Park of ChinaOverview
| Name | Old Town of Lijiang 丽江古城 |
| Web address | https://parkofchina.com/en/lijiang.html |
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 1997)<br>National AAAAA tourist attraction (Lijiang Old Town, 2011)<br>National Famous Historical and Cultural City |
| Province | Yunnan |
| Location | Gucheng District and Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang, Yunnan |
| Latitude, longitude | 26.87, 100.24 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Naxi old town, canals and houses, Dongba culture |
| Top sights | Sifang Street, Mu Mansion, Black Dragon Pool, Shuhe, Baisha |
| Nearby cities | Chengdu, Kunming |
| Nearby sites | Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang, Dali Scenic Area |
| Themes | Ancient City, Ancient Building, Old villages & vernacular houses, Ethnic cultures, Culture, Old bridges |
About
The Old Town of Lijiang lies in the Lijiang basin south of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Yunnan. A town of the Naxi people, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1997; the site comprises Dayan Old Town (with Black Dragon Pool), Baisha and Shuhe. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1997.
Dayan was founded in the late Song or early Yuan as the seat of the Mu, the hereditary Naxi chieftains, and never had a city wall. Spring water from Black Dragon Pool north of the town divides into three streams at its edge and then into many channels that run along the lanes, lined with flagstone paths and small stone bridges. The houses are tiled timber-and-earth buildings, often arranged around courtyards with three wings and a screen wall, or four wings and five small yards. Sifang Street in the centre was the old market, and the Mu Mansion in the south-west was the chieftains’ residence.
It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, as a cultural site.
Shuhe and Baisha
Shuhe, about 4 km north-west of Dayan, is an early Naxi village and market town, smaller than Dayan and likewise threaded by channels and stone bridges. Baisha, about 8 km north of Dayan, was the seat of the Mu before they moved to Dayan, and keeps Ming-dynasty temple murals.
Naxi culture
The Naxi have their own Dongba script, a pictographic writing used by Dongba priests for their scriptures. Naxi music is still performed in the old town.
Travel tips
Getting there: Lijiang Sanyi Airport is about 25 km south of the old town. Lijiang Station has bullet trains to Kunming and Dali.
Time: half a day to a day for Dayan; add a day for Shuhe and Baisha.
Take care: the town is at about 2,400 m, so take it easy at first.
Nearby
| World Heritage | Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan 27km |
| National parks | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang 32km, Dali Scenic Area 131km, Qionghai Lake–Mount Luoji Scenic Area 225km |
| AAAAA attractions | Potatso National Park, Shangri-La 109km, Yading, Daocheng 170km |
| AAAA attractions | Lijiang Black Dragon Pool 2km, Lijiang Shuhe Ancient Town 6km, Lashi Lake 10km, Guanyin Gorge 13km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Dali-Cangshan UNESCO Global Geopark 138km |
| Historic cities | Jianchuan County 50km |
| Historical sites | Heilongtan Ancient Building Complex 2km, Lijiang Puji Temple 6km, Murals of Dajue Palace 7km, Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Hall 10km |
| National geoparks | Dali Cangshan National Geopark 137km |
| Nature reserves | Cangshan–Erhai National Nature Reserve 123km, Panzhihua Cycad National Nature Reserve 142km, Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve 147km |