Nestled in a high mountain valley, Lijiang's (Lìjiāng, 丽江) charming Old Town has long been a center of Naxi culture and in recent years has become a major tourist attraction. Declared a UN World Heritage site after a 1996 earthquake and developed in the years since with tourism in mind, Lijiang, once a remote backpacker getaway, now attracts some more than 5 million tourists a year.
Of course, the tourism boom has changed the city and it's now common to find traditional wooden Naxi houses converted into shops run by Han Chinese who cater to the needs of tour groups. This has changed Lijiang's character, replacing much of its authentic (if occasionally dilapidated) charm with the convenience and relative luxury that the tourism industry requires. Strolling the winding stone streets and alleys of Old Town is still enjoyable, though it's certainly better during the off season, weekdays and before 8:30am when the tourist groups begin to get started.
The New City, whose flimsy modern buildings fared worse in the earthquake than the old city's Naxi wood and stone houses, is not worth too much time, though hotels tend to be cheaper than in the Old City. Beyond Lijiang, the beautiful countryside beckons. Not far from the city you'll find the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge, monasteries, Naxi villages and Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. Lijiang is also an excellent spot for a few days of relaxation before or after treks in Tibet or eastern Yunnan.
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History
Lijiang was established in the early Yuan Dynasty after Kublai Khan conquered the nearby city of Dali. Soon thereafter it became an important stop along the southern Silk Road, connecting Kunming with Tibet and India and making Lijiang a central meeting point for traders and a distribution point for merchandise from all over China and beyond.
The Lijiang area has been home to the Naxi minority for over 1,400 years. The Naxi descend from the Tibetan Qiang people, who migrated down the Yangtze from Northern Tibet. Most of the 300,000-strong Naxi community lives in and around Lijiang, while smaller groups are scattered throughout southwestern Sichuan and southeastern Tibet.
Naxi culture is traditionally matriarchal, with women inheriting all property and mediating tribal conflicts; the matriarchy, however, has broken down somewhat in recent years with increased exposure to the decidedly patriarchal Han. In traditional Naxi culture, men and women did not live together but within their respective parents' homes. Many Naxi families kept inns to serve Silk Road travelers. Proving that matriarchy has nothing to do with emasculation, Naxi men were fierce fighters and often provided mercenary protection to Tibetan and Bai traders along perilous routes through Tibet, Yunnan, India and Burma.
The Naxi are a people of culture and art, too. Their written language, Dongba, is the world's only pictographic language still in use. "Dongba" refers to Naxi elders knowledgeable in astronomy, geography and agriculture as well as folk medicine and handicrafts, and to this day the language nourishes a rich literature that preserves unique Naxi works on religion, philosophy, art, astronomy and history as well as music, dance and painting. The traditional Dongba religion combined elements of Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. You can learn more at Lijiang's Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture.
Like other regions in Yunnan Province, Lijiang is home to many minority groups. Among Lijiang's 22 minorities are Bai, Pumi, Yi, Tibetan, Miao and Lisu peoples. All minority populations together, Naxi included, account for 59% of the city's population.
Climate
Situated in a valley surrounded by high mountains, Lijiang enjoys a temperate climate year around despite its altitude (average 2,400 m or 7,900 ft above sea level), with warm days and cool nights. Daytime temperatures average 15 ºC (59 ºF) in the winter and 3 ºC (37 ºF) at night. Summer temperatures can reach 30ºC (80 ºF) during the day and drop to 15 ºC (59 ºF) at night. Summer months (June-September) bring daily rainstorms. The best seasons to visit Lijiang are spring and fall when the days are warm, there's little rain and the local alpine wildflowers and grasses are at their best. Whatever time of year, Lijiang is said to experience "four seasons in one day", so be sure to pack accordingly.
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Being the popular tourist destination that it is, Lijiang has no shortage of places to stay. If you've got your heart set on staying in one of Old Town's traditional Naxi style guesthouses, it pays to call ahead to book a room. During the peak travel season, rooms in these wooden hotels tend to fill up quickly due to their popularity with the backpacker crowd.
For those with deeper pockets, 4 and 5 star options are available in the New City and the edges of Old Town like the Crowne Plaza Lijiang Ancient Town. These tend to be more convenient for transportation as cobbled streets of Old Town are restricted to foot traffic only.
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Lijiang cuisine features wheat breads, refreshing soups, sumptuous pork dishes and locally made lychee wine. The biggest restaurant in Old Town, the Gucheng Restaurant, serves up authentic Lijiang fare and authentic Naxi specialties such as Naxi fried rice and baba (stuffed flatbreads) can be found at restaurants like the Naxi Family Café and Qinyun Naxi Specialty Restaurant and in small snack stands such as Great Stone Bridge Snack.
International dishes can be found in a number of cafés and restaurants, including the Prague Café, Well Bistro and Blue Page Vegetarian.
A sampling of local dishes:
Ash Tree Flowers
A Li minority cold dish, this sour soup has a spicy little kick and a cooling aftertaste.
Naxi Baba
This yummy Naxi wheat flatbread stuffed with meat, sweet corn or vegetables can be found in restaurants and on the street.
