China's tropical resort,the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna in the southwest province of Yunnan, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding Sunday.
50th Anniversary of the Founding of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture
China's tropical resort,the Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna in the southwest province of Yunnan, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding Sunday.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the State Council, the Chinese top governing body, sent telegrams of congratulation to the people of the 13 ethnic groups living there, of which the majority Dai people account for 34 percent of the 990,000 population of the region.
Xishuangbanna is reputed as a prosperous and united "border pearl" in southwest China where it neighbors Laos and Myanmar. Itscolorful culture of Chinese minorities and jungle scenery have made it a favorite tourist destination for both domestic and foreign guests. In 2002 alone the region attracted 2.5 million tourists from home and abroad.
Xishuangbanna boasts the world's best and largest reserve of tropical forests along the Tropic of Cancer. Although its territory is only 0.2 percent of China's total, it preserves one fifth of the plant species and one fourth of the animal species ofall of China.
Covering 20,000 square km and accounting for 966 km of China's border, Xishuangbanna is an important gateway for the province to southeast Asia, with the international waterway Lancang River (also called the Mekong River in southeast Asia) connecting the province with neighboring foreign countries.
Yunnan's first minority autonomous prefecture, Xishuangbanna's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 5.2 billion yuan (634 million US dollars) in 2002, which was 298 times of that in 1952.