Lijiang Travel Guide

Lijiang is both the name of the city and of the county. It is about 150 kilometers from Burma and about 200 kilometers from Tibet. Most of the county is sparsely populated with nature preserves, high mountains, small towns, farms, and the shepherds’ pastures. The whole county of Lijiang has about 1.2 million people in area of about 21,200 square kilometers. The city of Lijiang has about a half million people.

In 1997, three ancient districts of the Lijiang urban area were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List because they are in a dramatic landscape where the Han and Naxi cultures blended to “produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality.” The UNESCO description says that Lijiang was a key commercial and strategic site and that the “architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries.” They also noted that “Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still functions effectively today.” more about Lijiang »