Sunday, June 8, 2014

2013 - Lijiang, Yunnan, China

DAY 09 - September 17, 2013 - Lijiang

Located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, Lijiang (麗江) is a city located 2 418 meters above the sea level.

DAY 10 - September 18, 2013 - Lijiang Impression

Lijiang Impression Show (印象麗江)
This one hour cultural show demonstrates the traditions and the lifestyles of the local ethnic groups (Naxi, Yi and Bai). It includes singing, dancing, horse riding and drumming. Around 500 amateur performers of 10 different minority groups are selected from the nearby 16 towns and villages. The outdoor performance is played in the full daylight using the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as backdrop.





Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Mountain) (玉龍雪山)
I was very disappointed at the guided tour. The journey included going to top of the Snow Mountain. It was a lie. I was prepared and brought my winter jacket. We only stayed at the foot of the mountain.





Yufeng (Jade Peak) Temple (玉峰寺)
Located at the southern foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and 13 kilometers northwest of Lijiang Old Town, Yufeng Temple is one of the five major lamaseries of Lijiang. This temple was originally built in 1661.







Dongba Culture Museum (東巴谷)
In the Naxi (納西) ethnic minority, men are called as Pangjinge (胖金哥) and women as Pangjinmei (胖金妹). Local people have a darker skin and are skinny. Their homes are located in a zone where the UV is very strong. Therefore, they considerate fat and dark Chineses are a beauty. In the past, they used pictographic language called "dongba".







Old Town (古城) 
The Old Town of Lijiang is located 2 400 meters (7 874 feet) above the sea level. The area covers 4 square kilometres. This town was built in late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty. It has no city wall. Lijiang was under the reign of the hereditary "Mu (木)" family, for more than 500 years. This Chinese character "Mu" means wood or tree. If you put "木" into a frame (walls), the character becomes "kun (困)" which signifies siege and/ or predicament. Therefore, building city walls will make the governing Mu family and their descendants always being trapped or in trouble.






The guide explained:
- In a house, the kitchen is located on the lowest floor due to easy access to the water. The shop is on the second floor. The people live on the third floor.
- In a bar, if a single lady lights up a cigarette, a man will approach her and starts a conversation. If the man is into her, then they will have a one night stand. If not, the man will smoke a cigarette.
- In a disco, one woman and one man dance together. If one is interested into the other, he or she will tickle the palm of the other. If the other person is also interested, he or she will confirm by also tickling back the other's palm. If there is no confirmation, it means no interest.

Black Dragon Pool (黑龍潭公園)
This is the major water source of the Old Town. It is subdivided into many streams reaching the families and the streets. 3 mouths were built for each well from the upriver to the downriver. The water in the first mouth was used for edibility, the second, for food cleaning and the third, for laundry. (No water in the pool.)



Sources: en.ynta.gov.cn, hk.apple.nextmedia.com/

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