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Xishuangbanna: Understanding

biodiversity at the Tropical Botanical

Garden

西双版纳：在热带植物园 了解生物多样性

“After nightfall, it’s time for human beings to rest. When we turn off the lights,
however, you’ll see that many amazing plants and animals are still active...” Following
a commentator, a group of teachers and students entered the Xishuangbanna Tropical
Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the darkness, they experienced the
unique charm of tropical biodiversity by watching, listening, smelling, and feeling.
This is a botanical garden integrating scientific research, species preservation and
dissemination of popular science as well as a world-famous scenic spot. Many study tours
for parents and their children start here. As early as in the 1980s, the botanical garden took the
lead to introduce study tours on the basis of scientific studies. Decades on, it has developed a
unique tourism model featuring beautiful tropical garden landscapes, amazing rainforest sights,
and splendid ethnic forest culture, enabling parents and children to learn knowledge about
wildlife in entertaining ways.
Today, apart from a night tour of the botanical garden, tourists can also go through the
rainforest and participate in many other fantastic programs. For example, children can even
ride on a royal water lily to explore nature. The experience will help them better understand the
meaning of life.

Tengchong: Trying your hand at intangible

cultural heritage skills

腾冲：文化研学 体验非遗技艺

Yunnan’s Tengchong City is famous for its three treasures, namely rice paper, herbal medicine, and
rattan articles. The Tengchong rice paper, hand-made from paper mulberry barks in the traditional method,
is ideal for Chinese calligraphy and painting. Today, in Jietou Township, Tengchong City, this method of
making rice paper is still in practice.
In Xinzhuang Village, which is an hour’s ride from downtown Tengchong, many paper workshops are
carrying forward the local papermaking tradition. Tengchong rice paper has a history of nearly 600 years.
Today, the paper workshops here are still making rice paper and food wrapping paper. To enrich the application
scenarios of Tengchong paper and better preserve the ancient method of papermaking, they have also developed
new products such as paper fans, lampshades, and notebooks. In addition, cultural studies have been conducted
into the ancient papermaking method.
From peeling the barks to formatting the paper, the ancient method of papermaking involves more than 40
procedures, and it takes 18 days to make a batch of paper. Children on their study tours here can not only learn the
ancient method of papermaking and understand the intangible cultural heritage culture, but they can also sample
local delicacies and enjoy the uniquely beautiful frontier scenery.
Currently, the traditional paper workshops in Tengchong are striving to build a small and medium-sized
tourism industry chain integrating cultural creation, catering, and sightseeing, with the ancient papermaking culture
experience as the core.

Yunnan Observatory: Probing into

the mystery of the universe

云南天文台：探索宇宙秘密

“Sir, what is that umbrella-like thing?” a student asked. “That’s a radio telescope, which can receive data from the
Chang’e satellite,” was the reply. Recently, the Yunnan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences received many
study tour groups.
China has the world’s earliest star atlas, oldest observatory, and most complete astronomical records. Even today, human
beings have never ceased to explore the universe. According to Shi Xingze, deputy secretary general of Amateur Astronomers’
Association of Yunnan, astronomy in general is a comprehensive discipline that requires knowledge of physics, optics,
computers, and other disciplines, so it can greatly improve children’s scientific literacy and logical thinking.
As one of the five astronomical observatories subordinate to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan Observatory is the
largest astronomical observation base in southern China. It was recognized as a science popularization base in Yunnan Province in
1997, and its science popularization facilities include a science popularization building, a 35cm telescope-equipped astronomical
observation room, a planetarium, an astronomical images exhibition hall, a Chinese ancient astronomy exhibition hall, an ethnic
astronomy exhibition hall, a lecture hall, a solar calendar square, and a sundial square.
In the planetarium, kids on study tours can follow the staff’s instructions to watch closely the main constellations in the sky of
different seasons through the dome star theater, which enables them to understand the Ursa Major, the Ursa Minor, the Sirius, and
other celestial bodies. In the Wentian Building, they can also learn knowledge about the galaxies, universe, time, and calendars.