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LIJIANG
At a glance | General Information | History | Cuisine | Climate | Travel | Attractions | Tours originating: Lijiang

Lijiang Attractions: Dry Sea (Ganhai) | Heilongtan Park | Lijiang Mural | Lugu Lake | Naxi Ancient Music | Residential Houses | Stone Drum & First Bend of the Yangtze River | White Water River | Yufeng Temple | Dayan | Black Dragon Pool Park | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain | Jade Peak Temple | Tiger Leaping Gorge | Spruce Plateau

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Lijiang at a glance:

An ancient and mysterious town - the home of ethnic groups in Yunnan province; a ideal and striking place to explore the ethnic folk customs. Location: located between 9923' - 10131' east longitude and 2559' - 2756' north latitude, and northwest of Yunnan province, middle reaches of Jinsha River. Neighboring Areas: Sichuan province and Guizhou province; Tibet Autonomous Region and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Physical Features: lies in the joint area of Qingzang Altiplano and Yungui Altiplano. Nationalities: Han, Lisu, Pumi, Nuosu, Tibetan and Naxi. Climatic Features: distinctly vertical temperature difference, sufficient rainfall and clear division between dry seasons and humid seasons. Average Temperature: 12.6C -19.8C. Rainfall: annual average rainfall adds up to 1,000mm. Mountains: Mt. Laojun, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Rivers: Jinsha River, Lancang River. Local Highlights: The Life of Naxi Women, Naxi Ancient Music, Old Town.

General Information:

Lying in a broad, fertile valley dominated by the towering, snow-capped peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Range, Lijiang was founded as Dayan, a largely Naxi settlement first built during the Southern Sung Dynasty nearly 8 centuries ago. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have evolved over many centuries. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system which still functions effectively today. In 1986, China's State Council designated Lijiang as an important historical and cultural national treasure. In 1997, UNESCO listed Lijiang as one of the world's major cultural heritages. Folk Customs:  Lijiang is a land of music and dance--and diversity. Its various ethnic minority groups demonstrate diversity in their customs (and this diversity persists within each group as well). There are 11 nationalities here: Naxi, Yi, Lisu, Pumi, Bai, Dai, Miao, Zhuang, Tibetan, Hui, and Han. For example, Naxi people in western Lijiang believe in the Protection God called Sanduo and observe celebrations such as "Sanduo Festival," "Offering Sacrifices to Heaven," and "Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors." Naxi men have maintained a musical tradition that has remained unchanged for nearly 800 years; the first classical Naxi orchestra was founded under Kublai Khan's patronage! Naxi women seem to perform all the manual labor in addition to managing the family budget, yet the men still retain ownership of the property. However, the Mosuo people in eastern Lijiang worship the Goddess of Gunma and adhere to a matriarchal marriage system known as "Azu." To the Mosuo people, the mountains and waters are all endowed with fascinating female myths. On the occasion of the traditional ceremony of the "Mountain-Circling Festival," Mosuo girls dress in colorful costume to represent fairy maidens and beautiful butterflies. The Mosuo also maintain a true matrilineal society in which the house and the land pass from mother to daughter and all children remain attached to their mother's household for as long as they live. Most Mosuo still practice their "walking marriage" custom, whereby the man comes to the woman's house only at night and returns to his mother's home in the morning. Meanwhile, the Pumi people, next to the area where Mosuo people live, separated only by Lugu Lake, worship "Hanhui." However, the neighboring Yi people at the Xiaoliang Mountain adhere to the hierarchical clan blood relationship marriage system; their wedding ceremonies would include the ritual of "Sprinkling Water to Welcome Bride and Groom". Festivals:  The Naxi people have a quality of innocence that is rare in today's world--rare even in China. They are content with life and are most hospitable. They revere the elderly in their society. They are loyal to friends and polite to tourists. They celebrate life with many festivals. Some festivals coincide with those of the Han people, such as the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, but many festivals are uniquely their own. The most important is the Sanduojoie Festival--an extremely lively gathering that occurs in the second and eighth lunar months. Among the activities on this occasion are horse races, dances, and picnics. Other famous festivities include the Dongbangjie Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Jiandangjie Festival on the eighth day of the second lunar month, the King Dragon's Festival in the third lunar month, the Torchlight Festival in the sixth lunar month, and the Mules and Horses Fair in the seventh lunar month. Lijiang has long been an important stop along the legendary Tea-Horse Trading Route which connects Kunming with Tibet and even further into India. The unique location of the city has made it a meeting point for traders and a distribution point for merchandise from different parts of China and abroad. For several hundred years, Sifang Jie Square has been the major market here. Today, the Square is still the best place for buying exotic local specialties, the most famous being bronze ware. The small streets in the ancient town are also clustered with all kinds of shops and boutiques where you can pick up some interesting nick-knacks. Most of the shops here are tourist-oriented and sell nice art crafts as souvenirs. Mr. Kun's Arthouse, the Brother's Art Space and the Juyiyuan Gallery are particularly interesting. Other famous shops include the Bunong's bells, the Dongba Herbal Medicine Shop and the Grass Root House which is famous for its original pictograph inscribed T-shirts.

