Overview
Situated in the southwest of Yunnan, Ruili bores on Burma in the west.
Historically, Ruili was called 'Mengmao', meaning 'the misty place'. The seasons
here are divided into dry season and rainy season. It is cool and misty in dry
season, while stuffy in rainy season. The subtropical climate here makes Ruili a
kingdom of plants and animals.
As an interior border port, Ruili is the gateway connecting China with the
South Asian and Southeast Asian nations.
The main tourist zones in Ruili include the Terrestrial Heat Volcano in
Tengchong, which covers an area of 130 square km, the Folding Waterfall, the
River Ruili-River Daying Tourist Zone, with Burma Temple, Karst physiognomy, and
original zoology community.
Attractions
Nongan Golden Duck Temple
A short ride to the south-west of town , the Golden Duck Temple is an
attractive stupa in a courtyard . It is said to have been established to mark
the arrival of a pair of golden ducks that brought good fortune to what was
previously an uninhabited marshy area .
Jiegao Border Check point
Continue straight ahead from the Golden Duck Temple , cross the Myanmar
bridge over the Ruili River and you will come to Jiegao , a little thumb of land
jutting into Myanmar that serves as the main checkpoint for a steady stream of
cross-border traffic . There's not a lot to see . But you can still marvel at
how laid back everything seems on both sides of the quite literally-bamboo
curtain and other sordid dens of iniquity line the streets of both sides of the
border , and in one case apparently right on the border.
Nongdao
Around 29km south-west of Ruili , the small town of Nongdao is worth an
0vernight trip . The locals (mainly Burmese and Dai ) don't get all that many
foreign visitors and are a friendly lot , there's a solitary hotel in town . It
would be possible to cycle here , stopping off at some of the temple sights
along the way.
Jiele Golden Pagoda
A few kilometers to the east of Ruili on the road to Wanding is the Jiele
Golden Pagoda , a fine structure that dates back 200 years.