Simply utter the word ‘Lijiang' to a Chinese friend and watch their eyes grow green with envy. The ancient town of Lijiang, nestled into a valley below Jade Dragon Mountain, is a beloved destination of Chinese tourists and home to the Naxi (pronounced Nah-Shee) people. The red lanterns and traditionally dressed Naxi locals which fill the winding alleys and tiny canals of Lijiang's Old Town produce the feeling of a fairy tale. After the town's Naxi architecture proved remarkably resilient after a 1996 earthquake the entire Old City was deemed a world heritage site by UNESCO. Many Naxi buildings withstood the force of the earthquake more successfully than most Han buildings on the new side of town despite their much earlier construction.  

Activities in Lijiang include:

Being humbled by the continuous snowy peaks of Jade Dragon Mountain while petting yaks at 4000 meters 

Scrambling up Elephant Hill for an unbeatable view of the Old City and Jade Dragon Mountain after a stroll around the legendary Black Dragon Pool

Simply getting lost in the endless alleys and dim lighting of the Old City, and then finding your way back with the help of smiling locals! 

Enjoying an evening of music performed by a traditional Naxi Orchestra 

Hiking to the beautiful 17^th century Naxi Buddhist temples which dot the hillsides around the Lijiang Valley

Biking to serene Naxi villages, including Baisha, former capital of the Naxi Kingdom, where the renowned Colored Glaze Temples' frescoes display Daoist, Naxi and Tibetan Buddhist, and Naxi Dongba religious influences

Birdwatching and visits to hidden Naxi villages around Lashi Lake
 

Visit Lijiang on an Overland China journey:
Treasures of Southwest China
Incomparable Yunnan