10 September 2024

Lijiang Ancient Town (丽江古城) is indeed a famous city with long history and splendid culture. It was a former trading town and a stop for traders carrying goods on the historic Tea Horse Road. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

It is very rare in China that such well-preserved minority ancient city still exists. It spans an area of 7.2 square km and is much larger than the Dali ancient town that we visited earlier.

Map of the Lijiang Ancient City.

We arrived in the Lijiang Old Town slightly after 3 PM. Our accommodation in Lijiang for the next 2 nights is the Doof (also known as DuoFu) Resort Hotel, located at the edge of the old town, next to the South gate.

Compared to the gates of Dali Ancient Town, the gates in the Lijiang Ancient Town are more modest. There are no stone battlements. In fact, Lijiang Old Town was built without a city wall.

After checking in, we had time to explore the ancient town before it gets much busier at night.

Side gate of the Doof (DuoFu) Resort Hotel leading directly to the old town.

The Lijiang ancient town is well preserved and so pretty. Most of the old buildings are now repurposed to serve the tourist trade.

Many were decked with flowers and nicely decorated.

The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and its glaciers could be seen from the town when the weather is clear.

The architecture of Lijiang Old Town is remarkable for its fusion of various ethnic styles, with Naxi architectural elements being the most prominent.

Lovely old Chinese houses along the old cobbled paths.

We headed northwards, towards the the central part of town where the Sifang Street (四方街) or Square Market is located. Unlike Dali where the streets are laid out in a grid, the streets of the Lijiang old town are laid out like a maze.

We saw many water channels with bridges spanning across. The water originates from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Show Mountain). It accumulates at the Black Dragon Pool before flowing through the north of the city to the south through the “West River”, “Middle River” and “East River” in Lijiang Old Town. These water channels, with the hundreds of bridges across them, add interest and photo-spots across the whole town.

One of the stone bridges in the old town. The cobblestones are slippery when wet.

One of the water channels that runs through the town.

The rivers and the bridges are popular photo-spots.

One of the most thriving businesses in town is the rental of traditional costumes, often bundled with professional photo-takings. Their customers (it seems to me) are the young local Chinese from other parts of China. We encountered them at almost every corner, every bridge and scenic spot within the town.

The Sanyan Well (三眼井) or Three eye Well is an interesting stop. There are a few sanyan wells in the town.

Sanyan Well (Three eye Well). Now it is used as a backdrop for photo shoot.

Our guide told us that the Naxi people made the best use of water resources, in harmony with nature. According to the elevation difference, Naxi ancestors built three-graded wells and separated them into different applications. The first well, being the source of spring, is used for drinking. Water overflows from the first well and runs into the second well, which is used to wash vegetables. The third well is used to wash clothes. Finally, the water drains into the stream.

Beautiful plants, mostly succulents, lined the roof of this restaurant.

Dongba (Naxi) pictographic text on a house wall, Lijiang Old Town, Yunnan Province. The symbol in the middle means family i.e. house with a male and female inside.

Closer look at some of the Dongba (Naxi) pictographic text.

There are a many side streets to wander and get lost in. One such street is so beautiful with hanging paper umbrellas on top the alleyway.

An alley with colorful hanging oil-paper umbrellas

Another water channel in the eastern part of town. Many cafes and restaurants lined this canal.

The largest and most prominent bridge in town is the Dashi Bridge (大石桥) or the Stone Bridge. The bridge was built during the Ming Dynasty by the Mu family and hence boasts a history of over five to six hundred years. This double-arch stone bridge serves as a vital thoroughfare connecting the eastern and western parts of the ancient city.

Dashi Bridge.(大石桥) or the Stone Bridge.

Known for its scenic beauty, Dashi Bridge is a popular spot for the professional photographers and their costumed clients.

Another stone bridge in town.

Some smaller bridges are made of wooden planks.

Yican Well located at Xinyi Street is a historical site.

Kublai Khan and his men is said to camp in this spot and drank from this well.

There are steps that allow one to walk down it to taste the supposedly sweet spring water. The water looked pretty clear but I spotted a few small fishes in it. Not a good idea to taste the water.

After wandering to and fro, across several side streets and bridges, we arrived at the Sifang Street (四方街) or Square Market.

The square is at the center of Lijiang Old Town and is the intersection of Qiyi Street, Wuyi Street, Xinhua Street and Dongda Street.

Sifang Street (四方街) or Square Market.

