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Yunnan's Southernmost region
 The
Dai story-tellers of Xishuangbanna tell of times almost forgotten
by man. Of how a mighty ocean receded to reveal this land
of plenty, and how it had been lost in a great war with the
demons. Darkness spread across the once bountiful land and
the birds and insects ceased to sing. After many years of
privations and misery, one brave soul rallied his people and
challenged the demon rule. A terrible and bloody battle ensued,
until eventually all the demons fled and their king plunged
into the Mekong to try to escape the wrath of the human hero.
The brave young man did not fear the watery
abyss and followed after the Demon King to continue their
fight beneath the waves. It raged for seven days, but by its
end the Demon King was dead and the young hero surfaced with
a pearl he had torn from his enemies throat. He hung the radiant
jewel from the highest branch of a tree, and its light returned
the land to its former beauty. It was around this tree that
the people built their new city that was - and is today -
known as Jinghong, the City of Dawn.
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