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Baisha Frescoes
Temples throughout Lijiang and the surrounding countryside are famed for their frescoes. Sadly, many of them are in poor condition, largely thanks to vandalism by overzealous Red Guards. Baisha, a charming Naxi town some 8 km (5 miles) north of Lijiang, is home to the best remaining frescoes, and the town is worth a visit on its other merits. Baisha, which was actually the capital of a Naxi kingdom prior to absorption into China, makes for a great day trip from Lijiang; most visitors arrive by bicycle after a pleasant ride that takes about an hour.
If you're looking for frescoes, head to Dabaoji Palace, Liuli Temple and Dading Ge. You'll find scenes depicting various figures and feats from Buddhist and Taoist lore, rendered in glorious—if often faded—colors. Aficionados will note the unique mix of Tibetan, Han and Naxi styles; amateurs can simply enjoy the images of various saints, demons and mythological creatures. When you're done, spend some time exploring Baisha, where you'll find relaxed locals (including, perhaps, the now-famous and outgoing Dr. Ho, known thanks to numerous mentions in travel guides as an expert Taoist physician), pleasant restaurants and tea houses (try Café Buena Vista for its refreshments, travel information and art gallery) and architecture reminiscent of Lijiang, but with fewer crowds.
Baishui River
Baishui means "white water" and the White Water River gets its name not from rapids, but from its clear and sometimes milky glacial water that comes filtered and pure from the mountains into the riverbed. The water is icy cold year round (in other times local women would test their beaus' love by seeing how long they could tolerate the biting cold water), and the surroundings are always impressive. The mountains form the backdrop and foliage lines the banks—lush and green in spring (early summer's rhododendrons are not to be missed) and vibrant and bronzed with fall's colors. You can hike along the river's edge or ride on a horse or yak. There are lovely views from the nearby foothills.
Black Dragon Pool
Jade Spring Park (also known as Heilongtan Park) is one of Lijiang's loveliest in-town attractions. The park encloses a spring-fed pool, reflectively still and often the clarity and color of fine jade. Traditional architectural works—bridges, pagodas, and the like—dot the edge of the pond. There is a nice museum collection (some art, calligraphy and artifacts) housed in the tower and ancient and modern decorative graffiti can be found around Suocui Bridge. The park is an easy walk from the Old Town or a short cab ride.
Lijiang Old Town
Lijiang's Old Town, also called Dayan, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that survived a 1996 earthquake that leveled most of the modern buildings in town. In the wake of the disaster, Dayan gained fame as a quaint and authentic outpost of Yunnan culture and architecture and went from backpacker secret to tour package feature.
Since then, it has struggled to retain its millennium-old identity in the face of mounting crowds, hype and development. Many local Naxi have left their distinctive homes as hotels, restaurants, night clubs and boutiques have moved in, changing the fundamental character of this lovely mountain town while maintaining much of its outward charm. Nonetheless, wandering through the narrow cobbled lanes and along quick-moving channels of alpine stream water rushing through town is exhilarating, and the upside of the tourist boom is that there are a range of options when it comes to dining, entertainment and bedding down.
Long an important Naxi political center, the town reflects the architecture and culture of various regional peoples, including Tibetans and Bai, along with the Naxi. The town's original name reflects its perceived similarity to a jade ink stamp, a feeling you might be able to pick up in Dayan's whimsically angled rooflines and brushstroke-like streets and canals.
The Mansion of Mu Clan
The collection of buildings known as the "Mansion of the Mu Clan" is like a miniature Forbidden City. Some of the architecture is very similar, but it is infused with local flair, distinguishing it from its larger imperial cousin. The mansion complex was the residence and power center for the Mu Clan, who ruled the area for hundreds of years. The clan was defeated during the Ming Dynasty and its palace was almost completely destroyed in the following years by war, plundering and the general decay of time. A large-scale renovation in recent years has resulted in a beautiful site with Han, Bai and Naxi style buildings. The botanical garden of endemic plants and flowers rivals the imperial gardens of the mansion's heyday. The complex is located in Lijiang's Old Town and can be fully explored in two or three hours.