It is said that the Square Market is built according to the shape of the seal of the Mu Family. It has been the most important junction station in the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道). Horses and merchants used to gather at this spot, making it a center for cultural exchange among different ethnic groups in Lijiang.

Today, the Square Market is still the most prosperous place in the Old Town, which specializes in bars, shopping and snacks. Loud music from live bands perched on the second floor of cafes could be heard.

Giant Water Wheels (大水车) that are one of the landmarks of Lijiang Old Town.

Near the north gate of Lijiang Old Town, there are two Giant Water Wheels (大水车) that are one of the landmarks of Lijiang Old Town.

The water wheel is the most ancient irrigation tool in China. It has a long history of more than 1700 years. The first water wheel is created during the Han Dynasty. It is further improved by Kong Ming of the Three Kingdoms Period and hence the water wheel is often called the Kong Min Wheel. During the Sui and Tang Dynasty, the water wheel was widely used for agricultural irrigation. However, the Giant Water Wheels in Lijiang Ancient Town are not used for irrigation. It just functioned as a landmark for us to take photos.

Across from the water wheel is a bridge known as the Yulong Bridge. This is an excellent place (in my opinion) to take photos of the Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain from the old town. The mountain was shrouded in clouds when we were at the Black Dragon Pool earlier. Fortunately, the clouds had lifted when we were at the bridge.

View of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the Yulong Bridge in Lijiang Ancient Town.

We requested our guide to show us the way to the observation deck on Lion Hill (狮子山)where it is a good spot to view the entire Lijiang Ancient Town. There is a path located just behind the water wheels that leads to the Lion Hill Park. With ancient buildings lying around at the foot of Lion Hill, it is the best place to enjoy the panoramic view of the Lijiang Ancient Town.

View from the observation deck on Lion Hill.

Our guide then brought us on a hike round the hill to a high spot located on the other side of the hill. After negotiating some steep stairs, we arrived at a guesthouse with a terrace that overlooks the town. We could also enjoy views of the Yulong Snow Mountain Range in the background!

Hiking up to a guesthouse located on high ground.

Panoramic views of the ancient town.

Jade Dragon Snow mountain in the background!

Getting down from the guesthouse. Imagine staying at this guesthouse and lugging your luggage up and down this stairs.

From Lion Hill, we walked down a cobblestone street line with shops on both sides. This street leads back to Sifang Street in the middle of the Old Town.

From Lion Hill to the old Town.

Dinner at Sakura Restaurant (樱花餐厅)

We wanted to try the Lijiang Preserved Spare Ribs (腊排骨) Hotpot, one of the traditional delicacies in Lijiang. Our guide recommended the Sakura Restaurant. The preserved spare ribs hotpot is 168 RMB and the serving was enough for the 3 of us.

In addition to the Lijiang Preserved Spare Ribs Hotpot, this restaurant also offers the yak ribs hotpot and the popular Lijiang wild mushroom hotpot and other ala-carte dishes.

The key ingredient is the preserved (cured or waxed) pork ribs on the right. It is made with pork that has been rubbed with salt and dried. The rest of the ingredients are local vegetables.

Clear broth is served.

Dump all the cured meat into the broth first to extract the flavours into the broth, followed by the vegetables.

After dinner, we realised that Sakura Restaurant is a trendy hot spot, surrounded by flowers and succulent plants and is a popular and wonderful place for photos.

We went to the roof of the restaurant where we discovered more dining tables and a great view of the city. We should have sat here for our dinner but the table with the hotpot are only available on the ground floor!

Roof terrace of the Sakura Restaurant.

View from the roof terrace at sunset.

View from the second floor terrace. A couple in traditional dress was posing for photos below.

Succulent plants at the walkway on the second floor.

After dinner, we continued to wander around the town on our own. Sifang Street was even more lively and bustling at night. Sifang Street at night.

We could see the performers on the second floor from the street.

The whole place is full of music from the second floor. Every singer and live band in the cafe is trying to outperform the other.

There is a wax museum here as well.

Met a well known person at the entrance to the wax museum.

One of the street leading out from the Square Market is Xinhua Street, also called the Lijiang Bar Street (丽江酒吧街). Bars and restaurant lined the street that has a canal running next to it. These bars have live singing and almost always accompanied by a couple of pretty girls beating hand drums on stage. Every bar is trying to outperform the other bars across the stream and it was a deafening place.

Canal running along Bar Street.