Disclaimer: The content is translated from Traditional Chinese by AI. We’re reviewing all translations manually to ensure the accuracy!

‍

Ancient city of Lijiang

The ancient city of Lijiang is one of the famous United Nations World Cultural Heritage Sites in Yunnan, also known as Dayan Town. As the only ancient town without city walls among China's historical and cultural cities, the ancient city of Lijiang is unique. According to reports, this is because the local toast has the last name wood. If a city wall is built, it looks like the word “wood” plus a frame, it becomes the word “trapped”, which means bad luck. The Naxi people call the ancient city “Shiben Zhi”. Among them, “” means Cangyuan, and “knowledge” refers to a bazaar. It can be seen that the ancient city of Lijiang has been an important warehouse and trading center in historical history. Our accommodation is located in the ancient city. After walking down the stone stairs, we walked into this quaint and charming street.

‍

Strolling through the streets of the ancient city and passing through a quiet alley, we discovered the hidden “Shiyun Shosha”. This is an independent bookstore with the theme of frontier studies, ethnology, and anthropology. It specializes in providing readers with literature materials on the rich history, culture, and diverse ethnic lives of Lijiang and Southwest China. I love the “Independent Bookstore is a city's dream and a gateway to another world” in front of the gate.

‍

The bookstore also has a drink area, and offers the experience of making prints and postcards. We met an independent artist with a strong literary spirit. He runs this bookstore and also creates wooden prints. His work will soon be exhibited at the Lijiang Museum at the end of the year. There are also a large number of books about Naxi culture and the Eastern Pakistani script. My aunt and I have selected a few books that thoroughly explain the culture of the few ethnic groups in Yunnan as a harvest from our trip.

‍

‍

Coming out of the bookstore, on our way to Mokfu, we passed an archway inscribed with “Heaven and Rain.” The word “rain flows through the sun” is a Chinese word meaning “nourishing as spring rain”, while in Nassi it means “let's go read”. The educational tradition in Lijiang dates back to the Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty pioneered the writing of Naxi Chinese. During the Yongzheng period of the Qing dynasty, Lijiang was converted back to the country, and Liu Guan vigorously promoted Chinese studies, built academies, and science centers, and the reading culture flourished. Today, under the influence of the ancient motto of “The Rain Flows,” the tradition of advocating learning continues in Lijiang, cultivating many outstanding scholars active at home and abroad.

‍

We then arrived at the first gate of Mokfu, Guanmenkou. The name Guanmenkou comes from the Nathi language, meaning “broad flat dam,” and also symbolizes the difference between the public and the public because of the consonants “Guan” and “Guan”. In the Ming dynasty, there was a strict code of defense: pedestrians were not allowed to carry weapons when entering the entrance, and Ma Bang had to remove the bell and wrap it in a blanket to avoid making noise. Historically, Guanmenkou was the first gateway to Mokfu Fuga. The people living outside the gate are ordinary people, and the inside of the gate is a close friend and official of Ki's Toji. The partnership of “Jinfu Alley, the entrance gate, and the wooden stone archway, knows that the situation places emphasis on reading and wisdom, and that the sacred text of the Jianjin Bridge publication is innumerable, Qionglou, Yuden, and that all of Southern Xinjiang are often loyal to the country” shows the importance of Mu's toast culture and loyalty to the imperial court.

‍

In the “Diary of a Trip to Yunnan” at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake described the bustle and prosperity of the ancient town of Lijiang. He described Moji Toji's palace “the beauty of the palace, like a king,” and the city rules are “Korokuji, Obiya”, and “private house community, Kawaraya Kubi.” It can be seen that the ancient town of Lijiang at the time was not only the core of Naxi culture, but also attracted admiration from travelers and writers for its scale and prosperity, and was famous far and wide. Since we arrived at Mokfu after 5 p.m., we had to schedule the visit until the next day. For details, please see [Yunnan] Mokfu Trip (stay tuned).

‍

‍

After leaving Mofu, we strolled through the streets of the ancient city and stumbled upon a small shop called “Hiroki Coffee.” I chose a coffee bean from Yunnan as a souvenir, and asked the clerk to make a latte for me using the same coffee beans. The palate is mellow and has a long finish.

‍

Slowly moving to the foot of Lion Mountain in the ancient city, we arrived at Hakuba Longtan Temple. This temple was built in the 19th year of the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty (1754), and the four large characters “Treasure King” are particularly prominent on the side gate plaque. Hakuba Longtan Temple is a Chinese Buddhist temple with gods and Buddhas such as Milla Buddha and Dragon King enshrined inside. Among them, the image of the Bodhisattva in front of the Dragon King is remarkable. There are several snake bodies behind it, which is probably the Dragon Book Bodhisattva in Buddhism. Please let me know if there is any more relevant information.

‍

As night fell, we shuttled through the streets of the ancient city and the quiet oil paper umbrella street, and finally returned to the bustling area of Sifang Street.

‍

Near Sifang Street, we chose a place called “Sakura Restaurant” for dinner. Not only does it serve authentic Yunnan cuisine, but there are also a few young girls dressed in ethnic costumes taking pictures, and the atmosphere is extremely warm.

‍

After dinner, the other side of the ancient city was displayed in front of us. Live music and singing were heard from the upstairs store, and the small band's performances filled the entire ancient city with energy. The quaint streets are also very different from daytime due to the warm atmosphere of various bars. Young people dance to the music to their heart's content, adding modern charm to the ancient city of Lijiang at night.

‍

How do I get to the ancient city of Lijiang?

💡 Location: Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (Click to view Google Maps)
💡 Flight ticket order：Use Skyscanner to compare flight prices to Yunnan and find the best dates and times!