A few days ago, I wrote an article on Xishuangbanna on Baijia. Some readers commented below: Xishuangbanna no longer has the concept of tropical rainforest and has long been replaced by rubber forests.

When I saw this comment, I had an inexplicable emotion. Xishuangbanna's signature is tropical rainforest. If there were really no tropical rainforest, would people still go to Banna for a vacation? After all, many people go to Banna for the tropical rainforest.

To this end, I consulted a lot of information about the Banna rubber forest and found that the planting of the Banna rubber forest originated from the extremely high application value of rubber. It was successfully planted in Banna decades ago. Since the 1990s, international rubber prices have skyrocketed. Rising, local people not only abandoned the fields to change rubber, but also cut down the reserved forest to make room for rubber growing.

Indeed, the rubber planting area partially occupies the tropical rainforest, and the planting of a large number of rubber forests has also led to drought in Banna, because the rubber forest not only has no water storage function, but requires a lot of water absorption. A rubber tree is equivalent to a small water pump, causing great damage to the tropical rainforest ecosystem.

Compared with the most primitive tropical rainforest, the current Banna rainforest is definitely not as good as before. Are all the tropical rainforests we see when traveling to Banna now fake?

Of course not. In recent years, due to my business relationship, I have frequently visited Banna, and have been to almost all scenic spots, large and small. Regarding tropical rainforests, there are three places in Banna that have real tropical rainforests, and some are virgin forests, such as virgin forest park and wild elephant valley. The scenery in places such as the virgin forest park and wild elephant valley are good and have a bit of a tropical rainforest. You can see peacocks and monkeys in the virgin forest park. Wild elephant valley is the only place in Asia where wild elephants are seen. The trees inside are very dense and lush. Full of mystery.

According to official data, the most authentic tropical rainforest is the Wangtianshu Scenic Area. This place is a forest of trees and has a canopy corridor. We can walk in the trees and enjoy the real scenery of the tropical rainforest. But I personally feel that this place is very bland except for the fresh and exciting canopy corridor. On the contrary, it was the Tropical Rainforest Valley that left an indelible impression on me.

Walking into the Rainforest Valley really feels like adventure. When I watched the "savage" defending their territory in the jungle in the blockbuster movies, I was always full of yearning and curiosity about this kind of place. There are Kemu people in the Rainforest Valley. They are very primitive. They sleep in trees. If you don't know, you will be scared. This place also has air corridors, which is more exciting and thrilling than the Wangtian Tree.

The last tropical rainforest area is in the Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, only about 5 kilometers away from the Rainforest Valley. The park is divided into 7 districts, one of which is the tropical rainforest area. I personally like this botanical garden the most. Not only the tropical rainforest area, but also the entire Banna scenic spots, I will rank this botanical garden at the top of the list.

Because this place is so cozy, it's hard to describe the feeling in words. Anyway, it's just cool, everywhere. I usually live nearby. Because of the good air, I have stayed in Xishuangbanna Yunmeiting Inn many times. It is typical of the Dai style and is full of tropical rainforest style. The rooms are all built of bamboo and full of natural and original vitality. Open the window, the mountains are as bright as Dai, and the water is close to the smoke. It is very nice. Sometimes when I return to the inn after having a full meal from the Xingguang Night Market, the landlady will make us a pot of authentic Pu 'er with her parents. It is very warm and considerate, and I love it. Friends who go to Banna can try it.

There are opinions on whether Banna is worth traveling again. My opinion is that the soul of the Banna rainforest will not disappear. No matter when you go, it will make you hear a moving and beautiful song of Xishuangbanna, perhaps originated from the Rainforest Valley, maybe the Botanical Garden, maybe the Primeval Forest Park, maybe the Wild Elephant Valley, maybe the Manting Park, maybe the Keno Village, or the Bonfire Party on the Mekong River...