Unique Animals of Xishuangbanna

When talking about Xishuangbanna, peacocks and elephants immediately come to mind. Together they are known as the "two sacred animals". Among the Dai people, the tradition of five sacred trees, six holy flowers and two revered animals stands for holiness and purity, and locals love to grow and raise them.

To the Dai people, elephants symbolize royal power and are regarded as the most intelligent creatures on land. Amazingly, the hippocampus, the brain region regulating emotions, accounts for over 50% more of an elephant’s brain volume than that of humans. This means elephants have more delicate emotions than people. Therefore, when you visit this land of elephants, interacting with them is an unmissable experience.

As a popular tourist destination, Xishuangbanna offers abundant chances to get close to elephants. There are far more fun activities than just elephant riding: you can bathe elephants, take walks with them in the rainforest, pose for photos, and feed baby elephants soybean milk. Spend time with elephant families and truly feel their gentleness and affection.

The lovely artistic image of peacocks can be seen everywhere: on decorations of Dai houses, traditional Dai brocades, people’s handbags, young women’s sarongs, murals in Buddhist temples, urban sculptures, and even on the aircraft of Yunnan Airlines. There are also numerous folk legends about peacocks.

Inspired by the graceful posture of displaying tail feathers, the Dai people created the elegant and fluid Peacock Dance. The worship of peacocks has deeply integrated into every aspect of local life.

In the hearts of Xishuangbanna people, elephants represent majesty, grandeur and strength, while peacocks stand for good fortune, happiness, beauty and kindness. Traditionally, elephants symbolize a bumper grain harvest, and peacocks embody blessings and good luck.

In a sense, the combined traits of elephants and peacocks reflect the character of local people, especially the Dai ethnic group: gentle, kind, hardworking and brave, with firmness hidden in softness and tenderness within resolve.