One-day tour of Lijiang Ancient Town.

At 8 a.m., we set off from the hotel. Sister Lu wanted to wear traditional costumes for photos. She went to rent clothes and get her makeup done. Sister Lu Mei and I weren’t interested, so the two of us went to have breakfast. When Sister Lu finished her makeup and found us, we started taking beautiful photos of her. But in less than half an hour, Sister Lu didn’t want to wear the Yi ethnic costume anymore. She wanted to wear Naxi ethnic clothing instead. So we cooperated with her and rented two more sets of clothes to accompany her and have fun. We also hired a photographer to take a set of photos for us. Unfortunately, the retouched photos from the photographer won’t be available until three days later, so we can’t use them today. In short, we had a happy day of fun again today.

Lijiang Ancient Town is located in the Gucheng District of Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, situated in the Lijiang Basin. The World Cultural Heritage site "Lijiang Ancient Town" includes Dayan Ancient Town (including Heilongtan), Shuhe Ancient Architecture Complex, and Baisha Ancient Architecture Complex. Lijiang Ancient Town covers an area of 7.279 square kilometers. It was first built at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. The ancestors of the Mu family of Lijiang moved the ruling center from Baisha Ancient Town to Lion Mountain and began constructing houses and city walls, calling it "Dayechang." During the Ming Dynasty, the establishment, consolidation, and improvement of the Tusi system led Lijiang Ancient Town into its first glorious period of development. In the Qing Dynasty, with the improvement of agricultural productivity and the development of handicrafts, Lijiang Ancient Town gradually developed into a commercial center. After the Republic of China period, there were more than 1,200 shops of various sizes in Lijiang Ancient Town. In December 2002, the State Council officially approved Lijiang to be upgraded from a prefecture to a city, and the administrative division of Lijiang Ancient Town was assigned to the Gucheng District of Lijiang City. From the overall urban layout to the engineering and architecture, Lijiang Ancient Town integrates the essence of various ethnic groups including Han, Bai, Yi, Tibetan, and Naxi. The town has an irregular road network and no imposing city walls. The streets within Dayan Ancient Town are built along the mountains and water, paved with red breccia, and feature attractions such as Wangu Tower, Mu’s Residence, Wufeng Tower, Heilongtan, Wenchang Palace, Fang Guoyu’s Former Residence, Puji Temple, Sifang Street, Kegongfang, and Xueshan Academy. On December 4, 1997, at the 21st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, it was recognized for its well-preserved local ethnic characteristics combined with natural beauty, possessing special value. Despite the 1996 "2.3 Lijiang Earthquake," the basic layout remained unchanged, core buildings survived, and restoration and reconstruction returned it to its original state, preserving historical authenticity. It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Post by Foster2Josiah234 | Oct 20, 2025