2 April -> We set off to Lijiang from Kunming railway station at 9.50pm. It is a hard sleeping seat. It took 8 hours to reach Lijiang railway station at early morning. The weather at Lijiang is very cold at roughly 8-10 Celcius early morning. The bus station bench made by marble is so cool. We take public bus Road 4 (number 4) to Lijiang Ancient Town. Due to construction at the bus stops area, we stopped at 2 station in advance and walked into Lijiang ancient Town North Gate where the Waterwheel and YuHe Square located. The distance took around 20 minutes.
Lijiang main minority is Naxi tribal. We saw many local
tourists came from China other province visited Lijiang batch by batch
non-stop. I seldom saw Westerner tourists may be because it is off-peak season
now. I can’t imagine how crowded it is if stand there at peak period season.
The central of Lijiang Ancient Town is Si Fang Square. Si
Fang Square attracted many tourists throng to there to enjoyed local food at
the food court there and rest at the public square. Si Fang Square are
surrounding by many shops stretch out to different small lanes. If you like to
taste local food, the varieties of local food will satisfy your taste bud.
Inside the lane between Si Fang Square and Yuhe Square lies the Bar Street
which attracted many youngsters to enjoy drink, dance and sing there. The most
famous bar and disco here is One Meter Sunshine (一米阳光).
Lijiang is renowned for its favourable opportunity for an encounter with a
beautiful woman. It is paradise for single either guy or lady to find short
term partner. So, brighten up your eye and seize the opportunity here in
Lijiang Ancient Town.
The entry ticket to Lijiang Ancient Town is RMB 80. However,
no authority is there collect the money and no enforcement (it might be
different at peak season period). If you are going Yulong Snow Mountain, then
you need to buy and show this ticket in order to access to Yulong Snow Mountain
together with the ulong Snow Mountain ticket.
The next day we proceed to Shuhe Ancient Town. Shuhe Ancient
Town located 6 km away from Lijiang Ancient Town. It takes 15 minutes to take
mini van (RMB 3 at Fuhui Market) or taxi (RMB30) to go there. Shuhe Ancient
Town is more tranquil and lesser tourists than Lijiang Ancient Town. It gain
its popularity in recent years. The building in Shuhe Ancient Town has 800
years of history.
The entry ticket to Shuhe Ancient Town is RMB 50. However,
no authority is there to collect the entry fee. You can just access into Shuhe
Ancient Town through main door without paying the entry fee. It might be strict
at peak season may be.
Shuhe Ancient Town is divided into Old Town and New Town.
The main door where we access into Shuhe is new town. Old town only accessible
by walk, bicycle or horse carriage from new town. It is more remote inside the
Shuhe Ancient Town. The most famous stone bridge built during Ming Dynasty are
located at Old Town. Due to horse carriage transport, Shuhe streets have horse
excrement randomly, so it is advisable to be careful when going out at night.
The culture of Naxi minority is Dongba culture. Naxi
language is based on pictogram / hieroglyph. The language has been used for
over 1000 years. Recent years Lijiang government has add in this language into
their education syllabus for local schools. Naxi minority religious are belief
on polytheism.
Shuhe Ancient Town and Lijiang Ancient Town are important
town of Old Tea-Horse Road / Southern Silk Road. According to the horse
carriage owner information, Sichuan and Yunnan are the two important Old
Tea-Horse Road / Southern Silk Road that linking northward to Tibet and
southward to Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
Lijiang Acient Town and Shuhe Ancient Town are listed in
World Cultural Heritage and China’s AAAA grade of tourism scenic destination.
Some accommodations in Shuhe Ancient Town are operated by
external province Chinese instead of local Naxi minority. Many of Naxi people
choose to rent out their courtyard at RMB 100,000 to RMB 200,000 yearly to
these operators and move out from there to stay outside of Shuhe Ancient Town.
Personal expenses:
Kunming – Lijiang: RMB 152 by train
Shuhe horse carriage: RMB 80
Lijiang Hotel: RMB180 with air-con
Shuhe Hotel: RMB 140 with air-con
Internal transportation: RMB 10
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| Naxi Minority and Dongba Culture |
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| Lijiang Ancient Town |
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| Lijiang Ancient Town |
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| Shuhe Ancient Town |
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| Stone Brigde built during Ming dynasty |
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| Horse Carriage at Shuhe Ancient Town |
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