Over 300,000 members of the Dai ethnic group live in the area near the border with Myanmar and Laos, in the deep south of Yunnan Province. It is also home to many unique species of animals and plants.
Near the airport lies the Dai Nationality Village with 179 Dai households. The region celebrates numerous Dai festivals, notably the Water Splashing Festival in mid-April, where people splash water on each other. The octagonal Manfeilong Pagoda group, a Buddhist landmark, adorns many Chinese calendars.
