Out of breath in Lijiang

---

While the opportunity to frequently travel overseas on business sounds very appealing to most people, it also has its drawbacks. Often you tend to just move from plane to hotel to office and then back in reverse and don’t get the opportunity to see much of that country or experience its culture. And so it was with China, where I made many visits in my commodity trading days between 1999 and 2007, but the majority of these were to visit our key customer, Cofco, at its Beijing offices. But when a couple of us travelled over there in February 2006 to finalise the negotiation of a long term supply contract and then to complete the ‘signing ceremony’, a very important part of the process in China, I suggested that for a change we do this away from the capital city.

Fortunately, my Chinese equivalent, Madam Jiang, agreed with this proposal and arranged for us to instead meet up for a few days at Lijiang, in Yunnan province in the south of China. Lijiang has an important place in history, as from the 12th century onward, the Old Town was an important goods distribution centre for trade between Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet, and it is where the Silk Road in the south joins the Ancient Tea and Horse Road. But not only that, the 800-year-old town is a really attractive place, surrounded by a superb mountainous countryside, that includes a population comprising several ethnic groups, of which the Naxi are the most prevalent.

Lijiang Old Town is characterized by its ancient cobbled streets and stone bridges. It has retained its original water supply system of great complexity and ingenuity, driven through water-wheel-driven canals decorated with flowers. Shops, cafés, bars, restaurants, snack stalls, hotels, and hostels are in abundance in the Old Town as are many ancient buildings and beautiful parks. Much of the enjoyment of this area was in just wandering through small twisting lanes that opened into small courtyards, hidden teahouses or tiny temples such as Puxian Temple. Lijiang Old Town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Particular attractions included the Mufu government mansion with its great views over Lijiang. This complex was the residence of the Naxi people's Mu clan, who were in charge of Lijiang during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, a duration of over 600 years. Another very popular spot was the Black Dragon Pool, a pool complex that comprised many springs and some attractive smaller temples, pavilions, and walkways. Because the spring water often reflected Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, it is also called Jade Spring Park, and it is from here that the waterways feed into a network of canals and channels to supply the town.

The main ethnic group in Lijiang is the Naxi, and this is represented both by the people and the architecture. The Old Town comprises numerous two-storeyed, tile-roofed, timber-framed houses, also combining elements of Han and Zang architecture and decoration in the arched gateways, screen walls, courtyards, while carved roof beams are representative of the Naxi culture. Originally of Tibetan descent, the Naxi are believed to have originated in eastern Tibet, and probably evolved from the same group as the Qiang people of western Sichuan before migrating to Yunnan and settling there. Their indigenous religion, which is called Dongba, is a form of shamanism influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. The Naxi were a strongly matriarchal society until the mid-20th century, and remnants of it can still be observed. We were fortunate to sight a range of the various costumes worn by the Naxi and some other minority ethnic groups as we strolled around the township.

But for me, probably the highlight of the overall visit was our days excursion up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, some 40km north of Lijiang. We hit two different levels there, each accessed by a cableway. At the lower level, some 3,200 metres above sea level, was the Spruce Plateau, a large meadow hiding behind a primeval forest of huge spruce trees. This plateau has a special significance for the Naxi people, who regard it as an entrance to heaven. When we were there, young colourful Naxi women were singing and dancing, and even offered the opportunity for yours truly to join in hand in hand. Who could resist! So, while I was feeling thoroughly touristy, I did the full gamut and had a pic taken with a performing monkey, with an ethnic Yi woman decked out in full costume, and riding a yak. I can’t say I didn’t get my money’s worth on this stop.

But that wasn’t all. We took a further cableway up the mountain, which ended at the top station of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, some 4,500 metres above sea level. This whole cableway was almost 3 kilometres long, with a vertical difference in height of over 1,100 meters, and it is the highest passenger cable in China. Two things greeted us as we reached this level at what they called Glacier Park – a superb view of the snowcapped main peak, Shanzidou Peak, a further 1,000 metres higher up, and my first ever bout of altitude sickness. While I have since been higher than this in both the Andes in Peru and the Himalayas in Tibet, in each of these latter cases I moved into the higher altitude gradually, whereas this experience was sudden and not anticipated. Apart from the slight headache, it is a unique experience to walk up three stairs (not ‘flights’ of stairs!) and need to have a rest! That said, it was a minor inconvenience to what was a most interesting experience.

Out of it all, we also managed to complete our negotiation with Cofco, and Madam Jiang and I were able to sign off on the contracts. But it was a few days that opened my eyes to what must be one of the most attractive parts of this large country.

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Dance Moves
Good memories and some nice moves.

[Nomad Old Farts]

Dance Moves
It was great fun, and I was much younger then! What a pity that our respective countries' politicians couldn't do some similar dancing together!

[DaveandIssy]

Wow!
That sounds like an extraordinary experience. Not surprised you got altitude sickness up that high - serious mountains! I wonder if the locals have been able to retain their culture.

[Nomad Old Farts]

Altitude Sickness
Yeah, it's an interesting experience when it is your first time and it takes you unawares! If you climb up the Andes or Himalayas, you are expecting it and prepare accordingly.