| Page Views: 6,107 Last Visit to Lijiang: May, 2008 | Why had I never discovered this place before? by sugarpuff - last update: Jul 5, 2008 |
Well I was first in this region in 1999. I had come travelling with my then roommate and we had so much fun in Yunnan that for the last 6 years I have been dying to just come back and re-live those experiences. Back in that time, we only visited Kunming and Dali. I loved Dali and when I came back to China in 2003 to live on a more permanent basis with my boyfriend, I couldn't stop talking to him about Yunnan and how I would like to go back there one day with him this time and show him around! Well that day came last week when all of China celebrated the May Day holiday which lasts for 7 days. We were both lucky enough to get 10 days off work, so off we went in search of a forgotten paradise!And we certainly found it..in the form of Lijiang! (I have since gone back again for a 3rd time in May 2008 and so many of my tips are more up-to-date)
The books claim that it is only 150km from Dali which itself is about 400km from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. So if this is true.....how come it took so bloody long to get there!!!!! Ha ha!!!! Well I didn't come directly here from Dali so I dont know for sure, but every other trip they claimed would take four or five hours ended up being nine!!!! But thats what is fun when you are a back packer and having to take dodgy old overnight sleeper buses to places rather than flying!!! Talking of these sleeper buses..what an experience..I will write more about that in the transportation section...phew!!!
Lijiang is made up of the new town which is just like any other Chinese city and should therefore be avoided at all costs, and the new 'old' city! By this I mean, that there are many new buildings all around that have been built in the old style form. Truely gorgeous buildings which give off an air of tranquility and charm. Lijiang is the capital of the Naxi Kingdom. However its local people. the Naxis, are often looked upon now more as a tourist attraction rather than people in their own right. They wear blue and white outfits which represent the cosmos and can be seen walking down just about every street with some heavy load on their back or head. They really were very smiley people and I dont think it was because they were making money out of us..they genuinely seemed happy to speak to foreigners. In 1996, a huge earthquake devastated a third of the town and so the govt decided to rebuild it with the aim to make profits from tourists who would visit. Well they certainly made a good effort..this place was teeming with people! |
| Come along girls. Smile for the camera!!!! |
|  | The history.... The Naxi are descended from a race of Tibetan nomads who settled in the region before the 10th century.They brought with them what they considered to be the sturdiest horses of that time and a shamanistic religion called Dongba. Dongba is a type of pictogram writing which is so much fun and interesting to try and work out the meaning of!!! I bought two books on Naxi writings so I could learn how to write them. I have recently started a calligraphy course, and many of the oracle writings look like Naxi pictograms so that's why I am so interested in it! There is a village nearby called Shuhe which has more of an older feeling to it and pictogram murals can be found around that area. Again, more on that village later on....
Naxi houses are substantial two storey homes built around a central paved courtyard.Family houses are considered very important to the Naxi and many people spend a large part of their income maintaining and improving them. I will show some photos of these houses in other pages. |
| Dinner by the light of a lamp! |
| | Nightlife dinner experience... Along the streams that run throughout the old town are restaurants, cafes and shops. It's really beautiful by day and exciting by night! The lights around the area are wonderful with Chinese lanterns lining the streets. Each cafe has its own type of cuisine of which there are many. We checked out quite a few, though they seemed fairly expensive. We had read about one in a couple of books which used to be a hostel as well. We couldnt find its hostel but then found the restaurant accidently. We ended up going there most days as the menu was extensive and the atmosphere one of the best on the street. This is just a little clip of one of the cafes at night. |
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| Pros: | "A wonderful 'new' old town...so much beauty and tranquility" | | Cons: | "Just hope that it will remain such a special place" |
sugarpuff's Lijiang Travel Tips
 Comments for sugarpuff about Lijiang | | | | |
vinc_bilb Mon Mar 9, 2009 15:46 UTC
Fascinating ... I'll have to avoid to skip to your pages during my work .... not good for my "fighting spirit" hehe ... | sihi Sun Nov 23, 2008 08:54 UTC
Nice and interesting page!! I liked night life tips.:) | albaaust Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:05 UTC
This is called a hippeastrum. | sugarpuff Mon Mar 10, 2008 00:47 UTC
Caterpillars are soldier caterpillars I think! |
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