City guide · 丽江 Lijiang
Lijiang
A Naxi old town beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain — a slow water town on the Tea-Horse Road
Lijiang lies in northwestern Yunnan, on the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, where the Hengduan Mountains meet the northwestern Yunnan plateau. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is snow-capped all year round, its thirteen peaks strung together like a silver dragon. The three World Heritage old towns of Dayan, Baisha and Shuhe are scattered across the plain, and the Naxi people's Dongba culture, the three-eye-well water system and the stories of the caravans give the place its unique texture. Lijiang was the last major station on the Yunnan–Tibet line of the Tea-Horse Road before it entered Tibet, and a home where the Naxi, Tibetan, Yi, Bai, Lisu and other peoples live side by side. Slow living is the main melody here, but the plateau's ultraviolet light and the day–night temperature difference remind travellers to keep their pace.
History
How the city came to be
The old town of Lijiang began to be built in the late Song and early Yuan. On Kublai Khan's southern campaign against Dali, passing the Jinsha River, he established the Chahan Zhang civil administration here in 1253, followed by the Lijiang Route Pacification Commission. In the 15th year of Hongwu (1382), Mu De submitted to the Ming and was granted the surname "Mu"; the Naxi Mu chieftains ruled northwestern Yunnan hereditarily for nearly five hundred years, their territory at its height reaching the borders of Kham and Tibet. In the first year of Yongzheng (1723), the native chieftain system was replaced by regular administration, Lijiang Prefecture was established, and part of the Mu Palace layout survives to this day. The old town, built against the mountain and beside the water, never had a city wall; the Black Dragon Pool water system runs through the whole town, and Sifang Street is the hub of the tea-horse trade. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997; after the 1996 Lijiang earthquake, the old town was repaired and stepped onto the world tourism stage.
- 1253Kublai Khan's southern campaign establishes civil administration in the Lijiang area; Lijiang enters the governance of the Central Plains dynasties
- 1382In the 15th year of Hongwu, the Mu ancestors submit and are granted the surname Mu, hereditarily guarding Lijiang
- Ming and QingThe Mu chieftains expand their territory to the Kham–Tibet borders; the Mu Palace layout reaches its grand form
- 1723In the first year of Yongzheng, Lijiang undergoes the replacement of native chieftains by regular officials, and Lijiang Prefecture is established
- 1922Joseph Rock arrives in Lijiang and for a long time bases himself in northwestern Yunnan, conducting botanical and Naxi cultural research
- 1996On 3 February, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes Lijiang; after the quake the old town is repaired according to plan
- 1997The Old Town of Lijiang is inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List
- 2011Lijiang Old Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and more propel Lijiang into an internationally renowned tourist destination (the Lijiang–Dali railway opened in 2018 and is recorded separately)
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Local life
Food and local daily life
Lijiang Old Town
Must-try
- Cured-rib hotpot
- Chickpea jelly (jidou liangfen)
- Lijiang baba (flatbread)
Cured-rib hotpot (Naxi cured spare ribs with vegetables), jidou liangfen (black-chickpea jelly), Lijiang baba (pan-fried flatbread), Naxi grilled fish, rice sausage
| Where to eat | Zhongyi Market (the local market), the cluster of cured-rib restaurants on Huama Street outside the old town |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | Keep quiet at Naxi Dongba cultural sites |
| Typical price per person | CNY 50–90 |
| Tips | Food on the bar street in the old town is pricey, so eat at Zhongyi Market or outside the old town; cured ribs are salty — balance them with vegetables. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
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