Lijiang Old Town 丽江古城Lìjiāng Gǔchéng

Why go to Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang's old town, Dayan, is a tangle of cobbled lanes where clear streams fed by Black Dragon Pool run past wooden Naxi houses, shops and courtyard guesthouses. The centre is busy and commercial, but early mornings and the backstreets reveal its charm, and the nearby villages of Shuhe and Baisha are quieter places to explore by bike.

The story

The Naxi developed Dongba, a pictographic script still used in ritual today, and its little drawings appear on signs around town. Lijiang never had a city wall; local lore says the ruling Mu family avoided one because enclosing their name 木 in a square would turn it into 困, 'trapped'.

What to see at Lijiang Old Town

• Sifang Street 四方街: The old market square at the heart of Dayan. The Naxi name for the town, Gongbenzhi, means a granary and market, a reminder that this was a trading hub before it was a tourist one.
• Mu Residence 木府: The hereditary Naxi chieftains' palace below Lion Hill, first built in 1382. Most of it was burned in the 19th century and the present halls were rebuilt after the 1996 earthquake, laid out along a long central axis.
• Black Dragon Pool Park 黑龙潭公园: A pool and garden at the northern edge of the old town, where the stream that feeds the canals rises. It frames Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on clear days.
• Shuhe Old Town 束河古镇: A quieter old Naxi trading village north of Dayan, part of the same World Heritage listing. It has a Ming-dynasty temple, Daojue Palace, and a stream-side layout of leather and craft workshops.

How to visit Lijiang Old Town

The old town is car-free in its core, so go on foot and let the canals guide you: Sifang Street and the Mu Residence sit in the middle, and Black Dragon Pool is a gentle walk out to the north. A small old-town maintenance fee is collected for the core area, so keep your ticket handy. Shuhe is a short ride north and Baisha, with its old murals, a little further by bus or bike, so a half day covers Dayan and a full day lets you add one village. The Lijiang City Museum at the north end of Black Dragon Pool Park closes on the first and third Monday of each month.

How to get to Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang's airport is about 40 minutes from the old town by taxi, and trains arrive from Kunming and Dali. The railway station is a short taxi ride from the old town's edge.

Where to stay

Base yourself in the old town for its canal-side mornings, choosing a courtyard guesthouse away from the bar lanes, or in Shuhe for a calmer evening and an easy bike ride into Dayan.

What to eat

• Jidou liangfen 鸡豆凉粉: A jelly made from ground chickpea-like 'chicken beans' grown in Lijiang's cool highlands, served cold or warm with chilli and vinegar.
• Lijiang baba 丽江粑粑: A flat, round wheat bread, sold plain or with a sweet or savoury filling, and usually eaten with the jelly above.
• Salted-ribs hotpot 腊排骨火锅: Cured pork ribs simmered in a light broth, a Naxi dish often eaten as part of a larger banquet.

Tips for visiting Lijiang Old Town

• Wander at dawn, before the shops open and the tour groups arrive.
• Black Dragon Pool Park has the classic view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in the water on clear mornings.
• Choose a courtyard guesthouse in the quieter lanes, away from the bar street.

Nearby

• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山 30 km
  A glacier-hung massif on Lijiang's doorstep, with a cable car to over 4,500 metres
• Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡 40 km
  A classic two-day trail high above one of the world's deepest gorges
• Shaxi Ancient Town 沙溪古镇 70 km
  A caravan town on the old Tea Horse Road, with a village market every Friday
• Baishuitai 白水台 70 km
  Milk-white travertine terraces below Haba Snow Mountain, sacred to the Naxi Dongba faith
• Lugu Lake 泸沽湖 110 km
  A clear alpine lake on the Yunnan–Sichuan border, home to the matrilineal Mosuo

Also within 30 km: Black Dragon Pool 黑龙潭 (under 10 km), Puji Temple, Lijiang 普济寺 (under 10 km), Shuhe Old Town 束河古镇 (under 10 km), Lashi Lake 拉市海 (under 10 km), Baisha Murals and Dabaoji Palace 白沙壁画 (under 10 km), Guanyin Gorge 观音峡 (10 km).

Trips with Lijiang Old Town

• Yunnan by train: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La 9 days · Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La

On the map

Open Lijiang Old Town on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• UNESCO World Heritage
• Wikipedia (Chinese)