Half a century ago, a Russian named Peter Ku was dispatched to Lijiang by the International Industrial Cooperatives. He was deeply enchanted by the "heaven-like scenes", and stayed in Lijiang for 9 years. In his book "The Forgotten Kingdom" he wrote, "Lijiang is rarely known to the outside world. It is the ancient Naxi Kingdom in south China which is almost forgotten..."
This is an ancient, picturesque land. This is a land everyone admires. 

 
Nature the Great Creator showed extreme affection in his ancient piece of land. Apart from its abundant land, biological and mineral resources, Lijiang has huge reserve of tourism and hydropower resources. In Lijiang, there is the contemporary glacier which is the southernmost one on the north hemisphere. The Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain is praised as the "Museum of Glaciers" and the "Kingdom of Plants". Xinzhu Natural Botanical Garden is known as the "Gene Bank of Plants on the Hengduan Mountains" and the Laojun Mountain in Lijiang is renowned as the "Kingdom of Rhododendrons". The "Morning Sunglow" scene of the Red Cliffs treats visitors with 3 sunrises and sunsets within a single day. The Ten-Thousand-Flower Camellia in Lijiang is praised as the "First Tree under Heaven". Entering Yuquan Park, visitors find themselves in the fairyland.

The ancient Dayan Town of Lijiang has a history of over 800 years. The Town is well-known to the world because "each of the household is built by the stream and surrounded by willow trees". Therefore, Dayan Town is praised as the "Oriental Venice" and "Suzhou on the Plateau". Dongba sculptures of Lijiang were written in pictographs which are the only living written language of its kind in the world. In the Baoshan (Mountain of Treasures) Town, all people of the village live in a world of stone because almost everything there was carved out of stones. Baisha Murals in Baisha village have been listed for national-level protection of historic relics. The "Dongjing Music of the Naxi" bearing the melody and rhythm inherited from the Tang and Song Dynasties is known as the "Living Fossils of Music"... The natural and humanistic scenes of Lijiang have drawn many keen-sighted personages.

Within the territory of Lijiang County, there are rich biological resources, and the County is known as the "Kingdom of Highland Plants". The County is dotted with more than 20 well-preserved virgin forests in which there flourish over 800 kinds of rare and precious medicinal herbs and over 3,000 species of seed plants.

Lijiang of today is no longer the "forgotten realm". On December 4, 1997, Lijiang was listed as the World Heritage by UNESCO. The warm-hearted and hospitable Lijiang people of different ethnic nationalities cordially welcome friends from both home and abroad, and the magnificent and mysterious Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is opening its arms to the world.

Location: Yunnan Province, 527km (316 miles) NW of Kunming, 150km (90 miles) NW of Dali

Climate: Li Jiang (elev. 2,340m/7,800 ft.) has a pleasant climate year-round with average temperatures in the spring, summer, and fall ranging between 60°F and 80°F (16°C-27°C). Spring and fall are the best times to visit.

Admission Fee: RMB 80 (Protection Fare)

 

Lijiang – Kunming (527km)
(8-9 hours, ticket price: US$19) northwest of Kunming，is connected to the lowland by through the National Road leading to Tibet. There are 20 buses running between these 2 cities. The buses are reasonably priced, comfortable and make a meal stop on the way.
Bicycling around the Old Town is gaining in popularity as a way for the young and fit to see the sights. Particuarly those young student tourists like to biking to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Jade Peak Temple along the village causeway.
There are a couple bike rental operations in Lijaing, one option: No. 70 Xinyijie, cost: 15yuan/ day. Some hotels also has free bicycling service. Contact the club for information on their price and deposit policy.
At least two days to relax and explore the old streets, a few more days to cycle the countryside.

 

 

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