Recommendation of Lesser-Known Ancient Towns in Yunnan, Jiangsu, Shanxi, and Guizhou: Each a Delight, Many Haven't Heard of Them

Many famous places are so commercialized that you regret not going, but regret even more after going.

In recent years, I've been constantly on the road. Because I've traveled for so long and visited almost all of China, I gradually discovered some lesser-known, quiet places that I really love.

I'm also conflicted—I want to write them down and share with you who also love tranquility, but I don't want their peace to be disturbed. The four ancient towns I'm sharing this time are all like that.

The Old Town of Lijiang in Yunnan consists of three ancient towns: Dayan Ancient Town, Shuhe Ancient Town, and Baisha Ancient Town. Many people have been to Dayan and Shuhe, but few have visited Baisha.

Baisha is the oldest and most primitive ancient town preserved in Lijiang. I spent an afternoon strolling around Baisha Ancient Town and really loved its lesser-known tranquility.

Entering the memorial archway, you see a main street. The stone-paved road is bumpy, telling the stories of time. Compared to the bustle of Dayan Ancient Town, this place can be described as quiet and deserted.

Baisha Ancient Town has many niche cafes, each highly photogenic. If you have enough time, I strongly recommend coming here to relax in a cafe, have a coffee, and daydream for an afternoon.

Because this ancient town is not famous and not too commercial, it is popular among backpackers and foreign friends.

Sitting on a wooden chair in a cafe, time flows slowly. I really enjoy this kind of travel—no need to rush, no need to think of anyone.

Inside Baisha Ancient Town, there is a very famous attraction called 'Baisha Murals,' which has a history of 500 years, with an entrance fee of 30 yuan per person.

However, my best friend and I weren't very interested; we preferred wandering around various small shops.

This is an ancient and beautiful town, the one with the strongest heritage of Naxi culture, and also the cultural cradle of the Naxi people.

If you come to Lijiang Old Town, aside from the lively Dayan, if you prefer niche and quiet places, go to Baisha Ancient Town!

Lili—what a poetic name.

This ancient town in Jiangnan is only about ten kilometers from Xitang Ancient Town in Zhejiang. For years, it has been 'raised in seclusion unknown to the world,' and precisely because of that, it has preserved some of the original appearance of Jiangnan ancient towns.

Lili Ancient Town is known as one of the 'Four Lis of Jiangnan,' with a history dating back 2,500 years.

Moreover, the town has many special snacks: Taochang (stuffed intestines), Youdun (oil cake), spicy chicken feet, Laohu beans (tiger beans), Haitang cake... As a foodie, it's worth coming just for these delicacies.

There are also many places to visit: Liuyazi Memorial Hall, China Tinware Museum, Duanben Garden, Bamboo Ware Shop, Original Woodware Workshop, Six Delights Museum... and a quiet white church.

This ancient town is not large, but it boasts several 'mosts' in Jiangnan:

First, it retains 115 lanes (longtang) in various forms, including double lanes, mother-child lanes, and three-fork lanes.

Second, it has over 4,000 meters of Ming and Qing dynasty stone revetments, 256 docks, and 254 mooring stones.

Third, it houses the largest private museum in the Yangtze River Delta—Six Delights Museum (or Liuyue Museum), and China's largest tinware museum, where you can see the exquisiteness of traditional Chinese folk art.

This is the most vibrant ancient town I have ever seen, with most residents and shop owners being locals, and people are very close to each other.

For such an ancient town, if you just rush through it in two hours, you might as well not have come. Lili is a place to stay and quietly experience.

At night, the ancient town has a completely different feel from daytime.

Lili Ancient Town is niche and quiet, suitable for a two-night stay, wandering and eating. It's about 60 kilometers from Shanghai and also 60 kilometers from Suzhou North Station, about an hour's drive—very convenient.

Dayang Ancient Town is located in the northwest of Zezhou County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, about 22 kilometers from Jincheng city center.

Dayang Ancient Town was called Yang'a in ancient times and has a history of over 2,600 years. It is the only Chinese historical and cultural town in Shanxi Province. Unfortunately, due to lack of promotion, most people have never heard of it.

