The Old Town of Lijian is located
in the north west of the Yunnan province,
in the People’s Republic of China and is
home to the Naxi ethnic minority. The Old Town
of Lijian, also called Dayan Old Town, has become
one of China main tourist attractions, thanks
to its good state of preservation and its unique
architecture different from any other Chinese
ancient towns. The Old Town of Lijian, which has
more than 800 years history, became part of the
UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997 and it is also
called the Venice of the East, because of the
presence of several canals and bridges.
Old Town of Lijian, China – location
The Old Town of Lijian is located on a plateau
at about 2,500 metres altitude in the autonomous
Lijian county, Yunnan province, China. The Old
Town of Lijian is surrounded by mountains on two
sides (the Lion Mountain in the west, Elephant
and Golden Row Mountains in the north) and fertile
fields
on the other sides (south-east). Also, the city
is crossed by several canals, looking like a perfect
dream town.
Old Town of Lijian, China – history
The Old Town of Lijian was first built more than
800 years ago by the late Song Dynasty and the
early Yuan Dynasty. Under Kubla Khan, the town
of Lijian became very rich and flourished, being
at the centre of Kubla Khan’s reign. Lijian
was at the centre of commercial routes connecting
various Asian countries such as India, Tibet,
Yunnan and China.
Old Town of Lijian – architecture
The architecture of the Old town on Lijian is
unique, because of its historical background,
multiracial inhabitants and geographical location.
The Old town on Lijian is the only old city that
is not surrounded by a wall and also the buildings
incorporate the best parts of the architectural
traits of Han, Bai, and Tibet into a unique Naxi
style.