History:

An intimate mountain town of stone and tile, laced with swift canals; a gathering place of rugged mountain people from various ethnic groups of Naxi Lisu, Pumi, Nuosu Yi, Tibetan.

Cuisine:
Most of the good restaurants in Lijiang are located in the old town, and many have very high standards of cooking, producing a wealth of tasty local specialties. As the tourist industry develops, more and more restaurants have begun serving western food, and their cooking standards are fairly good. Among these places, the Bridge Cafe serves good western food and the best coffee, and the Old Market Cafe is popular with foreign travelers and is the best place to get access to travel information. Lijiang delicacies are characterized by refreshing tasting dishes and mellow soups. The biggest restaurant in the old town, the Gucheng Restaurant serves up authentic Lijiang cuisine and the Qinyun Naxi Specialty Restaurant is the best place to sample authentic Naxi specialties such as eggplant good with peanuts and Naxi fried rice.

Climate:
Influenced by southwestern monsoons, Lijiang experiences China's famous "four seasons within one day". Temperatures here are relatively cooler than in neighboring regions and can vary greatly within one day. As a result, travelers are advised to take a variety of clothing and prepare for all eventualities! Spring and summer are the best seasons to visit Lijiang, when the warm and humid current from the Indian Ocean brings vitality to the land. Reaching far beyond sea level, the green grassland is covered in picturesque flower and fauna.

Travel:

By Rail:  So far, Lijiang does not have any connection to railroad network. If trying with trains to Lijiang, arrival to the following three destinations, Kunming, Dali and Pan Zhi Hua, will be most accessible way. From the three cities, there is another bus ride of 190 miles (305km) to get to Lijiang. The freeway from Pan Zhi Hua to Lijiang remains to be at a very low class with bumpy surface in many places. National Freeway extends from Kunming to Lijiang enjoying better conditions among the three cities. The newly built railroad, Kunming - Dali, ( Guang Da Railroad ) provides a comfortable overnight traveling experience to Dali before the 4 hours ride to Lijiang on the smooth, picturesque freeway. By Road: Freeway shoulders the main transportation into Lijiang. Before 1995 when the Lijiang airport was put into operation, overnight sleeping bus on the Kunming Lijiang highway is the sole way for most travelers visiting Lijiang. Lijiang could be reached by freeway mainly from the three cities, Kunming, Dali, Pan Zhi Hua. By Air:  Lijiang airport built in 1995 is one of the nine airports in Yunnan province in the southwest of China. It enjoys a picturesque surrounding providing flights to Kunming, Xishuangbanna almost daily with Boeing 737. In the middle of year 2000, new flights are scheduled to operate between Beijing and Lijiang and between Shanghai and Lijiang. City Transportation: No vehicles are allowed to enter the ancient town. All taxis and buses are in the new city. Taxi: Smaller sized cars are ¥6 for the first 3km and 1.6km thereafter and bigger cars like Santana are ¥7 for the first 3km and 1.8km thereafter. Although few drivers use the meter during the day, most journeys should not cost more than ¥6. The night pricing policy is a bit strange, after 22:00, meters are not used at all, and the fare is always ¥10.It should cost about ¥300 to hire a taxi for the entire day. Public Bus: All buses are ¥0.8, some have ticket collectors, others are help-yourself ticketing. The exception is the Bus #7. Bicycle: The old city of Lijiang prohibits vehicles from coming in, bicycles are also forbidden in the old town, and in any case, the lanes around here are too rough to ride a bicycle across. Many people hire bikes to travel to nearby villages however and to visit some of the scenic spots in the area. Bikes can be rented from 70 Mishi Xiang on Xinyi Jie, beside the river and opposite Mamafu's. All the bikes are mountain bikes, and cost ¥15/day.

Attractions: ( = voted as the highly recommended attractions to visit)

Tours: