Old Town of Lijiang, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan Province, China
The Old Town of Lijiang is a historic settlement featuring waterways, bridges, and wooden buildings arranged along narrow stone-paved streets at 2,400 meters elevation. The town is tightly built, with houses, shops, and public spaces forming an interconnected network around the water channels.
The town was founded in the 12th century and grew into a major trading hub along the Tea Horse Road connecting Tibet with southern Chinese provinces. This commercial importance shaped how the settlement developed and its present-day layout.
The Naxi people keep their heritage alive through practices visible throughout the town, such as their distinctive written script and traditional crafts that appear in daily work. You can see these skills practiced in shops and small studios scattered across the neighborhoods.
You can enter the town through several access points, with the main entrance near the Water Wheel providing the most direct route to the market area. Wear comfortable shoes for walking the narrow lanes, and visiting early in the day helps you avoid the largest crowds.
An ingenious ancient water system channels mountain spring water through carved stone conduits beneath the streets to supply each neighborhood. This underground network has operated for centuries without modern technology, demonstrating the clever engineering of the town's early builders.
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