A Tree Hostel (Guangbi Alley)

The really old part

by gigi_huang

Unavoidably, after Li Jiang becomes well known all around the world, the central town is pretty commercialized. It's beautiful, but more or less artificial.

If you want to explore into the real old town, follow me to bump into the lanes.

Lijiang Old Town

by sunnywong

On December 3rd, 1997, the Old Town of Lijiang was put in the list of the World's Relics by the World Cultural Heritage Commission of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

Three small rivers course through Old Town's cobbles-stoned streets that are lined with trees, wonderful restaurants and cafes, shops, residences and a theatre where you can attend a performance of music played on original period instruments that date back to the Han dynasty. Lijiang has been designated by UNESCO as one of the world's major cultural heritages, and is the center of the Lijiang Naxi Ethnic Minority Autonomous County. The Naxi (one of 25 ethnic minorities of Yunnan Province) are the predominate population of Lijiang and its surrounding area. There are also a variety of beautiful parks and temples around Lijiang.

Ancient Naxi Music

by wandering360

Go attend one of the Naxi Music concerts in the heart of the old town. As of 2001, 11 of the musicians were over 80 years old!

Apparently, Naxi music was banned during the cultural revolution but luckily for us today, the musicians hid their instruments by burying them in their gardens.

Mansión - Mufu - Mansion

by elpariente

La mansión Mufu ( mansión de madera ) fue la residencia de los emperadores Naxi . El gobernador mu de la dinastía Ming edificó estos edificios copiando el estilo de la ciudad prohibida , pero imprimiendo detalles de su cultura Naxi
Rodeados por unos jardines muy agradables , hay dos zonas claramente definidas , la que se dedicaba a vivienda de la familia de las autoridades y la parte dedicada a gobernar donde impartía justicia y recibía a las autoridades .
Estos edificios han pasado por una buena restauración en 1999 , y es muy agradable dar un paseo por sus pabellones , con alegres pinturas , y por sus jardines


The Mufu Mansion (wooden mansion) was the residence of the Naxi emperors . The governor Mu , in the Ming dynasty , built these buildings copying the style of the Forbidden City, but printing details of Naxi culture
Surrounded by some very pleasant gardens, there are two clearly defined areas, one devoted to housing the family of the authorities and the other section dedicated to govern , make justice and to receive the authorities
These buildings have gone through a good restoration in 1999, and it is very pleasant to stroll for their pavilions, with cheerful paintings, and their gardens

Under Construction

by raraavis

"Lijiang"

Lijiang is the home of Naxi people and its Dongba culture. The Naxi people are matriarchal. Dongba has its origin in shamanistic mythology. The Naxi writing is hieroglyphic. The Lijiang Old Town has over 800 years of history. The cobble-stoned streets, running streams, and stone bridges make the old town a charming place. Many other minority groups reside in the area including Tibetan and Bai.

This leg of the trip proved to be the highlight of our China trip filled with stunning sceneries; delicious food; a friendly dog; natural disaster; arguments with a French tour guide and a local taxi driver; Ban Chan the Tibetan living Buddha; and what appeared to be the blossoming romance between an unlikely couple.

Photos can be viewed here.

"The Stow-Away Story"

K and I took the No. 7 public bus to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park. Even though it is called a public bus, it is essentially a mini-van operated by proprietors who spent a lot of money to obtain a tourist bus license. The van normally sits 7 people, although the driver and guide will try to squeeze in as many as possible. Since this is low season, K and I shared a mini-van with 2 young Chinese couples from Chengdu. En route to the park entrance gate, the guide asked if we want to save some money. After we agreed, she explained that she’s going to hide 3 of us in the mini-van. Instead of paying the 120 RMB normally charged at the park ticket booth, the 3 of us would pay 80 RMB each to her and the driver rather than to the park. It really wasn’t such a big deal to us since that means we would save $5. But it probably helped the 2 Chinese couples.

The driver pulled to the roadside and we all got out of the van according to the guide’s instructions. She picked a small guy and told him to lie down in the storage space in the back. It was a really tiny space, but he was also a tiny guy. She then covered him with a long seat cushion. Afterwards, she told a woman to squat in the space under the passenger side dash board. The woman was covered with a ski jacket.

Then it was my turn. Being slightly bigger than the skinny petite Southern guys and gals, I was instructed to lie down on the seat along the third row. I was covered with another ski jacket. The other Chinese guy from Chengdu sat on my legs. It was a lot of trouble to go through to save not a whole lot of money. The rest of the people were sitting normal in their seats. We were giggling until we arrived at the ticket booth and were told to be quiet.

After the tickets were purchased and we drove past the ticket booth, the stow-aways were told it was safe to see the daylight again.

I was pretty sure the ticket agent saw me because I saw her. The ski jacket wasn’t big enough to properly cover a grown person. Duh! However, the agent didn’t seem to notice the other two stow-aways.

It was exciting to be a stow-away, albeit a very minor one.

When you spend every minute of the day together, you run out of things to say to each other. Every little thing became a topic of intense discussion and analysis. So K and I discussed my stow-away experience in great detail. In China, localism is omnipresent and tolerated. Lijiang is no exception. Locals get ahead of lines, ride taxis for free, and give each other “free passes” on a number of things while outsiders are subject to the real rules. The ticket agent saw me but gave her fellow Naxi woman a free pass so she could make some money. The guide purposely let the ticket agent see me to distract attention away from other two stow-aways. It’s not so bad to have 1 stow-away rather than 3, eh? In the end, the guide and driver made 240 RMB from 3 stow-aways plus 8 RMB from each passenger for the ride.