Lijiang Old Town

If a place oozing of traditional culture is your call, the next time you plan a trip, the Lijiang Old Town in China is just the place you should head for. With a lifestyle that has perpetuated for the last 800 years or so, the Lijiang Old Town in china was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage in1997. Located in the Yunnan Province, the Lijiang Old Town has a name that is a little too misleading for a city. Sprawling over a good 3.8 Sq Km, the Lijiang Old Town was founded sometime between the Song and the Yuan Dynasty eras. Either way, Kubla Khan the first Yuan Emperor, set his royal seat in the city. Most of the houses and other architectural constructs are done up in the traditional Chinese style.

One unique feature of the Lijiang Old Town is the fact that it is the only un-walled old city. This is due to the fact that the Governor of the city or the 'Mu' resided in the city and to put the Mu in a walled city also translated as putting him under siege in the Chinese language. The other unique feature of the Lijiang Old Town, and there are many such features, is that the city is home to the Matriarchal Naxi society. The Naxi people are a small tribe, all of whom can be found in the Lijiang Old Town. They have their own personal language, cultural attributes and also religion. The main attractions in the region are the Heilongtan or the 'Black Dragon pool', which incidentally also happens to be the Lijiang Old Town main water supply source. Then there is also the Lion Mountain, Elephant Mountain and Golden Row Mountain.