“Growing up, our village was nothing but dirt roads. When it rained, everything would flood, and we could even catch fish,” recalls Mei Liang, a young Dai ethnic man, as he looks at the neat concrete roads, solar street lights, and the charming houses decorated with flowers and vines.
At 27 years old, Mei Liang lives in Yinjing Village, located in the city of Ruili in Yunnan Province’s Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. This village, nestled along the China-Myanmar border, shares a close connection with Myanmar’s Monywa District, especially with Mengxiu Village. Historically, cultural and familial ties have flourished between the two villages, where intermarriage and heritage link many families across the border. The unique geographic location has cultivated a rich cultural landscape where “one village spans two countries” and “one well serves two nations.”
In the past, village life revolved around farming by day and working outside the village by night. Mei Liang reminisces about his childhood in a low-roofed straw house, where his father worked far from home to support the family during the farming seasons.
In 2005, Ruili Tourism Group launched a development initiative in Yinjing Village under a “company + village + farmer” model. Attractions such as a dragon fruit orchard, the Moonlight Lotus Pond, the China-Myanmar Lovers’ Pathway, and a miniature replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon were introduced, transforming the area into a vibrant cultural site. This “One Country, Two Villages” destination showcases the ethnic cultures of China and Myanmar, drawing in countless tourists.
“The daily visitor count at the site has reached about 3,000, and as tourism has flourished, our villagers have found new income streams,” says Wang Xia, general manager of Ruili Tourism Group. Over the past decade, the company has employed nearly a thousand artists and craftsmen from Yinjing and Mengxiu Villages for area development and has provided opportunities for over 100 local villagers to work in various roles, including management, guiding, performing, security, and housekeeping. Additionally, more than 20 local families have opened guesthouses, small restaurants, and roadside food stalls.
One of those entrepreneurs is 39-year-old Wang Mi, who runs a thriving guesthouse with her husband. In 2008, her parents tapped into the tourism trend by starting a restaurant specializing in local Dai and Myanmar cuisine, offering dishes like lemongrass spare ribs, spicy salad, and spring rolls. Over the years, their establishment has transformed from a modest single-story structure into a three-story Dai-style villa built from concrete and bricks. “We’ve had guests from both nearby areas and other provinces, sometimes serving up to a hundred diners in a day,” Wang Mi shares proudly.
Today, Yinjing Village boasts more than 10 well-paved roads totaling nearly 4,000 meters, along with over 200 solar streetlights. Every household now has access to clean running water, and a newly constructed drainage system effectively manages the village’s wastewater.
“I live in a spacious and bright Dai-style villa now, and every day after meals, my father takes my son to the Ethnic Unity Square to walk and dance, enjoying precious family time,” Mei Liang adds. Working as a salesperson in the Yinjing cooperative, his monthly salary of 2,500 yuan brings him joy and hope for the future.
“This village is one of the happiest border tourism villages in China,” states Luo Yuan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee in Jiexiang Town, Ruili City. He notes that the average annual net income per person has skyrocketed from less than 5,000 yuan to over 15,000 yuan within a decade. “In the future, we will focus on Yinjing’s unique features and continue to deepen the construction of a modern, happy border village.”
“In addition to enhancing agricultural tourism and developing specialty agricultural products, Yinjing Village should leverage Ruili’s border advantages. With thorough planning, we are preparing for the development of Sino-Myanmar border trade tourism,” said Xiong Yunbiao, dean and professor at the College of Economics and Management at Yunnan Minzu University, who recently participated in a research initiative in Yinjing Village.
