Located on the plateau of Northwest Yunnan Lijiang has majestic and elegantly beautiful landscapes. The Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain is lofty and bright while the Yangtze River flows powerfully through its First Bend and Lugu Lake shines as clear and green as jade. Its Naxi Ancient Music and Dongba Culture have become famous all over the world. It is also rich in biological hydrological power and mineral resources with the Chenghai Lake as one of the three largest lakes for natural spirulina. Lijiang boasts three world heritages the Old Town of Lijiang the Laojun Mountain a part of the Parallel Flow of Three Rivers and the ancient literature of Dongba.　In this area are also four national tourist attractions a national historical and cultural city　(the Old Town of Lijiang) a national scenic area　(the Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area of Lijiang) a national 4A scenic area　(the Yulong Snow Mountain of Lijiang) a key national cultural relic　(the Dabaoji Palace and the Glazed Hall).The area also reserves four living fossils of human history Dongba pictograph Naxi Ancient Music matriarchal family system of the Mosuo people and the construction style of the old town of lijiang.
Built during the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty the Old Town of Lijiang has no city walls. It rests on Lion Mountain in the west and borders on Elephant Mountain in the north. Surrounded by green hills it looks like a jade ink slab thus the name Dayan Town ("yan" homophonously for ink slab).The center of the town is the town is the Sifang Street surrounded by five main streets (Xinhua Wuyi Qiyi Xinyi and Guangyi) leading in all directions. Among these main streets is a web of alleys and paths which run through the whole town.
The old town has made good use of water from the Black Dragon Poo1. Indeed the crystal clear water from the pool flows through the houses of the town in three major separate rivers (East Middle and West Rivers) and many minor rivers. Thus the town is uniquely characterized as "rivers winding through every house and willows weeping before every family" a well-known scene of South China. Rivers and bridges can be seen everywhere in the town so the number of bridges within such a small area may rank first in China. Because of this the town is called "Gaoyuan Gusu" (Plateau Suzhou) .The roads in the town are paved with mottled slabs easy for walking and cleaning. The common dwellings are mostly two-storied wooden buildings designed as three houses and one screen wall or as four houses and five courtyards a combination of the excellent architectural styles of such nationalities as the Han Bai and Tibetan. The wooden framework joined with tenons and mortises as found in Naxi buildings is so special that a house dos not fall even when its walls have collapsed. As a result the old town has withstood earthquakes. Mu's Mansion (the mansion of the magistrate Mu) in the town was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1996.The original mansion was praised by Xu Xiake "the magnificence of the mansion can be compared to that of a prince's residence." Its majesty grandness and spectacularity remind people of the cultural prosperity and the special power of chieftain Mu among other chieftains in Southwest China for the 470 years and 22 generations during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now the Old Town of Lijiang has become a famous national historical and cultural city for its long history rich cultural relics and historic sites and brilliant ethnic cultures. In 1997 it was declared by the UNESCO as a cultural world heritage.
In Yuquan (Jade Spring) Park at the edge of the town are such Ming and Qing architectural complexes as Wufeng Pavilion (Five Phoenix Pavilion) Guangbi Pavilion Jietuoling Gate Tower and Deyue Pavilion. Beside the park are institutions like Lijiang Museum of Dongba Culture and Institute of Dongba Culture where the artistic charm of the Dongba hieroglyphics the only living hieroglyphics in the world appeal to visitors. In August 2003 Dongba classics and literature were listed among the Written World Heritages. Roaming in the town one catches sight of couplets written in Dongba hieroglyphics from time to time and enjoys the plain and elegant ancient Naxi music.
In the township of Baisha eight km north of Dayan and the township of Shuhe four km northwest of the old town is another part of the old town two ancient residential complexes - Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Palace where Baisha frescoes are still found and are both national cultlural and historical relics.
