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- Built in the late Song Dynasty, 800 years
ago, crisscrossed by the canals, bridges, the
Old Town of Lijiang attracts tourists to spend
most of their time in the town. There are roughly
6,000 families living in the Old Town , who
used to fetch and carry their drinking water
from the canals. With its center at the Market
Square , where the Naxi ladies meet to are chatting
, local hunters are standing proudly with falcons
resting on their gloved fists., tThe Old Town
looks very so charming , especially after rain.
All the houses are built in the traditional
style , a combination of Naxi, Bai and Tibetan
architecture. These wooden houses mostly withstood
stood up strongly to survive the 1996 earthquake
of 7 on the Richter scale happened in 1996 ,
better than the more recent concrete houses
in the new town . UNESCO was so impressed by
how well the old part of the town has been preserved
that they listed the Old Town of Lijiang as
a World's Cultureal Heritage Site. Near the
center, there is stands Mu's Mansion, recently
rebuilt after the earthquake with the loans
from World Bank. It was once the palace where
the local chieftains of 22 generations spent
their lives.
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- As one of the most biologically diverse regions
in Yunnan, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain hads been
an important plant-hunting ground since early
20th century. Amongst the famous plant-hunters
was Joseph Rock, an Austro-American, was one
of them, who came to Lijiang in 1922 and lived
until 1949. The mountain is home to 60 species
of animals including snub-nosed monkey and red
pandas and 3200 species of 145 families of seed
plants . Three scenic spots have been developed
for tourism , Ganhaizi , where tourists can
take the cable-cargondola up to 4500 meters
(14800 feet)above sea level. Two lower ones
are Spruce Meadow atof 3200 meters (10500 feet)
and Yak Meadow atof 3700 meters (12200 feet).
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- Another highly-biologically diverse region
in the province , Laojunshan Mountaion area
ishas been part of the Three Parallel Rivers
Region , which was designated as World's Natural
Heritage Site by UNESCO. This mountain region
is also diverse in minority groups such as Lisu,
Naxi, Pumi , Bai, Yi, etc. May, June and July
are good seasons to see wild flowers like rhododendrons
in thise mountain area.
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- 200 kilometers (125 miles) in the northeast
of Lijiang , Lugu Lake has been described as
the Female Kingdom, where thousands of Moso,
a sub-tribe of the Naxi still follow the tradition
of "walking marriage". Husbands and
wives do not have a joint home. They live with
their mothers during in daytime and with their
partners date at nights. The women are responsible
for raising their children, and generally play
the most important role . Women play a more
import role there . Only women can inherit the
property. Men stay at home looking after the
children. Local food features fat salted pork
and dry fish.
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- Walk against the current of Jade River from
Water Wheels on the northern edge of the Old
Town for around 10 minutes , and you will see
one of the entrances to the park of Black Dragon
Pool Park. The spring-fed pools water covers
an area of 40,000 square meters (10 acres) .
The pool is fed by springs. In the park , there
are some old buildings dating back to 600 years.
ago. The Dongba Culture Institute and Dongba
Culture Museum inside the park are well worth
visitingchecking out. 200 years ago, a temple
by the water was named Dragon God Temple by
the King Kangxi in Qing Dynasty.
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- Being pPart of the Baisha area, Shuhe is the
birthplace of Naxi culture. Walking in the old
part of the town , you will notice find out
that the streets in the Old Town of Lijiang
are similar to these in Shuhe. Shuhe was once
prosperous for centuries when caravans passed
through with goods in and out from the south
of Yunnan and Tibet passed by .
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- 16 kilometers (10 miles ) in the north of
Lijiang, Yufeng Monastery lies at the foot of
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The monastery was
built in 1711 , as one of five monasteries in
Lijiang valley, belonging to the White-hat Sect
of Tibetan Buddhism . It is famous for its 500-year-old
camellia tree up at the top .
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- As one of the settlements built by the Naxi
ancestors, Baisha is considered to be the birthplace
of Naxi culture as well as the capital of the
Aancient Naxi Kingdom. There are some interesting
frescoes here made around 500 years ago, representing
the local culture as a combination of Han and
Tibetan cultures.
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- Covering an area of 1002 hectares (3.9 square
miles), as the largest lake in Lijiang area,
Lashihai Lake is recognized as one of the most
important marshes in Yunnan . It is fed by the
melting snow from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Every year , over 150,000 migrationng birds
spend the winter here. The lake in on the way
to Zhongdian , 8 kilometers (5 miles) from downtown
Lijiang.
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- 90 kilometers (55 miles)in the northwest of
Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of natural
wonders inof China. The Yangtze flows through
two snowy-topped mountains, Haba and Jade Dragon,
on either sidethe both sides to forming one
of the deepest gorges in the world. From the
mountain tops to the water in the river, the
gorge is 3900 meters (12800 feet) deep. Hikers
can would spend a couple of days in the gorge
, enjoying the stunning views.
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- 40 kilometers (25 miles) upstream of before
Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Yangtze makes its first
major turn and changes the direction from the
north-south to south-northeast. The river is
wide around the bend and it was the site of
chosen to be the spot for military massive soldiers
to crossings the river in the past. In 1253,
some one of Kublai Khan's troops crossed the
river here . and much later, As late asin 1936,
the Red Army crossed the Yangtze here on their
way to their northern bases with the help of
local boatmen.
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- Over 100 Naxi families live on a big rock
cliff, known as Baoshan Stone Town, chosen by
Kublai Khan in 1253 to cross the Yangtze on
his way to conquer the Dali Kingdom
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