Lijiang is a unique treasure of natural resources because it owns a wide and varied natural environment.The contributing factors to this truth are a low latitude,high elevattion,wide range of weather conditions,network of crisscrossing rivers,lakes and a unusual diverse geological structure.This makes Lijiang an area with high prospects for development. The UNESCO has put Lijiang on a list of the world major cultural heritages .

Situated in the northwest plateau in Yunnan,the special geographical location,multitude of minorities,long history and splendid culture transform Lijiang into a rich tourism area.

Lijiang is located in the area where Jinsha River,Lancang River and Nujiang River weave through landscape unmatched anywhere in the world.Yulong Snow Mountain,Laojun Mountain,the first Bend of Changjiang River and Lugu Lake are sites that are classified as State Tourism Zones and Provincial Tourism Zones.

Lijang is also rich in ethnic minorities'.Only in the Lijiang area are the unique Dongba and matriarchal cultures. The Naxi Autonomous County is the seat of the administrative commission of Lijiang Prefecture. Scattered on an area of 7,648 square kilometers, the population of 320,000 is made up of the Naxi, Bai, Lisu, Pumi, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Hui, Han and other ethnic groups. Among them, the Naxi people constitute 57% of the total. Affected by the plateau wind from South Asia.

Ancient Town

Lijiang is really two towns, two distinct parts divided by Lion Hill - the New Town, which came into being 43 years ago, and the Old Town, an 865-year-old architectural gem, although it looks like a huge inkstone, hence its name Dayan or Big Inkstone.

Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis and founder of the Mongol dynasty in China, came this way in 1253 on his conquest of Yunnan and established an administrative office which 23 years later became the Lijiang Military and Civil Protectorate . Thereafter the name " Lijiang " began to be used.

Dayan is the center of the Naxi people, the capital of the Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, and a place of utter contentment, where birds chirp from their cages hanging from the eaves of the houses and gurgling branches wind their ways through the streets and lanes in every part of the Old Town.

With Sifang Street at the core, the entire city spreads out in all direction, and is crisscrossed by a labyrinth of flagged streets and alleyways. Most of the dwellings, scattered at the foot of a mountain or by the rivers which flow through every nook and corner of the city, are brick-and-tile structures with carved doors and painted windows. Traffic across the rivers is facilitated by a large number of tiny stone bridges.

Dongba Culture

It refers to the ancient Naxi culture, which is given the name passed down by "dongbas". Dongba Culture originated from the Primary Naxi Religion, and believes in the super natural gods and their rule over the world. It is polytheism and incorporates Lamaism, Buddhism and Daoism. Dongba shaman, which means "wise man", is a witch doctor, scholar, craftsman as well as an artist. Dongbas are disseminators of the Dongba Culture.
The Dongba scriptures are a series of more than 20,000 books written in Naxi pictographs with more than 2000 hieroglyphs, a form of writing invented by the Naxi people more than a thousand years ago. It is reputed as the encyclopedia of the ancient times of the Naxi Nationality. The "Dongba Scroll Painting" and the "Art of Dongba Painting" are invaluable treasures in the ethnic gallery.

Since the early 1960s, some 20,000 volumes of Dongba documents have been collected and preserved. So far, l,500 volumes have been translated by the Dongba Research Center in Dayan. An important source of history, language, social and religious customs of the Naxi people, and some of them have been published. And in recent years more and more domestic and foreign scholars have come to Dayan to do research work on Dongba culture.

Jade Snow Mountain

The Jade Snow mountain is situated some 15 km. north of Lijiang County. With thirteen peaks resembling jade pillars holding the sky, it stands majestically on the east side of the Jinshajiang River.
The mountain extends 35 km. from south to north. Owing to the widely different altitudes of the mountain parts, a climate of a three-dimensional nature is conspicuous and may be attributed to the modern oceanic glacial period. Cash timber, medicinal herbs and various flowers are distributed in accordance with different climates resulting from different altitudes. The mountain is a well-known habitat of azaleas and rhododendrons.
The Jade Snow Mountain owns the gorgeous "Twelve Scenes" such as the "Fog in March" and the "Cloud Belt in June". The main peak Shanzifeng (Mount Fan), and Xianjiyan, Wohuping, Luxuedongtian, Yunshanping, etc. are among the places opened up for sightseeing.