Introduction
Lijiang is one of the most famous National Scenic Areas in China.
The Ancient Town of Lijiang has been inscribed on the World Heritage
List by UNESCO in 1997 for its well-preserved ancient buildings and
its unique Naxi culture. It is a utopian-like place where people can
enjoy tranquility and take the time to appreciate and reflect about
life.
Lijiang is well
known for gorgeous landscape and beautiful scenery. You can visit
the renowned World Cultural Heritage Old Town of Lijiang, and the
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (or Yulong Xueshang) is the extolled as
one of a must-visit National Scenic Areas in Southwest China. You
can have the best view of the newly approved World Natural Heritage
of the Parallel Flow of the Three Rivers here in Lijiang. The First
Bend of Yangtze River and the Tiger Leaping Gorge are the only ones
of their kind on the Yangtze River. The Laojun Mountains have been
praised as the World Plant Genetic Bank. Lying right between the
famous Lost Horizon Shangri-la and the renowned historical and
cultural city of Dali, Lijiang is the perfect place for you to
travel around the most popular region of Yunnan.
Besides its
marvelous lands, the ethnic cultures here are just as extraordinary.
The Dongba culture has been passed down from generation to
generation. The Dongba characters are one of the few hieroglyphics
still being used in the world today. On the shore of Lugu Lake
dwells one of the surviving matriarch societies that still maintain
the practice of Walking Marriage.
The Old
Town of Lijiang
Lijiang's old town (including the Dayan old town, Basha housing
cluster and Shuhe housing cluster) was registered on the UNESCO
World Heritage List on December 4, 1997. The history of the town
dates back more than 800 years and was once the famous confluence
for trade along the old tea horse road linking most parts of western
Yunnan and Tibet. The Town is uniquely characterized as "River
winding through every house and willows weeping before every
family", a well-known scene in South China. The orderly system of
waterways and bridges can be seen everywhere, making Lijiang a
unique city in China. You are expected to pay 80 RMB as an Old Town
maintenance fee.
This is how the
World Heritage Committee gave its justification for inscription for
the Old Town of Lijiang
Lijiang is an
exceptional ancient town set in a dramatic landscape which
represents the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to
produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality.
The Mu
Mansion
The
Mansion resembles the grand view of the Lijiang Old Town in terms of
local residential architecture. It was the palace for the Mu family,
one of the most influential clans, that had reigned over the Lijiang
area for more than 400 years during China's Ming and Qing dynasties
(around the 14th to 18th centuries). During a severe earthquake
which occurred in February 1996 near Lijiang, measuring 7.0 on the
Richter scale, 186,000 houses collapsed. The World Bank sponsored
the renovation of the Mu Mansion after the 1996 earthquake. The
admission fee is
35 RMB.
Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain
At its
elevation of 5,596M, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain top is covered by
snow all year round. The main peak in front looks like the head of a
dragon, and the other peaks follow in a line as if there were a
transparent white dragon. The mountain hence got its name, “The Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain”. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has been
regarded as a holy mountain by the Naxi people and the ethnic groups
living around Lijiang. People believe it is the embodiment of “Sanduo”,
the Patron Saint of the Naxi people. To date the Sanduo Festival
remains one of the grandest celebrations for people who live here.
Among the tourist sites, there are Ganhaizi, a big pasture with
spacious views; Baishuihe, White Water River, a valley with a
crystal clear river running through; Yunshanpin, the legendary site
of the Third Kingdom of Jade Dragon; and Bintalin, Ice Tower
Forests, with typical glacier scenery.
It will cost
60-100 RMB to rent a car and drive you there. Bus No. 7 from the Old
Town will take you there as well, at 15 RMB/person.
Entrance into the
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for an all-inclusive ticket will cost 190
RMB.
The Black Dragon Park
Also
known as the YuQuan Park, or Jade Spring Park, it is about one
kilometer (0.6 miles) from the center of Lijiang Old City. With
crystal clear spring water, elegant hills and architecture
reminiscent of ancient times, people come here to experience a sense
of tranquility and calmness. It was built around 1737 in China's
Qing Dynasty, and you can find many old buildings here which speak
of its history. You can arrive there by buses 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 from
the city area. The admission fee is 60 RMB.
Ten-Thousand-Flower Camellia
Also
known as the YuQuan Park, or Jade Spring Park, it is about one
kilometer (0.6 miles) from the center of Lijiang Old City. With
crystal clear spring water, elegant hills and architecture
reminiscent of ancient times, people come here to experience a sense
of tranquility and calmness. It was built around 1737 in China's
Qing Dynasty, and you can find many old buildings here which speak
of its history. You can arrive there by buses 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 from
the city area. The admission fee is 60 RMB
The Ancient Town
of Shuhe
The Ancient Town
of Shuhe is located 4 km (2.5 miles) to the northwest of the Ancient
Town of Lijiang. Shuhe, in the local Naxi language, literally means
"the village at the foot of the high mountain". In 1997, the Ancient
Town of Shuhe, as an integral part of the Old Town of Lijiang, was
listed by the World Cultural Heritage and then by the Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization of the United Nations. The
Ancient Town is also one of China's national AAAA level scenic areas
and one of China's Key Protection Units of Cultural Relics. The town
is one of the original places of Naxi people and the Mu family, who
became the ruling clan in Lijiang. You can experience authentic
customs and traditions of Naxi culture here more than anywhere else.
Plus the residential houses have also kept the unique style of that
of the Naxi people. All these attributes have been drawing visitors
from China and from abroad. You can take a tourist bus from Lijiang
Old Town to get to Shuhe. The admission fee is 50 RMB.
