MENGHAI is western Xishuangbanna's principal town, centrally placed on the highland plains 55km from Jinghong. The usual grubby assemblage of kilometre-long high street and back lanes, Menghai was once a Hani (Aini) settlement until, as elsewhere, they were defeated in battle by the Dai and withdrew into the surrounding hills. They remain there today as Xishuangbanna's second largest ethnic group and long-time cultivators of Xishuangbanna's pu'er tea , the red, slightly musty brew esteemed from Hong Kong to Tibet for its fat-reducing and generally invigorating properties. There's a nice village temple about 2km east off the Jinghong road, and a tea-processing factory in Menghai (Jinghong's CITS can arrange a tour), but otherwise the town is little more than a stop on the way towards outlying Dai and Hani settlements.

 

The bus station is at the eastern end of town along with a mosque and Muslim canteens, while the bank , post office and attached hotel (¥100-150), and the basic Banna Hotel (beds up to ¥30, doubles ¥30-75), are grouped around the central crossroads. The minibus depot for western destinations is on the far outskirts.