About a hundred miles west of Burma, the Jinsha and Lancang Rivers cut a path between the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateaus. Lijiang, at an altitude of 2,400 meters consists of three old towns, Dayan, Baisha and Shuhe, clustered in a valley below the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. About a thousand years ago a group from the ruling Mu clan moved to the settlement of Dayan (ink stone). By 1253 A.D. the town became a Mongol administrative center and continued to develop through the subsequent Ming period (1368-1644), when large numbers of Chinese from Anhui Province were herded over to support imperial troops stationed in the borderlands. By the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Lijiang had become an established distribution center on the old “Chama” Tea-Horse Road. Tibetans would trade horses, textiles and herbs, in exchange for tea and other produce from the south. The trade routes dried up in the early 20th century to be replaced by the Chinese Red Armies who moved in to bring the ‘minority’ regions back into the fold.
In 1996 Lijiang attracted the world’s attention when it experienced an earthquake measuring seven on the Richter scale. As reconstruction of the old town began its uniqueness became apparent and it was added to the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sights. The town’s history as a cultural melting pot is reflected in its architecture which shows the influence of Naxi, Bai, Tibetan and Chinese tradition. Two-storey wood and adobe brick courtyard houses are clustered among a narrow warren of lanes. Neat whitewashed walls and tiled roofs provide stark contrast to the brightly painted doors and windows carved with auspicious symbols to indicate both a family’s social status and religious beliefs. Running alongside the maze of local bluestone streets is a network of canals crisscrossed with over three hundred bridges. Today’s Lijiang is expanding rapidly, making it one of the fastest growing tourist spots in China.
