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Around the world in 2000,
via Asia and Madagascar.
China (7 Lijiang)
Bec2004-09-18 16:17:55
Displayed times (last time: )
Lijiang
I missed seeing some of the countryside by flying here but I consoled myself by thinking of how worn out I would have been if I had taken that rough two day bus ride over bad roads.
Lijiang is a modern Chinese city whose ancient center has been carefully restored to what it was like a century ago or more. There's nothing very special about the modern part, it is clean, efficient and growing fast like all Chinese cities but Old Lijiang is a jewel worth making a long detour to see.
An even greater attraction to Lijiang are the Naxi people who live here. The Naxi are descendants of ancient Qiang nomads that migrated south like the other mountain tribes that gave rise to several other minorities of Yunnan such as the Achang, the Dulong, the Lisu, the Nu, the Pumi, the Yi and the Zang.
The Naxis distinguish themselves from the others mentioned above by having maintained in the predominance of women in their society in spite of the heavy pressure exerted by the Han to make them conform to the Confucian ideal.
The Naxi are good agriculturalists and they have a high regard for running water which is one of the forces of nature they consider worthy of worship. Most of them are nominally animists but the practice of their ancient Dongba religion has practically disappeared.
I stayed at the "First Bend Guest House" whose courtyard is shown here. The door in the center opens onto the room seen below for which I paid 5 US$ a night.
Naxi women predominate; they own and inherit most of the property and make most of the decisions but they also do most the work.
Sourpuss critics that I have met lamented that Dong Dajie had been over-restored and lacked "authenticity" because it was not crumbling and filthy as they thought it should be to fit their preconception of ancient China. Maybe so I replied but not more than parts of Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Paris,
...
See photographs from:
China Gallery
