The Magnificent Lijiang Snow Mountain Stargazing Season Grandly Opens — Want to See a Meteor Shower?
Lijiang is close to the equator, at high altitude, with exceptional sky transparency and atmospheric tranquility, minimal light pollution, and unique astronomical resources. There are even three asteroids named after Lijiang locales — Lijiang Star, Yulong Star, and Lugu Lake Star.
In recent years, more and more stargazing organizations and enthusiasts have gathered in Lijiang, and a growing number of astronomical telescopes have been installed here. The Lijiang Jinmao · Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel, under the Yinshe Yijing brand — China’s first professional stargazing hotel located at Yulong Snow Mountain — is becoming a new highlight of Lijiang, recognized by both officials and visitors alike.
After autumn begins, the skies above Yulong Snow Mountain often stage breathtaking celestial wonders. As Lijiang transitions from the rainy to the dry season, clouds gradually thin out, creating near-perfect stargazing conditions.
Following a break during the rainy season, the observatory at Lijiang Jinmao · Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel reopens on October 1st, marking the official start of the Grand Snow Mountain Starry Sky Season.
The hotel’s observatory, Star Trail Tour & Lesson, Yinshe Yijing, and other organizations have joined hands to launch the “Magnificent Lijiang · Snow Mountain Stargazing Season” themed event.
Intended to run from October through late May — the traditional tourism “off-season” — this event invites guests to experience a different side of magnificent Lijiang. During this time, Lijiang Ancient Town is less bustling, allowing everyone to rediscover the beauty of the stars that accompany us, explore the vast universe together, and find the faint glow and love deep inside.
Throughout the stargazing season, celestial events abound. The Milky Way, the Big Dipper, Orion, Mars opposition, the Eta Carinae Nebula, the Cat’s Eye Nebula, and the 47 Tucanae globular cluster make their appearances one after another. Even more spectacular, meteor showers from constellations such as Taurus, Orion, Leo, and Gemini streak across the night sky. Guests of the Snow Mountain Hotel can enjoy and interpret these phenomena under the guidance of professional resident instructors.
Here is a preview of special celestial events from October to December this year:
10.10 Southern Taurids meteor shower
10.14 Mars at opposition — the best time of the year to observe Mars
10.21 Orionids meteor shower
11.1 Uranus at opposition — the best time of the year to observe Uranus
11.12 Northern Taurids meteor shower
11.17 Leonids meteor shower
12.14 Geminids meteor shower
12.22 Ursids meteor shower
December 12–14, when the Geminids meteor shower graces the entire sky, is the unmissable highlight of the Snow Mountain Starry Sky Season.
As a stargazing venue, Lijiang Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel sits at an altitude of 3,100 meters, deep in the heart of Yulong Snow Mountain. Far from and high above Lijiang city, it offers a more pristine and natural stargazing environment.
As the first luxury hotel in China with a private observatory, it perfectly solves common challenges in astrophotography such as difficult site selection, unpredictable weather, harsh conditions, and insufficient logistical support.
Traveling along Yulong Snow Mountain, the constant change in altitude turns spring, summer, autumn, and winter into geographical concepts, weaving the colors of the four seasons across a single mountain range. The best time to witness this ever-changing spectacle is from mid-October to mid-November — fleeting and romantic like heaven itself.
Overhead, the plateau’s distinctive clouds surge swiftly, sweeping through the boundless moonlight, and together with the distant snow mountain, create an eternal and magnificent atmosphere.
Chapter 3
A Ford Raptor 6.2L truck carries a custom 127mm aperture apochromatic refractor telescope, along with a 60mm short-focus telescope. This mobile observatory offers both visual and electronic imaging functions, allowing guests to compare naked-eye observations with modern electronic imaging technology. It is the first and only all-terrain observatory in China. In addition to the special “Wishing Journey” package, we also provide a postcard mailing service featuring the current month’s constellation for guests staying at the Snow Mountain Hotel.
Beyond the splendour of the dark night sky, throughout the stargazing season, the Snow Mountain Hotel also offers a variety of fun activities and experiences for visitors. We very much look forward to having you join us for an unparalleled journey.
From September 28, an “astrology station” will be set up in the hotel lobby. Friends from the Snow Mountain Hotel Science and Technology Museum will be there to answer your questions about the starry sky.
12.14 Meteor Shower Live Broadcast
On this day, the Snow Mountain Hotel will share the beautiful meteor shower with more people via live broadcast, jointly “protecting the dark night, sharing the starry sky.” We hope you will be there in person.
Snow Mountain Yoga and Meditation
Tea Ceremony Close to the Sky
Naxi Cultural Experience
Reasons to Choose the Snow Mountain Hotel for Stargazing
Off-season Lijiang: A Spiritual Journey
As one of China’s earliest tourist destinations, Lijiang under the bright, clean sun is far from urban and industrial areas. Everywhere you turn, there is accessible art, romance, cuisine, music, and lively crowds.
But in autumn, off-season Lijiang gradually returns to its original simplicity and tranquility, becoming the top choice for travelers seeking the great beauty of heaven and earth and a journey of the soul.
A Traveller’s Wonder Spanning Heaven, Earth, and Humanity
Geographically, Lijiang lies at the southern end of the Hengduan Mountains and is part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Greater Shangri-La region. The terrain is complex and varied, crisscrossed by mountains and rivers. The drastic altitude differences create Yulong Snow Mountain, which boasts China’s richest biodiversity.
Add to this the diversity of ethnic and religious backgrounds, along with unique starry sky resources, and Lijiang’s distinctive cosmic panorama — spanning the three dimensions of heaven, earth, and humanity — gradually unfolds, dazzling those fortunate enough to witness it.
Outstanding Observing Experience
At the Snow Mountain Hotel, at 3,100 meters above sea level, on clear nights you can see the brilliant Milky Way and a sky full of stars with the naked eye. The Star Trail Tour & Lesson Observatory Jinmao Puxiu Station is located inside the hotel, designed and built by the Array Telescope Observation Technology Society. It features 24 telescopes for viewing and photographing Lijiang’s incomparable starry sky.
The station is equipped with one 16-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and one half-meter aperture visual telescope — currently the largest-aperture astronomical telescope open to visitors within a scenic area in China. Additionally, it employs world-leading remote telescope control technology and research-grade control systems, allowing guests to easily operate the observatory’s telescopes right from their snow-mountain-facing rooms.
16-inch RC telescope
An Astronomical Journey of Wisdom
To spread astronomical and natural science knowledge, Lijiang Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel and Star Trail Traveller Astronomy Museum jointly developed the Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum.
▲ Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum
As a Lijiang city science education base, it features six thematic zones: Meteorite Visitors from Space, Augmented Reality Universe Area, Snow Mountain Observatory Link, Deep Space and Starry Sky Photography Gallery, and Astronomy & Nature Course Craft Corner. They cover interactive science classes, film screenings, fun model and specimen making, and more.
Both adults and children can learn fascinating lesser-known facts about astronomy and the starry sky in a relaxed, joyful atmosphere, and experience a different natural world.
With the support of the Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum and Star Trail Tour & Lesson Observatory, the Snow Mountain Hotel perfectly embodies the balance and integration of ultimate service and deep astronomical experience, leisure travel and exploratory spirit, and even children’s education.
Constellation Experience Officer Recruitment
Discover the Beauty of Nature in Lijiang
The most beautiful snow mountain hotel is not only a destination to escape everyday life, but also a starting point for a magnificent interstellar journey. The Lijiang · Snow Mountain Stargazing Season looks forward to meeting you.
