Lijiang Old Town

Hours & Admission Price Peak Season
Jan.-Dec.
00:00-24:00
80 Low Season
Jan.-Dec.
00:00-24:00
80 Address & Phone +86(0888)5111-118 Transportation Take an airplane to Kuming and take a bus to Lijiang Old Town. Notes CNY 80 for the Protection Fare of the Old Town.

Noted as one of the four ancient most well-preserved towns in China, Lijiang Old Town is filled with intense Naxi ethnic content where has been enlisted to be one of the World Cultural Heritage Cities by UNESCO.

Lijiang Old Town is located in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau with an elevation of 2,400 meters, a central town of the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority in Yunnan Province. Embraced by the tree-covered Lion Mountain in the west, the Elephant Mountains in the north, the old town looks like a big jade ink slab hence the another name Town of Big Ink Slab (Dayan Town). Originally built in the late Song Dynasty (960-1279) and the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Lijiang Old Town is an important fair and town since then. Different with other old towns, it has no city wall.

Lijiang Old Town has a population of 25,000, among which, Naxi people occupies the most for houses in the town are brimming with the special characteristics of Naxi nationality. Most of the Naxi houses are two-storey wood and stone structures. They are typically laid out either in the form of Sanfang Yi Zhaobi or Sihe Wu Tianjin. Due to the protruding rafters and exposed beams, it won’t fall even when its walls have collapsed, which is also the reason why Lijiang Old Town has survived several earthquakes.

What to see

Lijiang Old Town features with cobbled streets, crisscrossing canals flowing with water, swaying willow trees and gaily-hued blossoms and many Ming and Qing style buildings and structures, such as the Wufeng Five Phoenix Pavilion, Guanbi and Deyue Pavilion.

Old streets

Streets in Lijiang Old Town are built according to the mountain landform. Paved with local blue stones and therefore they are neither muddy in raining season, nor dusty in the dry season.

Square Street

Known as the representative of old street in Lijiang Old Town, Square Street is the center of the town, which is actually a square with an area of 100 square meters branching out in all directions. Paved with stones, it scatters numerous shops and restaurants on both sides of street.

Old bridges

Rivers and bridges can be seen everywhere in the town. There are in total 354 bridges in the town, including Corridor Bridge, stone arch bridge, Slab Bridge and Plank Bridge, which the number of bridges within this small area ranks the first in China. Among them, the Great Stone Bridge is the most famed one built in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 100 meters from the Square Street. It is a stone arch bridge with double holes. Paved with traditional five flower stones, it is about 10 meters long and 4 meters wide.

Old government office

Once was the government office of Lijiang’s hereditary officer, Mu’s Mansion is the top scenic spot in the town. Its majesty and grandeur have reminded people of the cultural prosperity and the special power of Chieftain Mu for some 470 years and 22 generations during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Colorful ethnic culture endows Lijiang a famous national historical and cultural town.

What to do in Lijiang Old Town

Enjoy the Wonderful Nigtlife

Due to a TV series, A Meter of Sunshine, which was cast in Lijiang Old Town, it has been a holy land for youngsters to meet love affairs. Nightlife here is colorful. If you want to spend the night in a relaxing way while being able to learn some local culture, watching Naxi Ancient Music and Dance Show is the best choice. Naxi People have inhabited Lijiang for a long time, and have created their unique and splendid Dongba Culture. If you want the regular bar and café kind of nightlife, Xinhua Jie and Xinyi Jie inside the Lijiang Old Town are the two best places to go.

Eat Delicacies

One comes to Lijiang Old Town has no reason to deny the local food which the Naxi people who have lived here for many generations have developed their own food and snacks, such as Chicken Bean Jelly (jidouliangfen), Lijiang Stuffed Bun (lijiangbaba), Cross Bridge Rice Noodles (guoqiaomixian) and Oil Tea (suyoucha). Baba is the most common food which can be easily found in Lijiang Old Town with two flavors, salty and sweet. The rice noodle undertakes Yunnan’s characteristics of fragrant, light and elegant and also adds some local special Naxi flavor. Oil Tea is the necessary for locals’ drinking, especially for the Yi Clan, Dong and Yao.

Buy Handicrafts

As an important trade road with long history, it offers various kinds of souvenirs, among which handicrafts of the Naxi Group is very popular with tourists, such as copperware, leather and fur goods, carpets and rugs, and painted scrolls with poems written in calligraphy. The most famous shopping center of Lijiang Old Town is Square Street, the most bustling area of the city. Various kinds of decorations and handicrafts can be found here. Remember to ask for discount when you go shopping in the town.

Taste Three Courses Tea

Residents in the town have the habit to drink tea which can be recognized as their unique culture for it has a long history related to the Chamagudao (Tea Horse Ancient Road). The Bai emerged the tea culture of Three Course Tea, first "bitter", second "sweet" and third "aftertaste". Early in Ming Dynasty, the Three Course Tea had already become a conventional way that Bai ethnic treat visitors.

Best Time to Visit

It allows visitors to get there at any time. Considering the fairly wide variation in day-and-night temperature in spring and winter, visitors need to take more clothes. The wet season spans May to October, with plenty of rainfall, so umbrella is also needed.

>>Take a tour to Lijiang Old Town to experience different ethnic life:
3 Days Tour to Old Town of Lijiang and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
4 Days Lijiang Tour with Beautiful Scenery and Ancient Culture
5 Days Tour to Kunming & Old Town of Lijiang
6 Days Kunming, Dali, Lijiang Classic Tour
More choices, please see at Lijiang Tours.

Lijiang Culture