Lanes in Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang Old Town

丽江古城 · Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Foto: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0

A 'Suzhou of the plateau' without city walls, a living museum of Naxi Dongba culture.

Antes de ir · Know before you go

  • Ask the owner before entering a Naxi home, and don't step on the threshold
  • don't leaf through Dongba scriptures.

Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.

Culture

Cultura y costumbres

Contexto cultural

Lijiang Old Town dates from the late Song and early Yuan; following the hills and water, Naxi houses of 'three wings and a screen wall' line its streams, and it was once a trading hub on the Tea Horse Road. Dongba pictographic script is often called the only pictographic writing still in use in the world, and Naxi ancient music is called a 'living fossil of music'. The old town became a World Heritage Site in 1997.

Costumbres locales

  • Naxi festivals include the Sanduo Festival and the Torch Festival
  • locals like to dance and drink rice wine in Sifang Square. Cured-rib hotpot, chickpea jelly and rice sausage are common in the old town.

Religión y creencias

  • The Naxi widely follow the Dongba religion (an indigenous faith) alongside Tibetan Buddhism
  • be respectful at Dongba displays and ritual sites, and don't touch scriptures or ritual objects.

Etiquette

Normas y tabúes

Normas que se aplican aquí

Línea rojaSeguridadChina

China: don't get physical in a dispute

  • Walk away from an argument and call the police if needed
  • Pushing, shoving or fighting

Whoever starts it, taking part in a fight can bring a fine or detention, and the injured party usually demands compensation.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice

Línea rojaModales cotidianosChina

China: carry your original passport

  • Foreign visitors should carry their original passport
  • Carrying only a copy or photo of your passport

Police make random ID checks and do not accept printouts; if you cannot show your passport, you may be fined or detained.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: China travel advice

No lo haga DON'T

  • Ask the owner before entering a Naxi home, and don't step on the threshold
  • don't leaf through Dongba scriptures.

Lo que aprecian los locales DO

  • Locals love teahouses and sunshine and live at an unhurried pace
  • many older Naxi women still wear the traditional sheepskin cape embroidered with 'stars and moon'.

Plan your visit

Información práctica

Consejos de viaje

  • At about 2,400 m, altitude sickness usually isn't a worry, but avoid strenuous exercise
  • the core of the old town is free
  • the bar street is noisy at night, so if you prefer quiet, visit early in the morning or go to Shuhe old town
  • combine with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lashi Lake.

Eat nearby

Qué comer cerca

Imprescindible

  • 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

Dónde comerZhongyi Market (the local market), the cluster of cured-rib restaurants on Huama Street outside the old town
Normas en la mesaKeep quiet at Naxi Dongba cultural sites
Precio orientativo por personaCNY 50–90
ConsejosFood 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.

Los precios son orientativos a octubre de 2026, no presupuestos exactos; en zonas con tipos de cambio muy variables solo se da un intervalo aproximado en yuanes.

Cured-rib hotpot
Cured-rib hotpot
Alpha · CC BY-SA 2.0

Photos

Fotos

Fuentes y notas de verificación

Wikipedia:Old Town of Lijiang