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Ruili is in the Dehong Dai Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern Yunnan Province on the east bank of the golden Ruili River. It is the birthplace of the Dai ethnic group. Ruili is called "the foggy town", as the city is covered in the wintertime by a thick fog until afternoon.
The area is covered by a subtropical rain forest with large Banyan trees. Buddhist temples are everywhere in the city. The most famous temple is Jiele Golden Temple composed of 17 ring shaped towers. While in Ruili you might also consider a visit to Jiegao Village 2.4 miles away on the southeastern bank of the Ruili River, right at the border.
Ruili borders Burma on three sides and that of course is where the real story begins. Over the last decade Ruili has become a fast growing, rough-and tumble boomtown attracting Chinese adventurers and tourists alike, truly China’s Wild West if there ever was one. In the city itself, the streets are wide and lined with palm trees. Malls proliferate and overall things are very clean. In addition to its 110,000 inhabitants, Bangladeshis, Nepalese and Pakistanis can be found lurking everywhere. There is a strong Burmese influence in Ruili. The Burmese are a sizeable minority and with their darker complexions, sarongs, and Buddhist monk attire they clearly stand out.
You will find a very active jade and gem market located here because of the proximity to Burma. Ruili has no industry development, cultural relics or international ports. Its attractions are of a completely different nature and tend to become more obvious as evening descends. Another words, they have a very active nightlife. The sounds of karaoke bars, casino dealers and faux beauty salons fill the streets. There are also night markets, food stalls, juice bars, carnival games and neon lights everywhere. In Ruili, the banks stay open until 10 PM, the hotel pool until 2 AM cafés and discos until 4:00 AM and Beauty salons close at sunrise. A mini Bangkok? Not quite but as the saying goes: "The sky is high, and the emperor is far away".
Ruili is 520 miles from Kunming. Though you can catch an overnight bus from Kunming. Many people avoid that 15-hour trip and fly into Dehong Mangshi Airport (LUM) and then transfer to Ruili by bus. Once in Ruili trips into Burma can be easily arranged. Ruili's rainy season begins July and ends in October.
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