Highlights of Li Jiang

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Li Jiang was such a rich experience that I must show more of the photographs I took there. The Naxi (pronounced Nah-hee) people are a minority group who live there. Their pictographic language is the oldest such language still in use today. The Dongba, in the feather headdress, (!) is one of fourteen surviving Naxi who are entitled to write out the language. In the picture you can see his inscribed calligraphy page of good wishes for our family on special hand made paper that is guaranteed to last 1000 years! The next day in the museum bookstore at the Mu Palace we encountered another of the fourteen, a Shaman (with his scribe) who inscribed personal good wishes in lovely paper journals I will be bringing home for many of my family and friends.

The ancient elderly musicians in their brightly colored traditional silk clothing were a sight to behold. These dignified ancient gentlemen, many in their eighties, kept their instruments buried during the cultural revolution so that their music would be played again. Lijiang is a relatively isolated area and they were able to survive. This group has performed since the 1980s all over the world, including Europe and the United States. The music, from the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, much of it 800-2000 years old, has a strange atonal quality to our ears, but the haunting tones grew on me. Each piece had a unique provenance and meaning. Photographs of the other musicians from their group who were deceased were prominently displayed on stage. Their leader and spokesperson is a hilarious and learned Chinese musicologist named Xuan Ke who was also in his 80s.

The Mu Palace Museum belonged to the ruling Naxi family for 22 generations. Originally completed in 1420, it was destroyed first by revolutionaries in 1924, and later by an earthquake. Rebuilt by the World Bank in 1996, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was a pleasure to wander through.

The Black Dragon Pool Park was picturesque and beautiful. It was here we encountered the Dongba!

Several pictures show the market area of the village of Lijiang, aimed at tourists, and a larger market frequented by locals. Guess which one had the pig's head and the froggies and the dogs in cages (not shown.)

On another night we went by cab past a huge Mao statue to a theater in the town to see a special dance performance called "Mountains Rivers Show" which can best be summarized as the program put it: "Grand Dancing Epic On Nationality Life & Custom Nationality Costume!"

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Comments

[Barbara Scotto]

Lijiang
Diane, When I was in China last year, we went to Lijiang. When I looked at your photographs, I felt as if I were back there. We saw the ancient musicians who were really wonderful! I'm glad to see that the same dong ba is still active. The Mu Palace was a very interesting place to visit especially the Pagoda where the views were spectacular. I did go to Tiger Leaping Gorge, a beautiful place. Getting down to the gorge was easy, but getting back up was another story entirely. It made me realize that my spring chicken days were over! Then we had dinner at a roadside restaurant where we ordered chicken. We didn't realized the chicken that we ordered was the one we had just seen pecking around in the garden! Enjoy the rest of your visit! Barbara

[Gracey Stoddard]

Fantastic Photos
Daine, Thanks so much for all your photos and comments. They are really wonderful and I am getting such a great education with each email blog you send. I look forward to every one I receive and hope that someday I might see even just 1% of what you have seen and experienced. Best wishes for a continued happy stay in China. Gracey Stoddard