The Yangtze River Bend
The Yangtze comes rushing into Yunnan from the Tibetan plateau, but it runs into a problem near Lijiang—namely, the imposing local mountains. The River, never deterred, politely goes around, forming a dramatic u-turn, which viewed from the nearby hills is an impressive sight. The water slows down and the river widens as it wraps around the mountain, and as geological time has passed, the river has deposited more and more fertile soil around the bend, so that a village was eventually settled here. Shigu Town is an important stop on the trade route between Yunnan and Tibet and for centuries has been a meeting point for local peoples. The Tibetans bring animal hides and herbal medicine and return to their plateau with the lowlanders' cloth, tea and salt. There is still an active market several times a month, making Shigu a lively place when the traders come to town.
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Like the tiger and like another rather famous gorge or three in China, Yunnan's famed Tiger Leaping Gorge's days appear to be numbered—at least if you want to see it in something close to its natural state. Plans are afoot to dam the Jinsha River (as the Yangzi is known through this stretch), whose rushing waters have carved out this 17-kilometer long wonder over millenia. So, if you're set on seeing the world's deepest canyon before it's harmoniously developed into a tourist-friendly hydroelectric reservoir project, make like the legendary tiger and leap at the chance. (We should note that there is a lot of resistance to the dam project, for obvious reasons, and that its completion is not yet absolutely certain).
Located at the junction of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the gorge is tucked neatly between the Yulong Snow Mountains and Haba Snow Mountains. Divided into three segments with an aggregate fall of 210 meters and places where the canyon walls rise some 3,000 meters above the rapids, the gorge is so narrow at points that it's not hard to imagine the namesake tiger making its leap.
All of this extreme scenery makes for some splendid hiking. There are two trails, one high and one low; both take at least two days at a steady pace to complete. Many hikers linger in the gorge, taking advantage of the charming accommodations available in the village of Hutao Yuan (Walnut Garden) situated roughly halfway between Daju and Qiaotou, the two towns located on either end of the primary stretch of gorge. There are a handful of other small towns as well: Bendiwan, Nuoyu,Yacha, Dabai and Yongsheng all make for good resting points, with a number of small guesthouses scattered between them.
If you're lacking the time or energy for the hike (which can be quite strenuous, so be prepared if you do tackle the gorge by foot), roads have been forced into the rugged gorge in recent years, making it possible for buses to deliver gaggles of tourists to Hutao Yuan and major scenic overlooks. The high trail is the way to go if you'd prefer to avoid the masses; the low trail is suffering (or enjoying, depending on your outlook) the effects of tacky touristic development of the kind familiar to any who have visited popular sites in China with a longer history of easy access.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
An impressive sight, especially with Black Dragon Pool in the foreground, Yulong Xue Shan is actually a 13-peak massif that forms one wall of Tiger Leaping Gorge and whose tallest peak, Shanzidou, rises 5,596 meters (18,359 feet) above sea level. The range is home to one of the Northern Hemisphere's southernmost glaciers as well as a wide range of flora and fauna, much of it unique to the region. All of this combines to make it an increasingly popular tourist destination, so that in recent years swank resorts and hotels have begun to encroach on what was, until quite recently, a relatively untrammeled part of the world.
Hiking trails exist and are highly recommended, but the majority of visitors avail themselves of three chairlift lines that provide access to the retreating glacier (see it while it lasts, nature lover) and three designated scenic spots: Dry Sea Meadow (Ganhaizi), a large meadow which is now home to the world's highest golf course Cloud Fir Meadow (Yunshanping) where you can get a great view of the glacier and go horseback riding at 4,506 meters above sea level; and Yak Meadow (Maoniuping), which features breathtaking views and access to a number of trails. In each area, various manifestations of local minority culture, Chinese takes on ecological conscientiousness and excessive trinket shopping can be found.
Yunshanping
Yunshanping is a large patch of grassland situated in the midst of virgin spruce forest on the eastern side of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Among the local Naxi, the grasslands have a long-held reputation as a trysting spot for young lovers. With the decline of arranged marriages and development of the site into an officially designated tourist spot linked by chairlift to the outside world, it's lost a bit of its allure as a romantic getaway though it remains a sublimely beautiful spot.
Nowadays, you'll find well-maintained paths leading to the mountain range's retreating glacier, stables offering horses and guides for rent, and some really thin air—the meadow sits at 4,506 meters above sea level (14,783 feet)—so be ready for the cold and for the altitude.
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