Mengding, meaning "a plateau that can play musical instruments" in the Dai language, is a town renowned as the "Golden Gateway and Tender Dai Homeland." Not only is it Yunnan's sole sub-county-level town, but it also offers a touch of international charm without the need to cross borders, painting a distinctive cosmopolitan picture on the China-Myanmar border.

Mengding Daoxiangyuan Specialty Snack Shop. Photo taken by Peng Xiaohua.

The connectivity of its transportation arteries has made Mengding's "international coordinates" increasingly clear.

With the opening of the Lincang–Qingshuihe Expressway, the travel time from Lincang to the Qingshuihe Port has been reduced from 4 hours to just 1.5 hours.

As a Class I national port of entry, Qingshuihe Port is China's most convenient land route to Myanmar's Kyaukpyu Port, providing direct access to the Indian Ocean. From here, it's 748 kilometers to Naypyidaw, 983 kilometers to Kyaukpyu Port, and 1138 kilometers to Yangon.

As the construction of the new China-Myanmar Indian Ocean corridor progresses, Mengding's role as a hub for sea-rail intermodal transport continues to grow, fueling the vitality of its port economy.

Mengding Qingshuihe Port.

Step into the Qingshuihe International Duty-Free GO Experience Hall, and you'll find Belarusian snacks, Spanish ham, Vietnamese coffee, and Myanmar handicrafts displayed alongside local dried beef and rice noodles – a harmonious fusion of flavors from different nations. Beside them, the bustling border residents' mutual trade zone at the Mengding Qingshuihe Port is alive with chatter in multiple languages, lighting up the unique lively atmosphere of the border area.

Some Dai "Bushao" (young women) take a walk in Mangtuan Natural Village. Photo taken by Gong Zhengxin.

Mengding's "international flair" is also woven into the flow of its produce. By six or seven in the morning, fresh vegetables brimming with dew are already for departure and can appear on supermarket shelves in cities like Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai within 48 hours, gracing countless dining tables.

Benefiting from the monsoon climate near the Tropic of Cancer, the region enjoys abundant sunshine and frost-free winters year-round. In 2024, Mengding exported over 400,000 tons of vegetables. This "South-to-North Vegetable Transportation" artery has dispelled the old notion of "winter storage" in the north, allowing fertile lands to yield high-value produce.

Mengjian section of the expressway interchange. Photo taken by Fu Lizhi.

The depth of its culture also forms the bedrock of Mengding's international character.

Mangtuan Natural Village in Zheha Community, Mengding Town, is hailed as the "First Village of Chinese Dai Papermaking." Its 600-year-old Dai papercraft is one of the most primitive papermaking techniques still in existence in China.

In the courtyards, white cotton paper is transformed into exquisite Dai cultural paper-cuttings in the skilled hands of intangible cultural heritage inheritors. On the public square, rows of Dai paper are naturally air-dried in the sunlight.

Villagers in Mangtuan Natural Village are drying white cotton paper.

This village is a microcosm of Mengding's multi-ethnic integration.

Twenty-three ethnic groups, including Dai, Han, Wa, Jingpo, and De'ang, reside here, blending the distinctiveness of various ethnic traditions with the charm of Han culture.

You can experience the elegant charm of bamboo houses at the Nanting Painting Academy, listen to ancient relic legends at the Dongjing Buddhist Monastery, or take a boat trip on the Nanting River and watch the sunset paint the clear waters. Alternatively, you can don De'ang ethnic attire and unlock the spirited "Deer Dance" in Mangkeng Natural Village, or marvel at the natural wonder of "a single tree forming a forest" in Banxing Village.

A single tree forming a forest in Banxing Dawantang, Mengding. Photo taken by Zi Yanjun.

Mengding becomes even more vibrant at night. At the Nanting River night market alongside China-Myanmar Street, Dai-style barbecues are paired with Laotian coffee. The coconut aroma of Pao Ludá blends with the crispness of Burmese dried bread, while the refreshing tang of Thai green lime water and the sour spiciness of Sapie rice noodles paint a vivid portrait of border-town life amidst dazzling lights.

China-Myanmar Street.

From port trade to cultural exchange, from product circulation to daily life, Mengding gracefully integrates "international flair" into its daily rhythm.

The phrase "Yōulì Jīnwàng" (a Dai phrase meaning "delicious and good to live here") encapsulates the unpretentious yet open hospitality of this border town – a place that holds the expectations of the world.

孟定，傣语意为“会弹琴的坝子”，这座素有“黄金口岸、柔情傣乡”美誉的小镇，不仅是云南唯一的副县级镇，更藏着无需出境就能触摸的异国风情，在中缅边境勾勒出别样的国际范儿。

交通动脉的贯通，让孟定的“国际坐标”愈发清晰。

随着临清高速公路的通车，临沧至清水河口岸的车程从4小时缩短至1.5小时。

作为国家一类开放口岸，清水河口岸是中国陆路通往缅甸皎漂港、直达印度洋的最便捷通道——从这里出境，至缅甸内比都748公里、皎漂港983公里、仰光1138公里。

随着中缅印度洋新通道建设推进，孟定作为海公铁联运枢纽的地位持续凸显，口岸经济的活力不断迸发。

走进清水河国际免税GO体验馆，白俄罗斯的零食、西班牙的火腿、越南的咖啡、缅甸的工艺品与本地牛干巴、米线同台亮相，不同国度的风味在此交融；一旁的孟定清水河口岸边民互市贸易区里，夹杂着多国语言的喧闹，点亮了边境独有的烟火气象。

孟定的“国际范”，还藏在物产的流通里。凌晨六七点，饱含晨露的新鲜蔬菜已“整装待发”，48小时内就能现身成都、北京、上海等城市的生鲜货架，端上千家万户的餐桌。

得益于北回归线附近的季风气候，这里日照充足、终年无霜，2024年，孟定外销蔬菜超过40万吨，“南菜北运”的动脉打破了北方“冬储”的旧忆，让沃土迸发高性价比。

文化的厚度，同样是孟定国际范的底色。

孟定镇遮哈社区芒团自然村，被誉为“中华傣家造纸第一村”，600多年的傣纸工艺是我国现存最原始的造纸术之一。

院落间，白棉纸在非物质文化遗产代表性传承人的巧手中化作傣文化剪纸精品；广场上，成排的傣纸在日光中自然晾晒。

这座村寨只是孟定多民族交融的缩影。

傣、汉、佤、景颇、德昂等23个民族在此聚居，既有民族的风，也有汉地的韵。

你可以去南汀画院感受竹楼雅韵，在洞景佛寺聆听千年舍利传说；或泛舟南汀河，看晚霞浸染碧水；也可换上德昂族服饰，到芒坑自然村解锁“马鹿舞”的灵动，走进班幸村感受“一树成林”的自然奇观。

入夜的孟定更显鲜活。中缅街旁的南汀河夜市里，傣味烧烤搭配老挝咖啡，泡露达的椰香裹着缅甸干面包的酥脆，泰国青柠檬水的清爽、撒撇米线的酸辣，在流光溢彩中勾勒出边城的烟火人间。

从口岸贸易到文化交融，从物产流通到生活烟火，孟定以一种从容的姿态，将“国际范”融入日常。

一句“优利金旺”（傣语，意为好吃好在）道尽孟定这座边城质朴而开放的情谊——这里，容得下来自世界的期待。