Give Me a Reason to Forget, You Who Loved Me So — Lijiang and Dali

📍 Lijiang · 👁 2 reads · ❤️ 61 likes

Is life not quite to your liking?

It's been so long since you smiled, and you don't know why.

Since you're unhappy and don't like it here,

Why not head west all the way to Dali?

The journey's a bit bumpy, the air a bit thin.

The vaster the scenery, the lonelier the heart.

No one knows who is waiting where,

No one knows what the future holds...

In southwestern China lie two places I've always longed for — Lijiang and Dali. Both are in Yunnan Province, and for years they have, like a pair of sisters, stood somewhat apart from the country's long historical tapestry. You won't find any other cities in this country that feel quite like them. Here are ancient tribes and traditions, a long history and culture, beautiful mountains and clear lakes. And so many moving, beautiful stories!

Starting from Guangzhou, I landed in Kunming. My first stop was Kunming University. I joined local friends for some distinctive hot pot. When people think of hot pot, Sichuan hot pot usually comes to mind first, but to me, Yunnan's hot pot feels more down-to-earth. That's because Yunnan uses earthenware pots. These clay pots, rather than metal ones, are used for slow cooking over low heat, which brings out a fresh, sweet, and mellow flavor in the ingredients.

Yunnan Ethnic Village covers an area of 1,264.96 mu (about 84.3 hectares), including 463.96 mu of water surface. It brings together the village replicas, song and dance halls, a square, a museum, and attractions like a laser fountain and water-screen film, representing 25 of Yunnan's main ethnic minorities: Dai, Bai, Yi, Naxi, Wa, Blang, Jino, Lahu, Tibetan, Jingpo, Hani, De'ang, Zhuang, Miao, Shui, Nu, Mongolian, Bouyei, Dulong, Lisu, Pumi, Manchu, Hui, Yao, and Achang. The ethnic villages use a restoration display method to showcase Yunnan's diverse ethnic customs. Walking through, you see the villages in different styles scattered picturesquely, each with its own charm. The rich variety of cottage architecture, daily life, production, and religious customs of all these minorities is presented faithfully, making it a microcosm of Yunnan's ethnic culture.

Yunnan Ethnic Village is situated within the Kunming Dianchi National Tourism Resort, in the southern part of Kunming city, on the north shore of Dianchi Lake at Haigeng (a narrow peninsula stretching east to west into the lake). It covers 20,000 mu, with natural swimming areas and sports training bases. Across the water lie scenic spots like Xishan Forest Park, Daguan Park, and Zheng He Park. A cableway connects to Xishan Longmen, and it is 10 kilometers from the city center.

Lijiang Old Town, also known as Dayan Town, is located in Gucheng District of Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, in the middle of the Lijiang basin. It was first built during the late Song and early Yuan dynasties (the latter half of the 13th century) and sits on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, covering an area of 7.279 square kilometers. The streets of the old town are laid out along the contours of the hills and the rivers, paved with red breccia. Attractions include Sifang Street, Mu Mansion, Wufeng Tower, Black Dragon Pool, Wenchang Palace, Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall, Snow Mountain Academy, Wangjiazhuang Christian Church, Fang Guoyu's Former Residence, White Horse Dragon Pool Temple, Gu Peter's Old Residence, Jinglian Temple, and Puxian Temple. Lijiang is one of the second batch of cities designated as a National Historical and Cultural City in China and is one of only two ancient cities in China to have successfully applied for World Cultural Heritage status as an entire old town. Lijiang Old Town features colorful local ethnic customs and entertainment activities: Naxi ancient music, Dongba rituals, divination culture, ancient town bars, and the Naxi Torch Festival, among others, each with a unique charm. The old town exemplifies the achievements of ancient Chinese urban construction and is a distinctive type of Chinese residential architecture with clear character and style.

