The Lijiang Old Town,Orderly System ofWaterways and Bridges
1 min readThe Old Town of Lijiang is a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site located in Lijiang City,Yunnan,China.
The town has a history going back more than 800 yearsand was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road.The Lijiang old town is famousfor its orderly system of waterways and bridges.The old town of Lijiang differs from otherancient Chinese cities in architecture,history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhipeople,therefore people there are called (panjinge) and(panjinmei) (male and female respectively).Lijiang old town(including Dayan,Baisha and Shuhe)was registered on the UNESCOWorld Heritage List on December 4,1997.Since then,the local government has taken moreresponsibility for the development and protection of the old city.Lijiang’s tourism also boomed,and travellers from around the world flooded in although many locals fear that due to much ofthe development,the old town of Lijiang will lose its appeal.
Recently,the government has started to develop additional”old city”sections adjacent tothe site of the original old city.This is to accommodate the large number of tourists who walkthe cobblestone streets(cars are not allowed in the old city),typically as part of package tours.Evenings in the old city can be particularly rowdy,not least due to the many outdoor bars,whereboisterous groups of tourists try to outsing other groups.
Lijiang is also home to the Jade Water Village,a Dongba cultural centre and Lugu Lake,alake which is a tourist attraction.
