| Lijiang Old Town, also named Dayan (Big Inkslab) Town, covering an area of 3.8 sqkm, is located in southeast of the Lijiang autonomous county, leaning on the Lion Mountain in the west and Xiangmian Mountain in the north. It was firstly built at the very beginning of the Yuan dynasty when the first emperor of Yuan dynasty, Hu Bilei led his army to be on a southern expedition to Yunnan province. Retained an historic townscape of high quality and authenticity, it is an old town of national minorities rarely found in China, which has been preserved intact.
The old town is a mountain town situated on a plateau, 2400 meters above sea level. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 30 km northwest to the Old Town, has reflected its snowy cap on the clear streams and pools around the old town, forming a unique scenery of the old town.
The town is famous for its unique layout. Combining the architecture styles of Han, Tibetan, Bai and other minorities, the old town still preserves in its overall structure the traditional natural aesthetics of the Naxi (also spelt Nakhi and Nahi) people and their interest in life. Crisscrossed by crystal-clear rivers and meandering cobbled streets, the town, taking Sifang Street as its center, spreads out in all direction. The streets and houses are built along the lie of mountains and the flow of rivers, and their form is variant and diverse. Most of the dwellings 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. Well-known to the world for "each of the household is built by the stream and surrounded by willow trees", the town is reputed as the "Oriental Venice" and "Suzhou in Highland".
The charm of the old town also lies in its ethnic culture and folk custom full of fresh tinge and traditional features. The Naxi people have adhered to the wisdom handed down from the old Dongba civilization, which considered humans and Nature were brothers.
What is more interesting, the old town has no walls. It was said that the hereditary ruler of Lijiang used to be surnamed Mu, to have Mu encased with a frame or a wall would be Kun, which means in Chinese siege or predicament. So, there is no wall in this town.
The ancient town looks unsophisticated and picturesque, having both the benefit of a watery and a mountainous environment, thus gaining renown from both domestic and foreign tourists. In December 1986, the State Council designated the town as a famous ancient historical and cultural city of a national caliber. In 1997, the UNESCO put Lijiang on a list of the world's major cultural heritages.
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