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.
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