Lijiang-麗江

 

The Old Town of Lijiang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nestled in northern Yunnan Province.

Lijiang lies 2,400 meters above sea level and is surrounded by jagged snow-tipped peaks. The wooden houses, tea houses and stone walkways of the old town looks as if they hadn't changed since the town was the capital of the ancient Naxi Kingdom. Ethnic Naxis still make up 70 percent of the population and the Naxi language is widely spoken. The ancient Naxi system of picture writing still puzzles and fascinates scholars. In ancient times the city flourished as a tea-trading center and merchants came from far and wide with horse and mule-trains loaded with teas.

Among the charms of the old town are mini-canals that feed from the Jade Dragon River, which flows from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Traditionally the water in the upper part of the river was used for drinking, the middle part of the river for washing vegetables and the downstream for washing clothes.