-Burma Railway construction started in August 1939. The line extended southwest from Kunming, passing through Anning, Chuxiong, Midu, Nanjian, Yunxian, Lincang, Gengma, and finally crossed the China-Myanmar border at Mengding Town, connecting to Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.
This 886-kilometer railway within Yunnan took three years to complete the roadbed by April 1942. Just as track laying was about to begin, the railway was destroyed due to the war.
At 10:30, we arrived at Mangtuan Village, 16 kilometers from Mengding Town, to visit a handmade paper workshop. Mangtuan papermaking, listed as one of the first national intangible cultural heritages, has a history of 600 years and was once exclusively produced for local chieftains.
The papermaking raw material is the bark of the Broussonetia tree. The production process involves 5 steps and 11 procedures. The craft is passed down only to women, not men.
The handmade white cotton paper is soft, smooth, long-lasting without yellowing, and resistant to decay and insects. It is used by scholars for writing and painting, by locals for paper cutting and embroidery, and even by banks to bundle RMB notes. Art-loving group members specially bought painting paper.
Female workers were making wallpaper, which reportedly sells well, but the best-selling product is tea packaging bags.
Leaving the village, we went to the Qingshui River Port in Mengding.
The grand port building is magnificent but not in operation. After a quick look around, we drove to the old port.
The drive took only 5 minutes. We got off but were not allowed to approach the port or take photos, only to view it from the road.
Tour Guide Yang took a unique route and led us to Qingshuihe Village. This border village was extremely quiet. We walked on the trail on Little Red Hill behind the village committee to see the boundary river and boundary bridge.
The 550-meter-long border defense trail is built in a national defense forest. The trees are dense, with leaves forming a canopy. Sunlight filters through the branches, and the breeze shakes the leaves, creating dancing spots of light filled with romantic atmosphere.
After about 10 minutes, a watchtower stood before us. From the tower, we could see the boundary bridge spanning the Qingshui River.
Locals call the Qingshui River by its common name, but its official name is Nanpa River. It is 2,300 meters long, with an average width of about 4.5 meters and an average depth of about 1.5 meters. The upper half of the river is within China. China and Myanmar use the lower half of the river as the boundary, and both countries name places after "Qingshui River."
Leaving Mengding by car, we had to pass a border inspection station. We heard that inspections for small cars are strict to prevent smuggling.
Lunch was at a Dai-flavored restaurant, with delicious dishes like bean powder pineapple rice and pea jelly.
Along the road to Lancang County, flowers bloomed brightly. Tour Guide Yang said Yunnan has flowers blooming all year round, and bougainvillea can bloom year-round.
Ending today’s border trip, we arrived at a hotel in Lancang County at 22:15.