World › China
Holy Hills of the Dai (Nong)
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan
China
Active (some lost to rubber plantations)
Regional cluster
- Location
- Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan
- Coordinates
- ~21.9°N 100.8°E
- Elevation
- Hill slopes (~500–1500 m)
- Size
- Hundreds of groves (varies)
- Age / Founded
- Ancient (pre-Buddhist; later Theravada-blended)
- Status
- Active (some lost to rubber plantations)
- Deity & Religion
- Gods & ancestral spirits; Dai animism + Theravada Buddhism
- Community & Guardians
- Dai and Bulang peoples
- Vernacular name
- Nong (Holy Hill)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Residence of gods/ancestors; no hunting/gathering/cutting; temple botanical plantings
Plant species
Tropical rainforest; high endemism (Xishuangbanna holds ~20% of China's species)
Biome & fauna
Tropical seasonal rainforest (UNESCO MAB reserve)
Threats & protection
UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve; threatened by rubber-tree conversion
Source
Sacred Natural Sites — 'The Holy Hills of the Dai, Yunnan' (sacrednaturalsites.org)