Cities > Lijiang City
Overview
Chinese Name: 丽江市English Name: Lijiang City
City Airport: Lijiang Sanyi International Airport
Train Station: Lijiang Station,Lashihai Station
Climatic Contidition:semi-humid low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate
Background
Lijiang, a place with the beauty of the Eastern Alps - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the wildness - Tiger Leaping Gorge. Lijiang is located at high elevation in the northwest and low elevation in the southeast, on the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the northwest Yunnan Plateau, belonging to a semi-humid low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate. The rivers within the area belong to two major river basins and three major water systems. Lijiang City has three major heritages: world culture, nature, and memory, as well as Naxi Dongba culture, ethnic medicine culture, maternal culture of Lugu Lake, Bimo culture of Xiaoliangshan Yi nationality, dance and kindness culture of Lisu nationality, Banzhu and craftsman culture of Bai nationality, Han rule culture of Pumi nationality, culture of Yulong tiehua and Biantun, among others. Lijiang has a rich legacy of historical and cultural relics, with artifacts distributed extensively above and below the ground.Climate
Lijiang City has a semi-humid low-latitude plateau mountain monsoon climate, with distinct dry and wet seasons, and hot rainy seasons. There are six vertical climatic zones in the area including South Subtropical, Central Subtropical, North Subtropical, Warm Temperate, Central Temperate, and Cold Temperate zones, each with unique microclimates and inconsistent climatic patterns.Cuisine
The biodiversity of Lijiang City brings abundant food ingredients, and the Naxi people who live and thrive here have created a cuisine culture with strong local characteristics. Unique craftsmanship and native ingredients have concentrated the ethnic qualities and cultural features of the Naxi people. Lijiang is rich in various legumes such as broad beans, peas, chickpeas, snap peas, kidney beans, and white beans. Among them, chickpeas are most distinctive, resembling chicken eyes, thriving in barren lands with moderate production. They are used to make various forms of cold powder and products, loved for their good taste and quality.Lijiang Baba
Lijiang Baba is one of the traditional flavored snacks in Lijiang. During the Ming Dynasty when the great traveler Xu Xiake hiked in Lijiang, he described his feelings of tasting "crispy pastry oil thread" and "oil crispy flour pancakes" in the "Diary of Dian Tour Seven." These two delicacies are the present-day Lijiang Baba. Golden in color, fragrant in smell, and crispy and delicious to eat, the Lijiang Baba is long-lasting and was once a dry ration prepared for caravans on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Lijiang Baba comes in sweet and salty flavors, with options such as white sugar, brown sugar for sweetness, and ham or pepper salt for savory. It can be enjoyed with butter tea, soy milk, milk green tea, coffee, among others. In 2013, Lijiang Baba was listed in the city-level intangible cultural heritage protection project list, and in 2017, it was listed in the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage protection project list.Chidou Liangfen (Chickpea Cold Noodles)
Chidou Liangfen is a kind of cold noodle snack made from local chickpeas (also known as "chicken bowl beans") in Lijiang. It is a kind of cold noodle snack made by grinding the beans into flour and straining the slurry. Due to the richness of black pigment in chickpeas, the Liangfen presents a black appearance, hence it is also known as "black Liangfen." Apart from being enjoyed cold, Chidou Liangfen can also be eaten hot. In the summer, the cold noodles can be mixed with red chili, green leek, peppercorn, vinegar, and other condiments for a refreshing appetizer. In the winter, it can be fried golden in a flat-bottomed pan with sesame oil and mixed with condiments.Customs
Wedding customs
The Naxi people practice monogamy, and traditional marriage customs can be mainly divided into proposing and determining marriage ("she she," in Naxi language meaning proposal), offering wine ("rizhu," in Naxi language meaning to offer wine, which symbolizes engagement), and holding weddings ("came like she," in Naxi language meaning to take a bride). The traditional wedding ceremony maximizes the retention of core rituals from the Dongba classic ceremony, such as welcoming the village god, "ba ma ba" (in Naxi language, meaning applying butter), praying for blessings, among other key elements, showcasing rich local and ethnic characteristics.Festival customs
San Duo Festival
"San Duo" is a war god revered by the Naxi people, also the guardian deity of the Naxi people. San Duo is the primary god and highest protector of the Naxi people, a war god who rides a white horse, wears white armor, a white helmet, and wields a white spear. He is believed to frequently appear to protect the safety of the Naxi people. The shrine started to offer sacrifices during the Tang Dynasty and is highly revered by the Naxi people. People also believe that "San Duo" is an incarnation of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Every year on the 8th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, Naxi people in Lijiang, dressed in ethnic costumes, gather from the mountains to the flat areas and converge at the North Yue Temple "San Duo Pavilion" at the southern foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to worship the spirit of San Duo. On that day, Dongba priests preside over the rituals dedicated to San Duo, reciting the "San Duo ritual," the "San Du Festival" ritual, performing Dongba ceremonial dances, and holding the "San Duo song" ceremony. People offer fragrant wine and delicious meats to San Duo, burn incense, kneel and kowtow, devoutly praying for the blessing of San Duo for the well-being, abundance of food, and prosperity of the Naxi people. Every household also prepares food at home and offers prayers.Lisu Kuoshijie (Lisu New Year Festival)
Kuoshijie (phonetically translated from the Lisu language) is a traditional festival of the Lisu people, meaning New Year Song and Dance Festival, Year Festival, or Spring Festival, with the festival period varying in different regions. The Kuoshijie Festival in Lisu-inhabited areas such as Huaping County, Yunnan Province, lasts for half a month from December 20th according to the Gregorian calendar. In Dechang County, the Lisu Kuoshijie Festival is from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, coinciding with the Han Chinese Spring Festival. The festival includes activities such as sweeping away dust, offering sacrifices, feeding hunting dogs, washing clothes, sending off deities, women's hair-braiding competitions, paying New Year visits, embroidery, textile weaving, dancing, etc. The festive atmosphere is strong and highly distinctive.Main Attractions
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain scenic area is situated in Baisha Town, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, comprising high mountain snow landscapes, water landscapes, forest landscapes, and meadow landscapes, rich in natural resources and high in viewing value. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is called "Oulu" in the Naxi language, meaning a silvery mountain rock. It is the sacred mountain in the hearts of the Naxi people, believed to be the incarnation of the protective deity "San Duo" of the Naxi people. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stands at an altitude of 5596 meters, covered in snow year-round.Lijiang Ancient Town
Lijiang Ancient Town was founded at the end of the Song Dynasty and thrived during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, belonging to the settlement of the Naxi people, a minority ethnic group in China. On December 8, 1986, it was listed as a national historical and cultural city by the State Council. On December 4, 1997, the Lijiang Ancient Town was inscribed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The World Cultural Heritage Lijiang Ancient Town consists of Dayan Ancient Town (including Heilongtan Scenic Area), Baisha Residential Buildings, and Shuhe Residential Buildings, with a total area of 7.279 square kilometers, and its core area is Dayan Ancient Town (commonly known as Lijiang Ancient Town) covering an area of 5.39 square kilometers. In July 2011, the China National Tourism Quality Grading Committee approved the Lijiang Ancient Town as a national 5A-level tourist attraction with an area of 3.2 square kilometers.
