We spent two nights in Ma'an village within the area. Superficially it is very 'rural China' but it wasn't until the day time that we discovered that beyond where we had entered there is a ticket pay desk. We also realised that one paddy rice field, wit a cow in it...the cow, swan, calf and water buffalo were all actually statues not real animals. To some extent then it is China done as a theme park Very pretty though, but getting rapidly over developed. Neuw building, guest houses going up everywhere

This minority area is set among rivers, forests and tea plantations and is in the throes of a tourist upgrade, so has quite a few boardwalks, tea houses and a bunch of shows with Dong women doing a fair bit of costumed singing and dancing. This is all in a rural setting and the endless stacks of tall wooden, and now disguised concrete, buildings in this unique bustling set of laneways. Lots of interesting architecture, friendly people and a bunch of longer walks through the countryside give the area enough interest for a couple of days, or longer if relaxation in an exotic location is the brief. The taxi fare from Sanjiangnan fast train station is 100 quai and takes about 45 min depending on traffic flow through Sanjiang Town.