Shuhe Ancient Town, called 'Shaowu' in the Naxi language, gets its name from the mountain behind the village, Jubao Mountain, which is shaped like a towering peak. The name evolved to mean 'the village beneath the high peak.' It was one of the earliest settlements of the Naxi ancestors in the Lijiang basin. Shuhe is located at 26°55' N, 100°12' E, at the heart of all Lijiang's scenic areas, making it a hub for visiting Lijiang Old Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lugu Lake, the First Bend of the Yangtze River, and the Three Parallel Rivers Scenic Area. Shuhe is a well-preserved major market town on the ancient Tea Horse Road and a living specimen of the Naxi people's transition from an agricultural to a commercial civilization. It is a classic example of town development shaped by openness and the activities of horse caravans. As an integral part of the Lijiang Old Town World Heritage Site, Shuhe was named one of CCTV's 'China's Charming Towns' in 2005.

In Shuhe Ancient Town, there's a restaurant specializing in Naxi cuisine that you must try if you get the chance. Their Naxi dishes are delicious, and many celebrities visit this eatery when in Lijiang. It enjoys great popularity, with tasty food, a pleasant ambiance, good service, and reasonable prices—no wonder it's so popular!

Dali Ancient City is situated in northwestern Yunnan Province, at the southern end of the Hengduan Mountains, with Cangshan Mountain at its back and Erhai Lake at its edge. Its center lies at 25°41′26″ N, 100°9′45″ E, and the ancient city covers an area of 3 square kilometers. It sits in a fault basin by Erhai Lake, with the surface largely covered by alluvial and diluvial deposits, sloping gently from west to east. The terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east, with an average elevation of just under 2,000 meters, on a plain of lacustrine and alluvial origin. Dali Ancient City is one of the most outstanding areas of human cultural heritage; located on the frontier, it boasts a rich ethnic culture and was among the first group of 24 Historical and Cultural Cities announced by the state. Its approach to creating landscapes where 'man and nature merge' and its traditional ideas on urban landscape planning are of great significance to modern Chinese architecture. The ancient landscape construction experience of Dali belongs to a uniquely Chinese approach that blends the natural and built environments, giving the city a leisurely, unhurried character and infusing China's landscape configuration with ethnic and regional features. As a settlement of ethnic minorities, Dali is a place rich in Bai cultural resources and a melting pot of multi-ethnic cultures. Here, Central Plains culture, foreign cultures, and local cultures collide and exchange, giving birth to the splendid Nanzhao-Dali culture and a distinctive Bai culture. It displays strong ethnic flavor and brilliant human landscapes; its diverse ethnic culture can provide inspiration for creating gardens with distinctive characteristics.

Erhai Lake, referred to in ancient texts as Yeyu Marsh, Kunmi River, Xi'er River, and so on, lies in the outskirts of Dali, Yunnan, and is the second-largest freshwater lake in the province. Stretching from Eryuan in the north, it is about 42.58 kilometers long, with a maximum width of 9.0 kilometers from east to west, a surface area of 256.5 square kilometers, an average depth of 10 meters, and a maximum depth of 20 meters. Erhai has two outlets: one near Xiaguan Town, flowing out through the Xi'er River; and the other, the 'Yin-Er-Ru-Bin' diversion. Erhai is the setting of one of Dali's four famous scenes—the 'Moon over Erhai.' It is said that the name 'Erhai' (Ear Sea) comes from its ear-like shape. The lake boasts good water quality, abundant aquatic resources, and breathtaking scenery. Although called a 'sea,' it is actually a lake. It is said that because Yunnan is landlocked, the Bai people named it 'hai' (sea) to express their yearning for the ocean.

The Erhai Lake Scenic Loop Road extends 115 kilometers and is a crucial initiative by Dali to develop rural tourism resources, create distinctive tourist villages around Erhai Lake, and cultivate specialty rural leisure and vacation products. It is also a successful model for integrating urban and rural development through tourism and promoting the construction of a new countryside. The total investment for the road was 165 million yuan, covering five towns: Xizhou, Wanqiao, Yinqiao, Dali, and Xiaguan. This area is also a mecca for wedding photography.

Whose head has never gathered dust?

Whose shoulders bear no scars?

Perhaps love is waiting by Erhai Lake,

Perhaps a story is unfolding there.

Whose head has never gathered dust?

Whose shoulders bear no scars?

Pick up the courage that time has crushed,

And let your feet be covered in fragrant mud...

Travelogue Index:

1. Kunming

2. Lijiang Old Town

3. Shuhe Ancient Town