Deep Love for Yunnan: Lijiang Nights, Lugu Lake, Horses on the Tea Horse Road, and Shuhe Ancient Town’s Delicacies

📍 Lijiang · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 82 likes

Go make some changes, with just the right amount of impulse. When you want a change, just do it—with just the right impulse and confidence.

So, in the midst of this busy season, I bought the plane ticket, thinking only about how I could truly relax next month. No need to overthink—once you do, you’ll find many things become a shackle.

Life is all about simple happiness. When you’re worn out, you should get away for a breath of fresh air.

This trip was a bit spontaneous and a bit full of anticipation. My fascination with ethnic minorities and curiosity about a quieter, different way of life led me to choose places like Lijiang and Lugu Lake in Yunnan.

The budget was under 4,000 RMB. In fact, excluding some gifts I bought, the total for transport, accommodation, and meals came to less than 3,000. So traveling isn’t as expensive as you might think. If you get the chance, go out and see the world. It’s so vast—how can you not get to know it well?

I really like a quote: Travel isn’t a cure-all, but it’s a kind of aspirin. What travel changes is your perspective and mindset.

If you don’t get out and see for yourself, you’ll never believe that so many things beyond your imagination exist in this world.

Yunnan’s Lijiang: experience the tranquility of Lugu Lake and the beauty of the ancient town.

Dreamlike Lugu Lake, the mysterious Kingdom of Women. This place is full of wonder, located in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County under Lijiang City, with a lake surface at 2,685 meters above sea level. The Mosuo people live by the beautiful Lugu Lake, at the border of Sichuan and Yunnan. Their population is about 50,000. They have their own language but no written script.

By the time we returned from Xijiang to Guiyang, it was already lunchtime. After a short stay in Guiyang, we boarded a flight to Lijiang, heading to our next stop: Lijiang Ancient Town.

Without visiting Yunnan, you’d never imagine how blue the sky is here—no filter needed. And it doesn’t start getting dark until after 8 p.m.

On my first trip to Lijiang, I checked many travel tips, all warning about the dry air and strong UV rays, so I brought plenty of sheet masks and sunscreen. The first night we stayed in Dayan Ancient Town, which is also called Lijiang Ancient Town.

The guesthouse we stayed in really felt like home. A bit of a pity was that by the time we arrived it was already a little late. After freshening up, we went out to find food and explore the ancient town. Early the next morning we set off for Lugu Lake, so we didn’t get to sit down and chat properly with the guesthouse owners.

But I believe time saves the best for last. I look forward to meeting again next time.

We were really hungry, so we just randomly walked into a restaurant. Sometimes, chance encounters like this leave the deepest impressions. And this place didn’t disappoint—especially the lotus leaf and corn chicken soup. I almost wanted to take the whole pot with me.

At night, the deeper you go into the center of Lijiang Ancient Town, the more crowded it gets. The shouting of shopkeepers along the street is like a comedy show. In contrast, I much preferred the quietness of Wuyi Street where we stayed—it fits my image of Lijiang better.

The next day we packed up early and got ready to leave. The morning temperature was a bit low, with a cool breeze. Dragging our luggage along Wuyi Street was peaceful and pleasant—the only downside was worrying about my suitcase.

The ground here is mostly cobblestone, so if you’re traveling to Lijiang, I’d recommend bringing a backpack. After breakfast, we waited at the Yikeshu intersection for our driver to pick us up and take us on a group tour to Lugu Lake. Why join a tour? Because after comparing self-driving options and a lake circuit tour, I found that booking a two-day, one-night small group tour was more convenient. Through a colleague, I had contacted Wen Chengcheng, a Lijiang-based organizer of pure-play tour groups, and booked a small group for Lugu Lake. ❤ It was great value, the tour was enjoyable, the driver was warm and friendly, and the group members were nice too. Best of all, we traveled in a minivan with only seven people—felt quite upscale, right?

The one downside was that as soon as you got off the vehicle, local a-mei (young women) would target you, persistently pestering you with pitiful looks to buy local fruits and specialties. If you didn’t buy, they’d follow you, but as long as you didn’t clash with them, they’d soon move on to someone else.

From the viewing platform we descended all the way down to the lake, where we could get really close and feel the dreaminess of the Kingdom of Women. The driver told us that the water here is drinkable straight from the lake, and if you drink it, you might conceive twins.

There are so many versions of the story about the Walking Marriage Bridge that I won’t go into them one by one.

Lugu Lake is truly beautiful—so peaceful, with such blue and clear water. You can clearly see the ottelia (water flowers) at the bottom of the lake. After the Walking Marriage Bridge, we arrived at the dock and got ready to take a boat to the ‘Dear Inn’ filming site, and then climb to Princess Island.

Check-in at [Dear Inn] and [Princess Island]

This is the filming location of the popular variety show ‘Dear Inn.’ The inn itself is closed, so we could only look from outside.

This is the view from Princess Island.

I took a killer profile shot for my bestie.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. It started raining heavily the afternoon we arrived at Lugu Lake. When we were on the Walking Marriage Bridge, the rain got heavier and it got colder, so we spent the evening bonfire party shivering in the cold.

This was a special dinner of the local Mosuo people. In addition to the hearty meal, the warm-hearted a-ge (young men) kept adding dishes for us, and even asked the a-mei to sing two toasting songs.

The evening activity was the bonfire party. Everyone here can truly sing and dance.

[Bonfire Party]

That night we stayed in a lake-view room by the shore. Early the next morning I ran to the lake to enjoy the scenery. I have to say, Lugu Lake at dawn is adorably quiet.

Not long after, the sun came out, probably knowing we were heading to the Yunnan side of Lugu Lake and the most beautiful Lige Peninsula. The pig-trough boats here are surprisingly bright in color, and the scenery is super beautiful.

The colorful pig-trough boats caught many people’s eyes~

This was the last photo stop. After visiting this spot, our two-day Lugu Lake trip came to an end.

There was a Guangdong couple in our group—I really wanted to take a photo of them.

After the last stop at Lugu Lake, we headed back to Lijiang, and went straight to Shuhe Ancient Town~

This is the guesthouse we stayed in—really homely. ▼ That evening, the young man (the guesthouse helper or staff) took us to try some delicious food, then to watch a local characteristic bonfire dance, and even accompanied us to buy local specialties. Best of all, he helped us bargain. But when it comes to authenticity, you should buy based on your own judgment and not blindly trust others.

The food we had in Shuhe Ancient Town was really comforting. Actually, before coming, I’d seen many recommendations for a popular restaurant in Shuhe Ancient Town that many celebrities visit. One big reason I stayed in Shuhe this time was to try this restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint. At first sight, my heart melted. I loved the whole layout and atmosphere: a clear stream flows by the entrance, surrounded by lots of flowers. The first floor is a bit cramped, but the second floor is especially comfortable—spacious, with an outdoor balcony seat. When we arrived, a table just freed up, so we were lucky to get the balcony spot. Eating delicious food, listening to music, and drinking cold beer—it was so relaxing. Friends visiting Lijiang should definitely check out this restaurant!

This was the last stop before our 4:30 p.m. flight—Lashi Lake. Lashi Lake has fertile water plants and beautiful lake scenery, and is known as the cradle of life.

It was my first time riding a horse, haha~

Travelogue Contents

1. Day 1: First Arrival in Lijiang, Encounter with Dayan Ancient Town

2. Day 2: Depart for Lugu Lake, Heading to ‘Heaven on Earth’

3. Day 3: Circuit around Lugu Lake, Check-in at Lige~

4. Day 4: Retracing the Tea Horse Road~

5. Goodbye Lijiang

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