Lijiang – a living ancient town

As part of our orientation trip around Yunnan, taking in Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Dali, we went to Lijiang the morning after our arrival in Kunming.
Unfortunately it went off to a shaky start!

We had tickets to see Lijiang Impressions – a live outdoors performance with the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as the backdrop. However, a mix up of the Kunming train stations meant that we had to get a later train and missed the show. Nevertheless we were amply compensated by having more time to explore the maze-like Lijiang Old Town – morning, day and night!

The biggest draw of Lijiang is its Old Town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its intricate canal system and Naxi architecture with elaborate woodwork 

Lijiang Old Town Laoshu Inn

This charming inn was in the heart of the Old Town, lost in a maze of beautiful ancient buildings. However it was a challenge pulling suitcases along the cobblestone lanes while looking for our lodgings. Fortunately, on being contacted, someone from the Inn met us with a pull-along cart to carry our cases and show us the way. 

The Inn was charmingly old and old-fashioned. The rooms were simple but the services were great. The nightly rate was incredibly cheap, though I chose the inn for its authenticity.

Lijiang Old Town during the day

We were dropped off by the taxi just outside the pedestrianised Old Town and were immediately mesmerised by the ornate ancient wooden buildings and the shops along the streets

Lijiang Old Town at night

After dark, we headed through crowded lanes to the Two Giant Water Wheels which is the landmark of Lijiang Old Town. It’s the most vibrant part of the town with restaurants, bars and shops which became a night show with their illumination lighting. 

Lijiang Old Town in the morning 

There’s an air of serenity around the village early in the morning when shops were still closed and day trippers had yet to descend on the village. The bright morning added extra pleasure to my walk around a different part of the Town taking time to appreciate the traditional Naxi architecture, tiny bridges over flowing streams, and vibrant, overflowing flower boxes.

Lijiang is about 100 miles south of the mystical Shangri-La and is also the nearest major town to it, so … Next stop …. Shangri-La !

Meanwhile here are the souvenirs from Lijiang