"Model village for Tourism" Lijiang by dutchboycalledjan

We landed at Lijiang airport in the middle of the night. Two transporter van brought us in about 45 minutes to our hotel (see tip). The next morning we had breakfast at Peter's, the day after at Ali Baba's (see tip). Lijiang is loved by the Chinese, so much is clear. It is a kind of venice, in the crowds it attracts. We saw it more like a Disney Land Chinese style - and there is nothing wrong with Disney Land.

The village has been rebuild after an earthquake and has lots of small canals. The buildings are all more or less the same style, the same lay out. And they're either shop, restaurant or inn. Commercialisation at its highest. And you have to pay an entrance fee of 80 rmb!

On the other hand, a 'normal' village would have been destroyed by these numbers of people. And we had a fine time, watching the people, bargaining, eating and walking the maze.

• Pros:The streets, the canals, the bridges, the maze, the view
• Cons:The crowds, the shops, the commerce
• In a nutshell:A must see.