Lie Back and Watch the Golden Sunrise Mountain, Gaze at a Sky Full of Stars from Your Room! The Best Way to Experience Lijiang!

📍 Lijiang · 👁 14 reads · ❤️ 178 likes

I don't know when it started, but looking up at the starry sky has become one of life's unexpected surprises. When the city's high-rises block the sky, the increasingly dazzling neon lights and polluted air make gazing up at the stars a luxury.

Have you ever thought about going to places with no light pollution, under pure, clean skies, to admire the magnificent starry sky?

Stargazing shouldn't be a luxury; it should be a right everyone enjoys.

Nestled at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang, the Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel is just such a top luxury resort that lets everyone effortlessly and comfortably enjoy the most beautiful starry sky. From October each year, Lijiang enters its grand starry season. At this time, the sky above the snow mountain hotel presents a breathtakingly beautiful starry sky screen. Just look up and you'll catch the most stunning starry sky!

As the first hotel under the Yinshe Yijing brand, it is tucked away within the Yulong Snow Mountain scenic area in Lijiang, Yunnan, China, at an altitude of 3,100 meters. The high altitude, high atmospheric transparency, excellent atmospheric stillness, and minimal light pollution make it an exceptional starry sky resort hotel. On clear nights, from any spot in the hotel, you can witness the dazzling Milky Way and a sky full of stars with the naked eye.

At the same time, the hotel has set up the "Star Trail Journey Astronomical Observatory – Jinmao Puxiu Observation Station" and the Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum for astronomy enthusiasts from home and abroad.

The Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Science and Technology Museum is divided into five areas: the Extraterrestrial Meteorite Area, the Cosmic Augmented Reality (AR) Area, the Snow Mountain Observatory Linkage Area, the Deep Space and Starry Sky Photography Exhibition Area, and the Astronomy and Nature Course Hands-on Area. Through interactive classes, film screenings, creating fun models and specimens, it popularizes knowledge in astronomy and natural sciences. Both adults and children can step into a different world of stars.

The hotel also carefully organizes a theme night of stars for everyone interested in the starry sky. Learn and understand astronomy at the science and technology museum, then view the real shapes of celestial bodies through astronomical telescopes at the observation station. Here, everyone can appreciate an unprecedented dreamy starry sky and take professional-level star photography photos.

Jinmao Puxiu not only brings you a dreamy starry Milky Way but also lets you enjoy a magnificent golden sunrise mountain while lying down.

The hotel has 89 luxurious and comfortable suites, all equipped with a 180-degree private snow-view terrace with no obstructions. Just open the door and you'll face the magnificent, sweeping snow mountain landscape. Even happier, you can admire the snow mountain scenery while lying in your room!

It's Scorpio season, so as a birthday gift to myself – to enjoy a starry sky and snow mountain in the human world, I came to the Lijiang Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel. I traveled to a city just for a hotel. This is also my 11th trip to Yunnan, my 10th to Lijiang.

The hotel's interior design was done by Thailand's top design firm, P49 Design. Nordic minimalist lines, paired with high-quality solid wood furniture, modern and comfortable facility design, and traditional ethnic architectural styles are integrated to create the most light-luxury living environment at the foot of the snow mountain.

The snow-view floor-to-ceiling glass rooms, luxurious living rooms, snow-view terraces, oversized bathtubs, separate wet and dry bathrooms, and walk-in closets create a top luxury living environment while also offering the most carefree, home-like warmth.

The facilities are complete and meticulous, with perfect, rustic details. Underfloor heating and central air conditioning ensure the room temperature is comfortable. Bath and grooming products are from the Italian luxury brand Acca Kappa, providing guests with meticulous care and premium enjoyment.

Welcome fruits, a free minibar, afternoon snacks – these warm details reflect the hotel's most sincere hospitality and the most considerate, attentive service.

Every room type boasts excellent views. The snow-view grand terrace makes it a hotel where you can truly lie back and relax. From your room, you can take in the most extreme scenery on earth, appreciating the snow mountain's beauty at every moment of light and time.

Even an astronomical telescope can be brought into your room! The hotel also offers guests a customized, exclusive astronomical stargazing experience, allowing you to gaze at the stars and explore the mysteries of the starry sky right in your room, anytime.

Here, you easily achieve the high-level vacation check-in of lying down and watching the golden sunrise mountain! Waking up, as the automatic curtains slowly open, you're greeted by the magnificent sight of the golden sunrise mountain, your heart expanding with vastness – enough for a lifetime!

