Daidenghan

　　Rui Li’s Daidenghan Rural Park is a national agricultural tourism demonstration site, located 20 kilometers from downtown Rui Li. In the Dai language, “Daidenghan” means “big golden pond” or “big golden lake.” Legend has it that long ago this area was part of the Ruili River channel. Due to slightly higher terrain, a large whirlpool formed here. Later, when the river changed course, it gradually developed into a village.

　　The Dai villagers love to plant fruit trees and flowers around their homes. The village is filled with pomelo trees, fishtail palms, evergreen plants, plum trees, papaya trees... Surrounded by green bamboo, every household is shaded by fruit trees, with creeping vines covering fences and flowers blooming everywhere. The stilted bamboo houses of the Dai people form a beautiful natural picture scroll, earning it the reputation of a “rural natural park.”

　　Daidenghan is home to a Buddhist temple built during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty — the Daidenghan Monastery. Legend says that when the Buddha passed through this place while spreading Buddhist scriptures, he stayed overnight, and followers built the temple in his memory. The monastery is a typical example of Dai-style architecture, featuring a three-story hip-and-gable roof with double eaves, flanked by two double-eaved pavilions. The interconnecting columns and railings link to the pavilions, making it look like an ancient Dai palace. Several films and TV dramas, including Princess Phoenix, Menglongsha, and The Number One Sword Under Heaven, were shot here. The Dai royal palace in the movie Princess Phoenix was modeled after this monastery, which later came to be known as the “Palace of the Phoenix King.”