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lijiang
.the Ancient Town of Lijiang.
　　 　Lijiang is an ancient town at the foot of the Yulong Snow Mountain in northwestern Yunnan. In 1997, it was put on the World Cultural Heritage List. Lijiang got its name from the Lishui (now Jinsha) River, which flows through the town. All year round the snow-capped peaks are enticing people to come for a visit. The Dayan Town is the center of Lijiang Naxi Ethnic Minority Autonomous County. It is situated in the Lijiang Basin surrounded by mountains. The Shizi (Lion) Mountain helps block the icy wind from the northwest. At the Yuquan waterfall which feeds the Heilong (Black Dragon)Pool,10 separate streams meet and join together, carrying the melted snow into the town, flowing through the streets and lanes in all directions. Stone arched bridges span the rivers, and weeping willows sway gently in the breeze, Birds sing and flowers are fragrant. The whole town is shrouded in simplicity and elegance.


　　 　The Dayan Town contains a group of well-preserved ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The world-famous Sifang (square) Street is lined with little shops. Five major streets connect all the roads and lanes. Streets which run beside the streams are all paved with colorful cobbles. After rain, they look shining and neat. Naxi women, wearing their blue pleated skirts and sheepskin shawls decorated with seven stars and seven ribbons, add a lingering charm to the ancient town.

　　 　Most of the residents of the Dayan Town are Naxi people. Their houses are traditional buildings with carved beams and painted rafters. Bridges, courtyards and springs are everywhere. Lijiang was first built in the 13th century, and is one of the few ancient towns that have no city walls in the world. The hereditary( master) of the Naxi minority all come from the Mu(wood)family. In Chinese, 直Mu plus a frame becomes 是Kun (surrounded), so they did not build city walls.

the Southwestern Silk Road.
　　 　Historically, Lijiang was the place for businessmen. During the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), Zhang Qian served as an envoy to the Western Regions and discovered that in India there had been an older commercial route to southwest China leading on to Southeast and Western Asia. This was the well-known Southwestern Silk
Road. Lijiang was an important trading post on that road. The later Tea and Horse Road, another ancient trade route, met the Square Street of Lijiang. As a pivot of trade and commerce between Yunnan and Tibet, Lijiang was once extremely prosperous. During the Anti-Japanese-Invasion War, Chinese sea ports were blockaded by the Japanese army and later the Yunnan-Myanmar highway was cut off. Commodities from Kunming had first to be transported to Dali, by way of Lijiang and Lhasa, and finally to India. India-Tibet-Lijiang became an important route for foreigners entering China.
the philosophy of Confucious and its impact on Naxi people.
　　 　Naxi people believe in Confucianism. Many outstanding personalities were from Lijiang, inchuding Mu Gong and Mu Zeng, who were both hereditary headmen and poets at the same time,the painter Zhou Lin and the historian Fang Guoyu. You can easily converse with senior citizens who are full of wisdom on the street, or you can find exquisite calligraphy or paintings in an ordinary family home. Many people preserve precious thread-books in their wooden cupboards.
the Ancient Music of Naxi people.
　　 　The most attractive thing in Lijiang is Naxi ancient music. A group of old people, all over seventy, with long gowns, white hair and some with white beards, play melodious and elegant pieces with their traditional Chinese musical instruments. When a night comes and the moon hangs in the sky, the town is filled with beautiful music. It makes people feel heavenly at this place. Naxi ancient music enjoys a high reputation not only in China but all over the world. The Performance of Naxi ancient music contributes much to the promotion of Chinese culture. It has aroused strong interest from both home and abroad.
the Dongba Culture of Naxi people.
　　 　The Naxi ethnic group maintains its rich traditional culture, and the tens of thousands of ancient books written in Dongba characters are unique in the world's cultural history. Lijiang, therefore, is famous all over the world for being "the home of the Dongba culture". The Dongba culture includes pictographic characters, scriptures, paintings, music and dances. Dongba means 'the wise man who is in charge of the sacrifices' in the Naxi language. These men are erudite.
　　 　They practice divination, preach and preside over important sacrifices. They have written an encyclopedia of the Naxi people in Dongba characters, the only remaining pictographic characters in the world, using hand-made bamboo pens and ink, on a special kind of thick cotton paper. The huge number of scriptures preserved by common people and the pictograph itself are precious documents for the study of Naxi history,culture and religion. When sacrificing to the Heaven, Dongba people dance in a circle accompanied by conch playing and percussion. There are 60 different kinds of dances, covering a wide range of subjects, such as the activities of the Gods, birds and beasts, and war. Most of the dance movements imitate animal actions. "The Dongba Dance Manual", written in Dongba characters, has been preserved by the Dongba masters and disciples. It is even older than the"Fragments of Dunhuang Dance Manual", and is a precious cultural heritage of the Naxi ethnic group.
Lijiang Murals.
　　 　Lijiang murals which were painted in the 14 century, are found in 13 temples including the Liuli Temple(the Glazed Tile Temple). Fifty-five pieces have been preserved, covering 139.22 square meters. These murals integrate the classical stories of Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism. They feature the pictures of Central china, Tibet and Dongba. The calligraphy is well-proportioned, the colors have strong contrasts and the images of people are lifelike. They are a cultural relic under national protection.

Lugu Lake and Mosuo people.
　　 　More than 300 km north of Lijiang, there lies the mysterious Lugu Lake, People call it the "Mother Lake". The deep blue water is crystal clear. To its northwest is the Goddess Gemu Mountain, which stands far away facing a second mountain said to be her lover. On the shores of the lake there is a women's kingdom, where the Mosuo people live and observe the social customs of a matriarchal society. Women play a leading role in the family economy. No marriage ceremony is held. Once a young man or woman is affirmed as grown up through a special ritual, he or she can live with his or her beloved. Their children special ritual, he or she can live with his or her beloved. Their children will be raised by the mother's family. Facing the water and beside the mountains,the Mosuo people live in houses called "Muleng", which are warm in winter and cool in summer. The fire basin in the principal room is the center of family life. Two pillars support the fire basin, the one on the left represents man and the one on the right, woman. This is where the ritual for celebrating adulthood is held.

　　 　According to the Mosuo tradition, Goddess Gemu is in charge of love, birth and grain. Every 25th day of the seventh lunar month is the day to make sacrifice to the Goddess. People burn pine branches and offer food and fresh flowers to her. Then they run beside the mountain and sing, dance and eat together by the lake. When night comes, campfires can be seen in every village. The young men and women join hands and dance happily around the fire,seeking their perfect love.