The old town in Lijiang is a wonderful ancient city with lanes crossed by rivers and canals. Old Lijiang, built on a plateau 2,400 m above sea level, is surrounded by mountains to the north and west and endless fertile fields in the southeast. The city, cut by canals with crystal clear waters, is often called the Venice of the East.
The city began to build up at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (960-1279 and 1271-1368) under Kuglai Khan (1271-1294). Lijiang was an important political, cultural and educational center, playing an important role in trade between Yunnan, Tibet, India and the rest of Asia.
The only old city built without walls, Lijiang has become a fusion of many cultures, and its architecture forms a unique blend of styles. Narrow, sometimes crooked streets, houses built of wood with tiled roofs, carved figures on windows and doors, and colorful gardens in front of the entrance are characteristic of much of the city.
Water is the soul of old Lijiang. The main source is the Black Dragon Pond. The stream diverges into separate branches, so that every family, every street has access to it. The aqueducts feed many willow trees that shade nearly 350 ornate bridges, some of which date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Lake Erhai is one of the seven largest freshwater lakes in China. The name means "ear-shaped sea".
Three pagodas about 1 km northwest of ancient Dali at the foot of Kangshan Mountain have an interesting history dating back over 1800 years. Their triangular arrangement is unique in China.