First Bend on the Yangzi
River
Located in the town of Shigu (literally translated as Stone Drum),
45 km (28 miles) from the Old Town of Lijiang, is the gorgeous scene
of the First Bend on the Yangtze River. The rapidly flowing upper
reaches of the Yangtze River is called Golden Sand River in Yunnan.
It is slowed down by the Hailuo cliff and forced to form a
phenomenal V turn, which is a rare scene on a river as large as the
Yangtze River. With its broad channel, the river looks like a still
mirror, though the current is actually rapid. On the shore are
ribbon-like willow plantations and beyond that flat fertile lands
joining terraced fields. Shigu Town has always been an important
stop on the Old Tea Horse Road, Caravan Road and strategic
fortresses throughout its history. In the 13th century, Kublai Khan
crossed the Yangzi River right at this point and then conquered the
Dali Kingdom which at that time was the ruling authority in Yunnan.
During the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Red Army also passed
through here to fight against the Japanese army.
The Tiger
Leaping Gorge
As an essential part of the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage
Site, the Tiger Leaping Gorge is located 60 km (37 miles) north of
Lijiang City. Approximately 17 km (10 miles) in length, the gorge is
where the Golden Sands River passes between the Jade Dragon Snow
Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain. It is more than 3000 meters
from the surface of the river to the top of the two snow mountains.
There is a gigantic rock standing in the middle of the river, and
the roaring river passes around it. Legend goes that in order to
escape from hunters, tigers jumped over to escape by stepping on the
rock in the river, hence the name "Tiger Leaping Gorge". To
successfully raft through the gorge has been a big dream for brave
rafters. However, there are no more than 150 people who accomplished
it without losing their lives.
The Lugu Lake
Located 76 km (47 miles) from Ninglang County of Lijiang is Lugu
Lake. With an altitude of 2685 meters (8809 ft), it is the highest
lake in Yunnan province. With an average depth of 45 meters (148
ft), the deepest point being 93 meters (305 ft), it's the second
deepest lake in Yunnan province. Here live the Mosuo people, a
sub-branch of the Naxi people. What's unique about them is that the
Walking Marriage inherited from the matriarchal society is still
being practiced. Here men and women do not marry each other in the
usual way, instead men go to visit women and stay with them only
during the nights. In their own language they call each other
'A-Xia' which means "close partner". In the Mosuo family, women play
a dominant role. Hence this place is called "the Women Kingdom" by
anthologists because of the matriarchal societal system.
Laojun
Mountain National Park
The
Laojun Mountain is named after the mysterious founder of Daoism,
Laozi, also called Laojun. Legend for this mountain goes that as
Laojun passed the mountain, he dropped his magic mirror. The
shattered pieces fell on the ground and turned into the 99 dazzling
lakes of Laojun Mountain. Laojun Mountain is one of the vital
habitats for the endangered Yunnan golden monkey. Also, nineteen of
the 92 mammal species and 79 of the 152 bird species found at Laojun
Mountain are included on the global Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list. Here are sheltered a
tremendous amount of higher altitude plants, particularly
rhododendron forests. More than 10% of the world's rhododendron
species are found here. Admission fee is 80 RMB.
Cultures and Customs
Naxi
People and DongBa Culture
The
Naxi is a minority with a long history and a brilliant culture. They
have become known worldwide for having kept their own ancient and
unique Dongba culture, and thus claim to be a small ethnic group
that has created a grand culture. The Dongba culture is named after
the Dongba religion. The Dongba religion is a primitive religion of
Naxi nationality, believing in multi-deities and is the combination
of Buddhism, Taoism and Benism, a local belief system. In the Dongba
religion (Dongba means "the intelligent"), Dongba is believed to be
an embodiment of witch, doctor, scholar, artisan and craftsman and
an important successor of the traditional culture. Dongba Sutra is
the essential part of the Dongba culture. The sutra contains
history, philosophy, religion, folklore, literature, astronomy, art,
and medicine, and it’s not an exaggeration that it is called the
encyclopedia of Naxi ancient society.
The language and
scriptures which are used to record the Dongba Sutra are just as
significant. Nowadays, the language is composed of about 1400
picture-like characters and symbols that are still being used by
Dongba researchers and artists of the culture. It is one of very few
hieroglyphs that are still "alive" in the world, and is regarded as
a precious culture relic of the Naxi people. The Dongba Classical
Literature was accepted as a written world heritage by UNESCO August
30, 2003.
In Lijiang, the
Naxi people and other ethnic groups celebrate a festival that people
don't observe outside of Lijiang--the Sanduo Festival. The festival
falls on the eighth day of the second lunar month. During this
time, people from all over the region assemble at the Sanduo Temples
for a grand memorial and sacrificial ceremony.
According to
legend, Sanduo was believed to be a patron god who watched over and
guarded the local people. But "Sanduo" is actually the spiritual
idol created by the Naxi who have lived generation after generation
at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The national hero and
patron god is the projection of the adoration for beautiful nature
and the desire of having a promising future.
The Naxi
Orchestral
Among
its splendid cultures, Naxi Ancient Orchestra is well-known around
globe. It is said that the Naxi Ancient Orchestralcan be dated back
to the Fourteenth Century, and is the music with the longest history
in Yunnan, probably the only one of its kind around China and the
world in terms of long history. It was the combination of the art
from central China and local Lijiang culture. Having survived for
more than 500 years, the Naxi Ancient Orchestra now is still
dazzling in its glory. Its popularity has gone beyond Lijiang, and
is accepted all over the world. The Naxi Orchestra was invited to
perform in America, Belgium and Netherlands in October 1995. After
this, the Naxi Ancient Orchestra was played on radio stations in
West European and North American nations. Scholars and researchers
swarmed to Lijiang for studying. There is a Naxi Orchestra
performance every evening from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Jishan
Alley No. 11, Xinyi Street (新义街积善巷).
Admission fees range from 100 to 160 RMB.
