Day: October 10, 2017

October 10, 2017

China Day 9: Baisha

Not only do you get meals at N’s Kitchen, but also help and advice regarding travel and sightseeing. The staff have a reasonable grasp of English which is certainly a rarity here in Lijiang. Their suggestion was to visit the Baisha Village and the Baisha Frescos (UNESCO World Heritage site) by catching the number 6 bus from the main road behind the Old Town water wheel…..so this is what I did today. The man at N’s Kitchen wrote Baisha in Chinese on a piece of paper for me, I also asked him to write the address for Lijiang Old Town in Chinese as well to ensure I could get back okay. I then headed off to find the bus stop and catch the number 6 bus. The 30 minute journey cost me 1CN¥ (12p) and the bus driver helpfully indicated where I needed to get off the bus.

Baisha Village lies at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain about 8km to the north of Lijiang Old Town. It is the earliest settlement of the Naxi people and is the birthplace of ‘Tusi’, chief of the Mu clan. It was the political, economic and cultural centre of Lijiang prior to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its construction started during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and it became prosperous during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties. From the Ming Dynasty, the governors moved their families to Lijiang Ancient Town but still built temples in Baisha Village, making this village a religious centre during the early Ming Dynasty. The existing Dabaoji, Liuli and Wenchang Palaces and the famous Baisha Frescos were completed during that period. Most of the paintings are about religious stories of Taoism, Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism and embody the artistic characteristics of the Naxi, Tibetan, Han and Bai ethnic groups. The majority of the existing Frescos are preserved in Dabaoji Palace.

My first stop was to visit the temples and Baisha Frescos; a very quiet and tranquil place.

On leaving the temple complex the path took me onto the main street through Baisha Village. The buildings are clearly very old and have not been restored to the Disneyesque appearance of Lijiang Old Town. There were less tourists and the pace of life seems much slower. I stopped in one cafe for a Sprite and service was definitely slow, but the Sprite was the cheapest yet!

I continued on down the street and then turned off to the left and came upon the Naxi Embroidery Institute. I had a look around their display room and then visited the Institute next door and ended up having a one to one tour and shown the intricate work of their embroiderers. They also give lessons, although none today. The quality, fineness and intricateness of the work being done was phenomenal. The finished pieces look like watercolours due to the delicate nature of the stitching……..amazing, and an unexpected treat to see this. My guide explained that the mission of the institute is to save, protect, inherit and promote the Naxi traditional hand-made embroidery.

I found the bus station (bus stop) in the village without too much difficulty and was soon back on the number 6 bus to Lijiang. I then had a late lunch snack at a cafe by the river before heading back to the hotel to await the arrival of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trekkers.

Word was out about the excellent LaMu’s meal last night so there was an enthusiasm amongst some of the group to go there tonight. I was certainly happy to go back again. Mr L and I were joined by Doreen, Julia, Wendy and Chris – everyone agreed it was a good venue and good food. Wendy and I both tried the Great Wall of China red wine  and very good it was too. It was great to hear their stories and see their photos; definitely reinforced that my decision to stay behind was the correct one for me. I then took a weary Mr L on a brief orientation walk before heading home to bed.

Distance walked: 15,407 steps / 6.65 miles

October 10, 2017

China Day 8: ‘Lost’ in Lijiang

The early alarm call hastened Mr L from his bed and off on his trekking adventure. Meanwhile, I was off to explore the Old Town of Lijiang…….

The Old Town of Lijiang, located in the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority, lies in the northwest of Yunnan Province at an altitude of 2,418m. It is listed as one of the four best preserved ancient cities in China; the others are Langzhong Ancient City in Sichuang, Pingyao Ancient City in Shanxi, and Shexian Ancient City. Lijiang and two villages to the north, Baisha and Shuhe, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1997. Since then, the local government has taken more responsibility for the development and protection of the old city and Lijiang’s tourism has increased over the past twenty years. Travellers from around the world visit but most tourists are still Han Chinese (majority ethnic group) from other parts of China.

The Old Town occupies an area of 3.8 square kilometers (912 acres), was originally built in the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty, and has a history of more than 800 years. It is built along the lie of mountains and the flow of rivers and is the only old city built without a city wall. The story goes that Lijiang had been under the reign of the hereditary Mu family for more than 500 years. If the Chinese character ‘Mu’, representing the governor of Lijiang, is put into a frame representing a city wall, you have the character ‘Kun’ which means ‘siege’ or ‘predicament’. This would mean that the governing Mu family and their descendants would always be trapped. Because of this symbolism, Old Town Lijiang was never given a city wall.

The centre of the Old Town is Square Street (Sifangjie) and 4 main streets radiate from this point extending in 4 different directions. Countless lanes which extend in all directions form a network and connect every corner of the town. Streets in the Old Town are paved by the local bluestones which are neither muddy in the rainy season nor dusty in the dry season, and add a sense of antiquity to the Old Town. The sluice at the centre of town is opened late in the night and the resulting current of water flushes and washes all the streets to keep the town clean. This practical use of water is part of the daily life of the residents in Old Town. Again the town is spotless at all times with no rubbish seen on the ground irrespective of how big the crowds are.

All water flows into streams from the 2 big water wheels in the Jade River Square so as long as you find one of the many streams and follow the water upstream you always end up back at the water wheels meaning it is impossible to get lost (thanks to Mr L for imparting this gem).

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After an excellent breakfast of Yunnan coffee and toast at the wonderful N’s Kitchen, I spent many a happy hour meandering the streets and working out how the multitude of lanes intersect and meet up.

I watched locals dancing in Square Street, and later on dancing in the Jade River Square park near the water wheels. A tuk-tuk with a huge speaker played the music whilst locals, some in traditional costume, danced a sort of line dance. Later in the afternoon when I returned they were still dancing with numbers significantly increased, and by the evening the dancing was all finished.

The afternoon was interspersed with a rest and sustenance at the delightful Prague Cafe. My wanderings took me out to the perimeter of the Old Town where I was looking for an indication of where to catch a bus for tomorrow’s adventure.  There were some escalators going down so I gave them a go and cane upon a huge brightly lit shopping centre that sits underneath the Old Town – not what I expected to find at all!

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My evening meal was at LaMu’s House of Tibet restaurant and an excellent meal it was too – vegetable curry momos, Tibetan sliced potatoes in tomato and garlic with a glass of Yunnan red wine (a bit sweet for my liking, but pleasant enough).

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I then had a ticket to go to the Naxi Ancient Music concert, a daily occurrence at 20.00 every evening and lasting about 75 minutes. The orchestra of 18 included 6 octogenarians and outnumbered the audience of 11! The music was very different to my western ear, played on very unusual looking instruments. Some was very pleasant and melodic whilst other pieces sounded harsh and discordant. As for the singing – not to my liking as high pitched and screechy! A good experience nevertheless to experience a small part of Naxi culture.

The people of the Naxi ethnic minority mostly live in Lijiang and form the majority of the population here, while the rest live in Sichuan and Tibet. The Naxi are famous for their Ancient Music, the traditional Naxi classical music that is regarded as a ‘living fossil of Chinese music.’

All in all a good day although a bit strange not having Mr L to share the experience with.

Distance walked: 20,338 steps / 8.79 miles