Everyone can easily record and share this beauty and joy. Using your phone's time-lapse function, you can capture the beauty of the golden sunrise mountain that you experience at Jinmao.

From the same spot, you can also capture the star-filled sky with your phone!

Here is the starry sky I shot with my Huawei Mate 30. A starry sky truly recorded and photographed by myself, my own star photo – everyone can have one here!

As a destination resort, the hotel advocates a lifestyle of relaxing the mind and returning to nature. Adhering to the concept of understated luxury, it creates a natural, leisurely, and dynamic traditional cultural residence, offering various cultural experience activities for relaxation and traditional homestay features.

In the early morning, in the yoga room with the best views of the domestic most beautiful snow mountain scenery, join the hotel's professional yoga instructor for a morning meditation or snow mountain yoga to relax body and mind. At the foot of the snow mountain, quiet your mind and yourself, listen to the sounds of nature, let your heart follow the rhythm of the mountain scenery – sublime music drifts, an extraordinary realm.

Amidst the grand snow mountain scenery, experience a handmade coffee session. From selecting beans (coffee beans), roasting, extracting, to hand brewing, and finally a cup of hand-brewed coffee. Savor your own creation, toasting yourself and the snow mountain. Of course, you can also package your finished coffee to take home and share this wonderful result with friends and family.

In the afternoon, enjoy a snow mountain tea ceremony class in the hotel's tea room. During the tea master's one-hour impromptu sharing, learn about and appreciate tea leaves and tea utensils and their usage. The fragrance of tea drifts; tasting delicately, elegance shared. Within the tea ceremony, experience a warm, detailed, and beautiful afternoon.

An experience not to be missed is the intangible cultural heritage of Dongba papermaking and tie-dye techniques.

In June 2006, the handmade papermaking skill of the Naxi people (Dongba paper) was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. Dongba paper is handmade paper mainly used by Dongba priests for writing scriptures and painting, made from materials like the wikstroemia canescens of the Thymelaeaceae family. The technique is unique, the paper is thick, insect-resistant, and durable. Dongba paper carries Naxi civilization and has a certain cultural influence on neighboring ethnic groups, enjoying a long-standing reputation.

In 2006, the Bai ethnic tie-dye technique of Dali, Yunnan was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture. The use of tie-dye techniques enriches the fabric with variety, possessing both the simplicity and richness of primitiveness and the flowing modernity of change, with the charm of Chinese ink wash painting's rhythmic beauty and a magical hazy beauty.

Follow professional instructors to learn and create your own Dongba paper and tie-dye step by step. Once dried, you can even take these fruits of your labor home!

"I have a small courtyard, facing the snow mountain, with spring warmth and blooming flowers." Even more surprising, deep within the snow mountain, amidst green forests, the hotel also owns a fairy-like secluded courtyard.

The owner of this small courtyard is precisely the hotel's yoga teacher, who devoted heart and soul to creating such a poetic and elegant retreat in a small village deep within Yulong Snow Mountain.

This courtyard is a Naxi-style quadrangle. While preserving the original characteristic style of the local village, it combines modern facilities to create a truly idyllic, comfortable, and joyful haven. You can learn and practice yoga with the owner in the sunlit yoga room, gather around the stove in the room to warm up, drink wine, eat meat, and sing about life...

I especially love the lawn in the courtyard. Facing the distant snow mountain, it gives a little Switzerland vibe. When the weather is fine, enjoying a lovely afternoon tea on the grass is supremely comfortable.

Not only does it offer a comfortable, luxury living environment and rich, distinctive cultural experiences, Jinmao Puxiu also treats your palate to an ultimate dreamy sensation.

The Snow View Pavilion Restaurant, facing the snow mountain, integrates dining and bar, blending Chinese and Western cuisine, local specialty hot pot, and other international classic delicacies, offering the ultimate enjoyment of scenery and food.

A must-try is the snow mountain yak meat hot pot, exceptionally delicious. Specially selected premium yak meat from the plateau, locally grown seasonal fresh vegetables, a handcrafted special red copper pot, paired with the chef's special fragrant mushroom broth. Facing the snow mountain, the yak meat is rich and mellow, the broth superb – the ultimate snow mountain delicacy!

