Food and accommodation
There is never a shortage of restaurants and hotels in both the new and the old towns. You can find cheaper food in the new town, but most of the cafes are in the Old Town where they serve Western and Chinese food. The local specialties are Lijiang Baba and Ji dou liang feng. Lijiang Baba is a round pancake made of wheat flour, ham and scallion or sugear. Ji dou liang feng is made of beans grown locally and jelly-like. Although it does not have attractive color, it is the most popular food in Lijiang. Tibetan tea, also known as yak butter tea is served in local restaurants. There are over 180 hotels in Lijiang providing 20,000 beds. Most of their rooms have Western toilets and hot water showers. In the Old Town, some the locals have converted their houses into guesthouses, all in the traditional charming style. But inside the rooms, there are Western toilets and showers.

Entertainment
It can be interesting to go to shows in the Old Town to spend a couple of hours at night enjoying ancient music and traditional dancing. The Naxi Orchestra starts to perform at 8 p.m. and ends at 9:30. There are some old musicians in the orchestra, playing old musical instruments that survived the Cultureal Revolution. Another good option is Dongba Palace where the performers are originally from the countryside and they focus on ancient music and traditional dancing. They start at 8 p.m. and end at 9:30. A costume show is given at the theater opposite the Mao Statue in the new town. Check out the cafes and have a drink if you are interested .

Minority groups
They are 22 minorities in Lijiang such as Naxi , Bai, Titbetans, Lisu, Pumi , Yi, Miao , etc. They account for 59% in the total population. One of biggest groups is the Naxi who are the descendants of the Tibetan Qiang tribe. Therefore, there are some influences from Tibetan such as like their food, architecture, religion, and so on. The Naxi have a population of 330,000 nationwide and most live in Lijiang area. In spite of their relatively its small population compared to others, the Naxi have created the Old Town of Lijiang- World's Cultureal Heritage Site and preserved their own traditions well. Their Dongba Pictographs have been designated as being of global importance World's Register by UNESCO.
As part of the Yi, the Taliu are begins to be famous for their its cultural relics left . The Taliu live in Yongshen County , 2 hours drive from Lijiang. Visitors are impressed by the well-preserved traditions and ancient graves.

Around Lijiang
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province, one of the National Cultural & Historic cities in China, with old temples dating back to 1200 years. Dali had been the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kindoms for 600 years and has with rich cultural relics telling the history. Zhongdian/Shangri-la is a nearby county town which abounds in Tibetan culture and beautiful landscapes. More and more tourists are starting begin to take the Yunnan-Tibetan road, which takes a week, to Tibet via Zhongdian. The local governments are promoting the tourism in the Ssouth of Tibet, Wwest of Sichuan and Nnorthwest of Yunnan as Greater Shangri-la.

Media comments (to be prepared)
11.International recognition:
Lijiang has won the following titles:
1) Old Town of Lijiang, Worlds (Cultural) Heritage Site, UNESCO (1997)
2) Laojunshan Mountain, part of Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas Worlds (Natural) Heritage, UNESCO (2003)
3) Ancient Naxi Dongba Literature Manuscripts, Memory of the World Register, UNESCO (2003)
4) European Favorite Tourist Destination, by Sino-European Tourism Forum
5) Global Living Environment City, by CCC/UN