Dayang Ancient Town is known as 'the No.1 Village of Shanxi' and possesses the largest Ming and Qing ancient architectural complex in the north, praised as 'a living fossil of Chinese ancient towns.'

The town's glorious prosperous era has passed, but it left behind a vast and well-preserved Ming and Qing architectural complex. The scale of this complex is beyond imagination. Even raising a drone higher and higher to its limit cannot capture the entire panorama of Dayang Ancient Town.

The Dayang town area includes two natural villages: East Dayang and West Dayang, stretching about 5 kilometers from east to west and 3 kilometers from north to south.

Passing through the town gate tower, the ancient and deep Wuli Old Street comes into view. Towering walls and deep ancient lanes bring the Ming and Qing style to the face.

The ancient street paved with bluestone runs through East and West Dayang, lined with various shops that perfectly integrate with surrounding residences, temples, and pavilions.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the handmade needle industry emerged in Dayang. It once was the national center of needle making.

According to records: 'Dayang's needles supplied every family in this great country and were even exported to Central Asia.' Small steel needles made a big world.

Local friends repeatedly urged me to try a bowl of Zhuanmian (a type of noodle) when visiting Dayang. Because this noodle cannot be found anywhere else outside this ancient town—not even in Jincheng city.

The ancient civilization and unprecedented prosperity of the ancient town have become a distant past.

I still remember that crescent moon hanging in the sky. Under the warm street lights of Dayang Ancient Town, there were few people on the stone paths.

City walls, fortresses, crisscrossing streets, officials' residences, merchants' homes, pavilions, bridges, temples, and shrines are everywhere. The entire ancient town has few tourists, quiet and peaceful. Except for a few famous courtyards, the rest have no entrance fees.

Guizhou – Langde Upper Village (Langde Shangzhai).

You may have heard of or visited Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, but only about 20 kilometers away, there is Langde Upper Village—primitive, niche, quiet, and still authentic.

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Guizhou is a very mature scenic area, extremely commercial. But Langde Upper Village is a Miao village with only a hundred households, and there are really few tourists.

Langde Upper Village is not exactly an ancient town but a Miao village. However, I personally like it very much, so I recommend it as well.

Langde Upper Village is located in Leishan County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, 27 kilometers from Kaili city center and 15 kilometers from Leishan county seat.

This Miao village is divided into upper and lower natural villages; the open one is Upper Langde. 'Langde Shangzhai' is a translation of the Miao phrase 'Neng Dui Ang Jiu,' where 'Neng Dui' means downstream of the Oudui River (the village is named after the river), and 'Ang Jiu' means upper village. Langde Shangzhai is called 'Langde Upper Village' because it is located in the upper part of the Langde area.

When I arrived at Langde Upper Village, I happened to encounter the 'Twelve Barrier Wine' ceremony—the scene was stunning. Starting from the foot of the village road to the entrance gate, local villagers dressed in festive costumes, singing toasting songs, offered barrier wine to guests, welcoming them in a special way of 'blocking' entry.

I also encountered a performance on the bronze drum square. Local villagers presented traditional Miao songs and dances to guests: Lusheng dance, bench dance, wooden drum dance, bronze drum dance... and local children joined in.

This Miao village is nestled deep in the mountains among rolling hills, perfectly preserving the most primitive appearance of a Miao village, allowing us to see what a Miao village originally looked like.

The village backs onto mountains and faces water, with ancient towering trees.

There is no heavy traffic, no strong commercial atmosphere like Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village. It is said that many foreigners love its simplicity and stay with local villagers for a long time.

These places have one thing in common.

Baisha Ancient Town is close to the famous Lijiang Dayan Old Town; Lili Ancient Town is close to the famous Xitang Ancient Town in Zhejiang; Langde Upper Village is close to the famous Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village; and Dayang Ancient Town is probably only known by people nearby.

People rush to the famous places, and precisely because of that, these places remain 'hidden in seclusion unknown,' still maintaining their quiet demeanor.

Have you heard of them? If you like them, remember to save them.

About the author: A Jiangnan girl / Global traveler / Has been to the North and South Poles / Travel self-media.