Lijiang Ancient Town
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Lijiang Old Town is surrounded by the tree-covered mountains and a crystal clear water runs through the old town. Chinese people say that the old town looks like a big jade ink slab, therefore it is sometimes called Town of Big Ink Slab (Dayanzhen).The Old Town, covers an area of 3.8 square kilometers (912 acres)and is 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) above the sea level. It was first built in the late South Song Dynasty making it some 800 years old. The houses are home to 4,200 families and are joined closely together making them look like the teeth of a comb.
The layout of the old city is different from any other in China, making an important place in the history of ancient city construction. The surname of Lijiang's hereditary chieftain was Mu. If the Chinese character "Mu" (representing the governor of Lijiang) is put into a frame (representing the 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 like a rat in a hole. Because of this taboo, a city wall was never constructed around Old Town Lijiang.
The city was built against three mountains and the rivers. Three rivers run across the city, providing abundant water for every family. The streets parallel, bending, quiet, narrow but convenient. The architecture style is unique in old town as a result of the combination of the multinational culture and circumstances. In ancient times, the first consideration was to build along a river to provide a good water supply. The construction of Lijiang also followed the old pattern.
The buildings constructed with wood and soil and tiles stand like living fossil to teach us about ancient times. The layout of the town is free-style and flexible and Naxi people pay much attention to the decoration. The houses are built mostly of timber and tile around a compound with a garden. Each has engraved vivid figures of people and animals on the doors and windows, beautiful flowers and trees in the garden. Living in such a beautiful and comfortable environment is very pleasant.
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There are 2 comments about Lijiang Ancient Town:
chinatravel Says:2008-1-23 20:24:00
The city was built in Song Dynasty, which has more than eight centuries history.
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Nice but too touristy.