Baisha Ancient Town, Lijiang, Yunnan-Silk Road Travel

Baisha Ancient Town

Baisha Ancient Town, Lijiang Baisha Ancient Town

Baisha Ancient Town is located about 10 kilometers north of Lijiang City, bordered by Yulong Snow Mountain to the north, Longquan to the south, and Zhishan to the west. It is the ancient capital of the Naxi people and a world-class "Ancient Naxi Kingdom". It was once the political, economic, commercial, and cultural center of Lijiang for the Naxi people. As one of the important birthplaces of Naxi culture, the Naxi Mu chieftain has accumulated experience in planning towns in Baisha.

It is one of the world cultural heritage "the Old Town of Lijiang", located at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain, 10km north of the Old Town of Lijiang, and Baisha Ancient Town is the origin of Lijiang Tusi's "Mu Family" regime. Baisha Ancient Town is the most ancient town with Naxi heritage and the most primitive Naxi village.

A less commercialized town

Some people say that Baisha is like Lijiang ten years ago. There is only an old commercial street here, and there are many local Naxi courtyards, which retain the original appearance of the ancient town, and you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain when you look up. The small shops selling souvenirs mainly sell two kinds of things, one is tie-dye, the other is all kinds of imitation antiques, and there are some cafes and snack bars. Compared with the bustling business of Dayan and Shuhe, Baisha Ancient Town is a relatively quiet place.

Popular with foreign visitors

Although the streets here are relatively old, there are almost foreign English signs on the doors and windows of the streets, and some shops can also do business with foreign tourists in English. This is because most of the people who came to Baisha are foreigners, who preferred the primitive Naxi folk customs here, so the locals also learned foreign languages.

Baisha Murals

There is a very famous attraction in the ancient town "Baisha Murals". The painting of "Baisha Murals" lasted for more than 300 years from the early Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. When you come to Baisha Ancient Town, you might as well come here to learn about Dongba culture. In addition to this scenic spot, most of the people who come to Baisha Ancient Town are for the sake of the cleanliness here. Chatting in languages you know or don't understand makes people feel relaxed and leisurely.

Baisha Ancient Town, Lijiang