Old Town of Lijiang

Lijiang Old Town, also known as Dayan Ancient City, is a remarkably well-preserved historic city nestled in the Yunnan Province of China, primarily inhabited by the Naxi ethnic group. UNESCO World Heritage Site: It was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1997, recognized for its unique urban layout, architecture, and enduring Naxi culture. Unique Features: The town is famous for its intricate network of canals, waterways, and stone bridges, which are fed by the surrounding mountains. The streets are paved with local stone slabs, and the architecture is a distinct blend of Naxi, Han Chinese, and Tibetan styles, featuring traditional timber-framed houses. Cultural Hub: It serves as a living example of the unique Dongba culture of the Naxi people, which includes a rare pictographic script and traditional music. Vibrant Center: The heart of the town is Sifang Street (Square Street), which was historically and remains today a bustling center for commerce and social gathering. Establishment: The town was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty (960–1279) and expanded greatly during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Trading Post: Its strategic location made it an essential stop along the Ancient Tea Horse Road, connecting Yunnan with Tibet, Sichuan, and Southeast Asia. This function facilitated significant economic and cultural exchange between various ethnic groups, including the Naxi, Han, Tibetan, and Bai. The Mu Clan: For over 500 years, the town was governed by the hereditary chieftains of the Mu clan (Naxi rulers), whose magnificent former residence, Mufu Palace, remains a key attraction. Water System: The town's ingenious and complex water supply system, originating from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, was a crucial factor in its design, bringing water to every household and street—a unique feature that has earned it the nickname the "Oriental Venice." Preservation: Despite surviving numerous earthquakes (including a major one in 1996), Lijiang Old Town has largely retained its original Ming and Qing dynasty structure, leading to its global recognition as a cultural treasure. Visited this old town many years ago while making my way through China, and this town was simply a slice out of history, the location, people and experience was magical. We took a donkey ride and a large hike up a mountain.

Suggest to go on winter and on afternoon. It’s quite cold so u need to wear at least a jacket. Nice foods, cultures, flowers and structures. People, they don’t know English so u can use google translate, if u know Chinese, that’s great. Remember to lower the price if u can. When u walk around, the seller wil give u some small food spieces, try it, u like u buy. Have a great day! Free entrance

I really like exploring the ancient town here, even though I know the buildings are newly renovated and not actually ancient, but the look and feel is there. It’s also super convenient to eat, and things are really cheap (I live in America so cheap is relative). There are unique experiences here that highlight the local culture such as the mushroom hot pot (Lijiang is known for their diverse variety of mushrooms). Because we went during off-peak season it wasn’t overt crowded so it was nice. After dark the lights turn on and there’s street performers (there was even a concert stage performance the day we were there) which is all free to watch.

One of the largest if not the largest old cities with small shops. This place is massive. Best to start at the South Entrance where the food stall markets are and work your way through. There are quite a few TikTok/routine hot stalls, especially the fruit place that makes a decent fruit salad, it's the one with the long line straight down near the food stalls after going through the south entrance, just past an arena where there are lots of skewer shops

The town feels like a step back in time. Cobblestone streets wind through clusters of traditional wooden Naxi-style houses, their dark timber frames and curved tiled roofs reflected in narrow canals. Red lanterns hang outside teahouses, and small bridges arch gracefully over the waterways. A must visit when in China! Also, be sure to visit the traditional costume shops to immerse your cultural experience!

We are staying in the old town so spent lotsa time exploring this place which is a maze. I can see many stores selling the same food items too. Very nice place with many pubs.

Okay to go as a first time visitor, but it’s not somewhere I want to return as it is way too commercialised. The stores are repetitive and full of tourist traps (please avoid shops selling spiritual/wooden beads, bracelets etc), they will use their usual trick (poke the inside of the bead where the string enters to show it is red hence authentic), but it is dyed cheap wood as real wood does not bleed on to the string. Unfortunately we fell for a cny100 bracelet (shop in photo) but after wearing it, noticed the color of the dye stained the white string, and that’s when a bit of research made us realised we were scammed. A quick search online - It can only be sold as cheap beads of cny5-20. Similarly, try to avoid buying too much coffee from the brand “Chuyungu”- you will see it nearly every street in all the tourist old towns and they told us to buy to cny1000 for additional free beans, and the staff that made us the coffee was not knowledgeable at all as he said that there is no difference in ground coffee or whole beans and even ground coffee can keep fresh for many months (which is totally absurd). After buying the beans, one of the staff told us to pay directly to her as their QR code was not working (sounds strange to me). Very unpleasant experience. I had a much better experience at a coffee shop at Baisha old town. Just go for a stroll, eat food you enjoy, buy inexpensive things that are not so prone to scams. It is very vibrant at night.

Lijiang Ancient Town is always lively, especially at night when the streets are crowded with people, food stalls, and music. It is very commercial, but that also means there’s a wide variety of good food, bars, and cultural shows to enjoy. The town blends a traditional setting with a bustling, modern nightlife atmosphere—an interesting fusion that makes it both vibrant and unique.