Shuhe, an Ancient Naxi Town in Lijiang
3 min readThe ancient town of Shuhe is located in Lijiang in the northwest part of Yunnan and was once an important town on the ancient tea delivery road Driving to Shuhe from Lijian only requires following the pavement 7 kilometers towards Snow Mountain before the ancient village comes into view. This is Shuhe, the “land of clear springs Longquan(Dragon Springs) Village
Shuhe is the location of one of the earliest settlements of Naxi people. Entering the in the ancient city of Lijiang. The square has a total area of 200 square meters and has ient village you can directly arrive at the central square in the style of sifang Stre become known as “Shuhe s Sifang Street. The four sides of the square are lined with shops and stores with ancient-style wooden fronts painted with bright red lacquer. Added to the shiny black stones in front of the stores and the spotted stone walkways, the square has a simple and natural feel.
West of Sifang Street at the foot of the mountains is a large concentration of ancient dwellings. Most of the Naxi dwellings in Shuhe are made of earth and wood, with earth stone, and brick complementing the basic wooden framework. They are often built in courtyard formation with dwellings on three sides and a decorated screen wall on the entrance side, front courtyard and back courtyard, and one entrance leading to twe courtyards. The first type is most basic and most often seen. The rural courtyard formation ith dwellings on three sides and a decorated screen wall on the entrance side is a little different from those found in cities in terms of function. The three buildings have two f the main building facing south are used for living areas with the upper stories used for storage while the lower floor of the building facing north is used for sheltering animals with the upper floor used for storing feed.
The most outstanding characteristic of Naxi dwellings in Shuhe is that they all have a wide porch in the front，which they often use as a dining area and for entertaining guests The courtyards themselves also have their own character.most are covered with paving stones and are often well landscaped，and many use brick，tile or cobbles to form large depictions of auspicious Chinese symbols and characters to make them even more elegant.In addition to daily activities，the courtyards are also used as a work space and for folk activities
As the Naxi communities prospered in recent years，villagers have been building new houses.The new houses follow regulations concerning main framework，design and，style tomaintain the traditional appearance，but on the inside more and more people are going for modern decoration and modern wall treatment.The houses truly reflect an organic and harmonious blend of ancient and modern.
In order to avoid commercialization of the ancient village，just to the south of the the river and ancient trees.This area is especially designed for locating bars，inns and village a beautiful new section has been developed in the ancient style to match the lay shops so that the growing crowds of tourists do not disturb the routine lives of the villagers.The local Naxi residents，who are simple，kind，enthusiastic，and hospitable people，are very approachable.Life here is much tranquil and relaxed like olden times than in Lijiang.As you enjoy this return to a more natural lifestyle with the local residents you too will want this lifestyle to continue this way.