Situated in the north of Yulong County Yulong Snow Mountain is a famous branch of the eastern Yunling Mountains It extends 35 km from south to north and 25 km from east to west The mountain has altogether 1 3 peaks the highest of which is the Shanzidou Peak at 5596 meters above sea level Standing on the north bank of the Jinsha River the tall straight mountain is like a jade pillar supporting the sky. It is snow-covered all year round as if dressed in white. The main peak in front looks like the head of a dragon while the other peaks linked with each other follow in a line as if a transparent jade dragon lies on the top "Yulong" a part of the name of the mountain means "jade dragon"
As the southernmost low-1atitude modern glacier in the Northern Hemisphere and the highest peak to the south of the Yangtze River the Yulong Snow Mountain supports economic forests medicinal plants and ornamental flowers and trees which are distributed over different altitudinal and climatic belts Thus it is a famous place for f1owers like azalea primrose and orchid and a source for herbal medicines From the foot of the mountain to its top there are over 20 complete forest communities inhabited by birds and beasts of which the key state-protected species of animals are 23
The landscape of the Yulong Snow Mountain is beautiful and varied. It is classified in four ways snow landscape water landscape forest landscape and meadow landscape Among the multitude of scenic spots are Dried River Bed Leech Flatland Ancient Glacier Traces Yunshan Ground (Spruce Level Ground) Yak Ground Baishui River Jade Sky-Supporting Pillar and Jade Lake Reflections In its history the mountain has been visited by Mengshi King of Nanzhao of the Tang Dynasty Li Jing prefectural governor of the Yuan Dynasty and Xu Xiake a famous traveler of the Ming Dynasty all filled with admiration at the sight of its landscape Since the early 20th century it has been visited by foreign and domestic explorers and botanists like Dr Joseph Rock an American-Austrian botanist Peter Goullart a Russian explorer Li Lincan curator of Taiwan Museum and Qin Renchang a famous Chinese botanist to mention a few
Yulong Snow Mountain has been a holy mountain for the Naxi people from time immemorial Piluoge king of Nanzhao imitated emperors of the Central Plains by granting titles to the five mountains in Yunnan Of the entitled mountains Yulong Snow Mountain is the North Mountain Kubiai Khan gave it the title of "Holy Stone for Peace and Stability" when he stayed in Lijiang During the Ming Dynasty the Naxi people saw it as their patron god "Sanduo" and began to worship it Now the mountain is the body and center of the National Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area
Also known as the "Jinsha Split" and the "First Gorge along the Yangtze River" this world famous gorge is situated between Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang and Haba Snow Mountain in Shangri-la 35 km from the Town of Shigu (the Stone Drum) Lijiang the Jinsha River starts to run quickly between the two snow mountains At this point the river narrows at times to only about 20 meters A story goes that a tiger jumping to a rock in the middle of the river leaped to the other bank thus the name.

The gorge is 16 km long and 3 900 meters high from the shoal of the river to the top of the peaks on its banks. On the northern and southern sides of the river are two steep and lofty snow mountains facing each other while in the middle of the river are reefs in great numbers and thunderous roars produced by terrifying waves, thus forming a view of "ten thousand horses galloping between ten thousand cliffs and a strip of sky coveting a string of river" The gorge is divided into three sections upper middle and lower and it has 1 8 dangerous shoals In the upper section are such views as "Entrance of the Gorge" and the"Tiger Leaping Rock "in the middle are" Stars All Over the Sky" and "Sky Strip" and in the lower "A Peaceful Lake Out of a High Gorge" and "Daju Village"
Meanwhile visitors can also trek over the Haba Snow Mountain to Baishui Platform in Shangri-la to enjoy the mountain views on the northern side of the gorge. The splashing river and the dangerous shoals of the gorge and its majestic beauty have filled men of letters and adventurers with admiration.
Located in the Town of Shigu 45 km from the Old Town of Lijiang this V-shaped bay is formed as the Jinsha River running south in the Hengduan Mountains abruptly turns to the north at Shigu. The bay is wide and the water runs gently. On the shore are ribbon like willow woods and beyond that fertile flat fields joining terraced fields upon terraced fields Located in such a valley the bay has a warm and humid climate fertile fields and thus a profusion of products
The Town of Shigu stands on an open terrace on the riverside. Its dwellings are arranged neatly on the slope. It used to be a famous rural trading center in Northwest Yunnan and leading to Tibet in the north and to Dali in the south it has been regarded as a place of strategic importance on the Old Tea-Horse Caravan Road In the town there is a pavilion with a drum-1ike marble tablet in it The tablet was set up in the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty to record achievements made by a local chieftain in Lijiang. The town was named Shigu (stone drum) after this tablet. The famous couplet"the mountain joins the Yunling Mountains in thousands of piles the person lives at the first bay of the Yangtze River"vividly describes the geographical features of this town
It is said that Zhuge Liang prime minister of the Shu Han government during the Three Kingdoms crossed the river here with his army on an expedition to conquer Nanzhong In April 1936 the Red Army also crossed the Jinsha River here to fight Japanese invaders in North China There is a ballad that said" He Long (a Red Army officer) is beating the Stone Drum and red flags are fluttering in the river" Now a monument in memory of the Red Army crossing the river and a showroom for the relics of the Long March has been built in the town
Situated at the southern foot of Yulong Snow Mountain and 13 km from the Old Town of Lijiang is one of the five major Lamaist temples in this city Yufeng Temple. It was built at the end of the Kangxi Period of the Qing Dynasty. It is a quadrangle with the main hall a storied building with saddle roof facing east. Inside the hall are pillars carved with coiling dragon designs coffered ceilings and portraits of Buddha in the style of Tibetan thangka (religious scroll paintings