Ruili, Yunnan

Chinese Name: 瑞丽 (ruì lì)
Population: 208,550
Area: 944.75 square kilometers (364.77 square miles)
Location: in the south of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, southwest China
Area Code: 0535
Zip Code: 265600
GDP (2018): CNY 11 billion (USD 1.7 billion)
Nationalities: Dai, Deang, Lisu, Achang, Han

Located in the west of Yunnan Province, Ruili is subordinate to Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture with Dai and Jingpo Nationalities as the main ethnic groups. It is a land port city which is the closest to the South Indian Ocean in China. At present, Ruili's total import and export trade accounts for more than 60% of Yunnan's trade with Myanmar and about 30% of China's trade with Myanmar. Ruili Yunnan has a unique resource advantage in the development of gem and mahogany industries as it is adjacent to the north of Myanmar, the world's main emerald producing area. Hence it is known as the Oriental Jewelry City and serves as a gem and jewelry industry in China.

 Jiegao Port
Jiegao Port is a national border trade port, and one of the busiest business areas between China and Myanmar. There are three magnificent buildings standing along the border line. The center one is the main national gate, the right is the cargo passage, and the left is the personnel passage. Visitors can buy jewelry at the duty-free shop next to the main country gate.

Moli Rainforestation Nature Park
The main landscape of the park mainly features the tropical rain forests vegetation and a spectacular waterfall. At the end of the gorge, you can see a waterfall dropping down from a cliff more than 60 meters (197 feet) high. There is a hot spring in the valley. It's said that this was the bathing pool built by the wild elephant for the Buddha. Besides, there is a Buddha footprint painted with gold powder, famous in the Buddhist community in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

 Jiele Golden Pagoda
Built in the 17th century, the Jiele Golden Pagoda is composed of a main pagoda with 16 small ones. The main pagoda is 39.5 meters (129.6 feet) high and cone-shaped with the body built of the golden tiles. The other cone-shaped pagodas are painted with gold powder. There are wind bells at the top of each pagoda. This pagoda is one of the most famous pagodas in Southeast Asia. What’ more, a 3-day long Buddha fair will be held during the annual Water-sprinkling Festival from April 12th to 15th every year.

 Shopping at the Ruili Border Trade Street
Located in the northwest of Ruili Yunnan, Ruili Border Trade Street is the largest and most lively border market in Yunnan Province. Visitors are able to buy a wide range of goods such as wood carvings, leather, textile and handicrafts with local Dai characteristics and jades. It is better for tourists to purchase jade products carefully to avoid being cheated. Tourists can also taste the Chinese and Burmese specialties here.

 Traveling to Myanmar
If people who visit Ruili want to travel to Myanmar by the way, they need to apply for a visa in advance.

The best time to visit Ruili Yunnan is from October to April when it is the dry season of Ruili. The climate of Ruili is divided into the dry season and wet season. In summer from June to August, the weather is wet but not very hot with an average temperature of 26℃ (79℉). The weather gets cooler and dry as Ruili Yunnan enters autumn time, from September to November. There is no extremely cold weather during the winter time of Ruili, from December to February with the lowest temperature of 4℃ (39℉). It is also very dry in winter. In spring, the climate is warm and pleasant.

Ruili is 728 km (450 mi) away from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Visitors can take a flight to Dehong Mangshi Airport which has opened domestic flights to 13 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming. It is 94 km (58 mi) away from Ruili and takes about 2 hours to get there by a coach. Or one can take a bullet train to Kunming South Railway Station and then take a coach to reach Ruling, taking about 10 hours.

Buses and taxis are major transportation mean in Ruili Yunnan. It charges CNY6 for the first 3 km of Ruili taxi and CNY1.7/km for the next distance. It takes CNY 6-10 to the New Ruili Bus Station from the downtown area.

The best Ruili foods to try include Niusapie (Roasted Tripe with Sapie Sauce), Paoluda, Roast Suckling Pig, and Deep-fried Bee Pupa.

Niusapie (Roasted Tripe with Sapie Sauce)
The special feature of the Sapie Sauce is that it is moderately spicy, delicious and cool. The method of cooking the Sapie Sauce: mix the beef paste with boiled juice of a specific part of the intestines of the yellow beef, leek and spices such as Xiangliu, salt, chili powder and monosodium glutamate. People just need to drip the tripe in the Sapie Sauce when they enjoy this dish.

Paoluda
Paoluda is a kind of local special dessert. It is made of tapioca pudding, condensed milk, rusk, fresh coconut, ice and water. The rusk tastes crisp while the drink has a thick milky flavor.