Apart from yak meat hot pot, another must-try in Yunnan is crossing-the-bridge rice noodles. The soup is the soul of the noodles. The restaurant's soup is simmered for many hours, resulting in a fresh, sweet stock. They use the distinctive local Lulang stone pot from Lulang, Nyingchi, Tibet, as the noodle bowl, preserving the soup's freshness and heat, paired with various exquisite ingredients like shark fin and mushrooms. Amidst the snow mountain, crossing-the-bridge noodles, Lulang stone pot, fresh soup and precious ingredients, a riot of colors, eating "crossing the bridge" – utmost comfort!

The restaurant's Chinese cuisine is also a good choice, especially recommended is the maoxuewang (spicy blood curd and tripe hot pot). Spicy, numbing, and aromatic, with a bright red soup full of flavor, paired with a few local specialty side dishes and a glass of wine, by the window, you can enjoy a romantic and beautiful snow mountain culinary journey with your loved one.

As the hotel is located within the Yulong Snow Mountain scenic area, there are many great places to visit nearby.

A short distance from the hotel leads to the sacred lake at the foot of the snow mountain – Blue Moon Valley.

Comparable to Jiuzhaigou, this sacred lake under Yulong Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, is embedded like an emerald at the foot of the snow mountain, shining with a dazzling blue light.

Beyond Blue Moon Valley, take the cable car to ascend Yulong Snow Mountain.

As the sacred mountain and spiritual mountain in the hearts of the Naxi people, Yulong Snow Mountain holds unparalleled charm. Standing at over 4,600 meters on the snow mountain, clouds drift before your eyes, making you feel as if you're in a fairyland, as if you could touch the blue sky by stretching out your hand.

Farther afield, a half-hour drive takes you to another beautiful place – Jiuzihai.

This is another paradise in Lijiang, a highland meadow spanning over 4,000 mu, hiding more than 30 mysterious sinkholes. Here you'll also find the grassland pastoral songs and snow mountain villages I love.

Even farther, a forty-minute drive brings you down the mountain to Baisha Ancient Town.

With a history of over 800 years, Baisha Ancient Town still retains Naxi customs and preserves the original ecology of Naxi villages. Be sure to visit the home of a local Dongba elder, sit down, and listen to him recount Dongba history and culture, experiencing the charm of civilization that this land exudes.

D1: Arrive in Lijiang from all directions – visit Lijiang Ancient Town, Shuhe Ancient Town, stay at the Lijiang Jinmao Hotel Jinmao Select Hotel.

D2: Depart from the hotel – visit Yulong Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, stay at the Lijiang Jinmao Puxiu Snow Mountain Hotel.

D3: Watch the golden sunrise mountain in the morning, enjoy various hotel activities during the day, and join the stargazing activity at night.

D4: Golden sunrise mountain, return journey.

Sun protection is crucial: Lijiang has strong sunshine, dry weather, and intense UV rays.

2. Avoid strenuous exercise

Lijiang in Yunnan is situated in the transitional zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The altitude of Lijiang Ancient Town is about 2,400 meters. Most people generally do not experience altitude sickness in Lijiang Ancient Town. Avoid strenuous activities and heavy physical labor; ascend heights slowly to help the body adapt gradually.

The hotel is at 3,100 meters altitude. The hotel provides two complimentary oxygen canisters, but you still need to acclimate and get plenty of rest!

Yunnan cuisine tends to have strong flavors, so to avoid stomach upset, it's advisable to eat more high-sugar, high-quality protein foods, and plenty of fruits and vegetables to help overcome the adverse effects of low oxygen.

4. Essentials for Lijiang Travel

Backpack, sports or casual shoes, medicine (huoxiang zhengqi water, essential balm, band-aids), power bank, hat, umbrella, sun-protective clothing, women are advised to wear long pants, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.

The temperature difference between morning and evening is large. Even in summer, it gets quite cool when it rains, so even for summer travel to Lijiang, bring a light jacket.

If you want to comfortably lie down and watch the golden sunrise mountain, look up to see a sky full of stars, enjoy a gourmet meal under the snow mountain, have your own star trail photo, experience a dreamy snow mountain trip, avoid the cookie-cutter Lijiang tour, and capture Lijiang's most beautiful side, then come to Jinmao Puxiu!

Travelogue Contents

1. Gazing at the Starry Sky

2. Star-Themed Hotel

3. Golden Mountain at Sunrise

4. Top Luxury Facilities

5. Cultural Experiences

6. Culinary Journey

7. Nearby Attractions

8. Recommended Itinerary

9. Travel Tips

10. Summary

Travel Information