Chick Pea Grass Jelly (Jidou Liangfen)
A famous local specialty of Lijiang. This snack can be enjoyed both in the summer and winter.
Soybean Noodles (Huangdou Mian)
Crispy, fragrant fried soybeans are added to smooth noodles with shallots, spice, oil and vinegar. The resulting soup is deliciously spicy and sour.
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Getting Around
With a good public bus system and great Old Town streets for strolling or cycling, getting around town is not a big problem. Cars are not allowed in Old Town but taxis are available in the rest of the city, starting at 6 RMB. Bike rentals are around 15 RMB a day.
Bus
There are three bus stations in Lijiang. The main terminal lies at the southern end of Minzhu Lu with another station near Old Town. The express bus station is on Shangri Dao. Travelers can buy bus tickets at any of the stations but need to check the ticket to see which station the bus leaves from. Buses run regularly to surrounding areas. See list below for price and travel times to selected destinations.
Kunming via Dali: Several buses travel back and forth between Kunming and Lijiang via Dali. The trip totals 10 hours. Sleeper buses cost 120 RMB and express buses 150-180 RMB.
Panzhihua, Sichuan: Bus trip takes eight hours to Panzhihua in Sichuan Province. The tickets cost 40 RMB for regular buses and 60 RMB for sleeper buses.
Shangri-la/Zhongdian: Prices for the five-hour scenic drive range from 27-50 RMB. The bus passes through Qiatou, allowing access to Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Lugu Lake: The drive totals five hours to Lugu Lake, passing by the Yi villages. Tickets cost from 40-60 RMB.
To and from Lijiang
Air Several domestic flights a day from Lijiang Airport, 25 km (15 miles) outside the city, accommodate the city's growing number of travelers. Direct flight destinations include Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing and Jinghong.
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For hundreds of years, Old Market Square (Sifang Jie) has been the center of Old Town's busy market life. Today, Sifang Jie is the best place for buying local goods like the area's renowned bronze ware and woodcarvings, though its previous vitality as a center of the Naxi community has been altered, as local officials mandated removal of a number of Naxi produce and butcher shops to make more room for souvenir and arts & crafts boutiques.
The square's buildings are beautifully restored and it remains a lovely place for browsing and souvenir shopping, despite the somewhat sanitized and controlled feel. Prices are also higher here than in outlying areas. Most of the handicrafts are authentic, though in many cases non-Naxi shopkeepers are selling Naxi goods rather than the Naxi themselves. Nearly anything emblazoned with pictographs (try Grass Root House for pictograph t-shirts).
Naxi women's knitted shawls and capes are popular with women, and anyone can appreciate a good bell—Bunang bells come from horse bells used during the days of trade caravans through Lijiang, Jixiang bells, or "lucky bells" derive from traditional Naxi religious practice.
Off the square, the small streets of Old Town are cluttered with additional souvenir shops and boutiques. If you're planning on visiting outlying Naxi villages or have time to explore town, hold off on purchases to give yourself time to compare, shop and bargain.
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Lijiang has always been a crossroads town where cultures mix and travelers rest and share tales before tackling the next leg of their journey. In days past, it was merchants trekking through the mountains on the old "Tea Horse Road"; today its tourists and travelers from all over China and around the world.
Clubs & Bars
With Old Town given over wholesale to the tourist industry, there are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants where travelers can meet up, have a drink and enjoy the commodified quaintness of it all. A quick stroll down Xinhua Jie will turn up a number of options for a drink and some camaraderie. Indulge your international urges at the Frosty Morning English Bar and Restaurant, Le Petit Paris, Sakura or the Prague Café. Or skip the more touristy side of things and head to Stone the Crows, an Irish-run pub along an out-of-the-way lane where some of Lijiang's small expat crowd drops by for a cold Beer Lao of Guinness.
Performing Arts
Be sure to catch a performance of traditional Naxi music and dance at Dongba Palace or the Naxi Ancient Music Center. You can also head out to witness Lijiang Impressions at the base of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for a contemporary take on Naxi Dongba culture (think sort of a Naxi Riverdance). And the Naxi aren't the only Chinese ethnic minority with a show in town—try the Mountain Spirit Show for a taste of Yi shamanism.
Museums & Galleries
For a more in-depth look at the area's history and people, visit one of the city's museums—the Visitor Center for Nature and Culture in Northwest Yunnan, the Dongba Research Institute Museum and the Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture are all excellent—and then head out of Linjiang into the countryside to visit some of the Tibetan monasteries and small towns, such as the popular Baisha.
Festivals & Events
Lijiang is home to a number of festivals, many of them specific to the Naxi people. Fifteen days into the Chinese New Year, the Bangbang Festival ("Stick Festival" or milazhi in the Naxi tongue) sees townspeople exchanging gifts and merchants from all over the region and as far away as Tibet bringing their best wares to town. The early spring Sanduo Festival is a joyous celebration of traditional music, dance and hotpot picnicking. The Naxi, Li and Mosuo peoples all hold traditional festivals and fairs throughout the year.
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