"Paradise in the mountains" a Lijiang Travel Page by GillianMcLaughlin

I had only a couple of days in Lijiang, but would not have missed it for the world. Guide books waxed lyrical about the traditional architecture and the local minority populations who carry out their daily business in traditional dress, in the shadow of snow-capped mountains. It was all that and much more.

Lijiang is an ancient town that boasts many thousands of years of habitation, some 800 years of history, and strong links with Kublai Khan, who included this area in the Yuan empire in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

The old town still carries the echos of past generations: low 2-storied dwellings crowd around a network of picturesque, tree-lined canals, that are fed from glaciers and melted snow from the surrounding mountains.

Tucked away as it is, in the North east part of the Yunnan province, Lijiang begins to hint at the high lands that await the traveller further North, in Tibet. The town has the fantastic back drop of Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) which stands at some 5,500 m. Snow capped and stately, it can be seen from various parts of the town. This photo is taken from the top of Lion Hill, that sepatates the old and new towns, and I think illustrates the astounding beauty of this location.

Lijiang boast a population of 300,000 people, a village by Chinese standards (relatively unknown cities like Kunming have 4.5 million inhabitants and Beijing and Shanghai can claim a joint population of around 25 million!). Around 40,000 people live in the old town. The Local population, in-keeping with Yunnan's unrivaled reputation for cultural diversity, is comprised of 21 Chinese ethnic groups, although around 58% is Naxi.

In 1996 Lijiang suffered from the aftermath of a terrible earthquake that claimed the livesof 300 people and left another 16,000 injured. The old town was damaged, but not nearly as badly as the new town that has sprung up around it: the locals are proud that their traditional building techniques proved their worth, especially as, at the time of the quake, there were moves to raze the old town to make way for new buildings.

In recognition of the history, sense of preservation and cultural diversity that permeates Lijiang, it was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites in 1997.

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Lijiang has responded with total dedication to the interests of the growing interest of travellers of all types. It offers accommodation that covers the spectrum from cheap dorm beds in traditional Naxi houses to luxurious western-style hotels. It is a place where you'll find a pizza or hamburger if that's what you want, and also a wide variety of traditional dishes from the locality and also fom Yunnan's South East Asian neighbours.

I hope that you will enjoy a little taste of what is to be found in this charming setting.