春色满园关不住，一枝红杏出墙来。Chūnsè mǎn yuán guān bú zhù, yī zhī hóngxìng chū qiáng lái – Spring colour fills the garden and cannot be shut in; a red apricot branch leans out past the wall.
曼听公园 Màntīng Gōngyuán Manting Park – also written 曼听御花园 Màntīng Yùhuāyuán Manting Imperial Garden – is the old 傣王 Dǎiwáng Dai royal garden in 景洪 Jǐnghóng Jinghong, a greensward of lawns, lotus ponds and 缅寺 Miǎnsì Burmese-style temple pavilions that served the local 召片领 Zhàopiànlǐng prince (the Dai ruler) for roughly 1,300 years before it opened to the public. It sits just southeast of the old town, beside the 澜沧江 Láncāng Jiāng Lancang and within walking distance of 告庄西双景 Gàozhuāng Xīshuāngjǐng Xishuangjing, and its draw is gentler than the big nature sites: a stroll garden where a 白塔 báitǎ white stupa, a 八角亭 bājiǎotíng octagonal pavilion and a small 孔雀园 kǒngquèyuán peacock garden sit among banyan and 贝叶 bèiyè palm, the same 贝叶经 bèiyèjīng palm-leaf scripture tree of Dai Buddhism.
The honest plan is to pair it with the neighbouring 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì (the Great Buddha Temple, the supreme monastery of Xishuangbanna, whose gates connect into the park’s south side), so one ticket walk covers both the royal garden and the region’s holiest temple. A paid 傣舞 Dǎiwǔ Dai dance-and-song evening show with a 放灯 fàngdēng floating-lantern finale runs on the park grounds on most nights worth confirming the season and schedule, and the 孔雀 kǒngquè peacocks are paraded or released at set times – check the board at the gate. It is compact and flat, an easy half-day, and a good first or last stop in 景洪 Jǐnghóng to absorb Dai court-and-temple aesthetics without leaving the city.
Tickets and timing are simple. The gate is quoted around 40 yuan, with the evening show a separate paid ticket of roughly 100-200 yuan worth confirming both prices and whether the 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì entry is included or free worth confirming. Reach it on foot from the old town, by city bus, or by DiDi; it opens early and the best light for the white stupa and lotus is morning, before coach groups arrive. Come in the dry season (November to April) for comfortable walking, or time a visit to the 泼水节 Pōshuǐ Jié period when the park joins the citywide celebration. Allow two to three hours for garden plus temple, or an evening if you take in the lantern show – and remember the 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì interior is a working monastery, so cover shoulders and skip flash photography.
Practicalities
- Rating: A historic Dai royal garden in Jinghong, now a public park; commonly listed as a national 4A scenic area worth confirming the current grade. Adjoins the 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì supreme monastery.
- Tickets: Gate about 40 yuan; evening Dai dance-and-lantern show roughly 100-200 yuan separate worth confirming both; 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì entry may be included or free worth confirming.
- Address: 景洪市曼听路 Jǐnghóng Shì Màntīng Lù, southeast of the old town beside the Lancang; walkable from the old town, or bus / DiDi.
- Time needed: 2-3 hours for the garden and the adjoining 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì; an evening if you add the paid lantern show.
Words and Names
曼听公园 Màntīng Gōngyuán Manting Park · the former Dai royal garden in Jinghong, ~1,300 years old 曼听御花园 Màntīng Yùhuāyuán Manting Imperial Garden · the formal name for the same royal garden 傣王 Dǎiwáng Dai king · the local prince who kept the garden 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì Great Buddha Temple · the supreme Dai monastery adjoining the park’s south side 召片领 Zhàopiànlǐng prince · the traditional Dai ruler of Xishuangbanna 缅寺 Miǎnsì Burmese temple · the temple-pavilion style seen in the garden 白塔 báitǎ white stupa · the gilded-white pagoda among the lawns 贝叶 bèiyè palm leaf · the fan palm whose leaves carry Dai Buddhist scripture 贝叶经 bèiyèjīng palm-leaf scripture · the written canon of Dai Buddhism 孔雀 kǒngquè peacock · the birds paraded in the park’s peacock garden 泼水节 Pōshuǐ Jié Water-Splashing Festival · the mid-April Dai new year the park joins
flowcloud would say that 曼听公园 Màntīng Gōngyuán is the old 傣王 Dǎiwáng Dai royal garden in 景洪 Jǐnghóng – lawns, a 白塔 báitǎ stupa and a 孔雀 kǒngquè peacock garden beside the 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì – and that the move is a morning walk plus the temple, because the gate is cheap, the park is flat and the evening 放灯 fàngdēng lantern show is the paid extra worth checking. All checked October 2026.
Getting there: The park sits on 嘎兰中路 Gālán Zhōnglù Galan Middle Road in southern 景洪 Jǐnghóng Jinghong, a 10–15 minute ride from anywhere downtown; city buses along Galan Road stop near the gate, and the 总佛寺 Zǒngfó Sì entrance shares the same block. From 嘎洒 Gāsǎ Gasa airport the ride runs about 20 minutes. Bus numbers and schedules shift often – worth confirming the details for the current routes. All checked October 2026.