2010 - China (9) Yunnan: Lijiang - Old Town

Lijiang - Old Town

We walked to the "old town" center in Lijiang after dinner.

The "Old Town" greeted us with a big clay-color wall and mural carvings depicting the history of the Bai people.

The carvings on the wall went around it. Many of the symbols I don't comprehend, but it was done beautifully.

Next to the wall is a creek pushing twin waterwheels. The place is like a park and an open-mall combined.

Stores selling from food to trinkets and many other tourist treasures lined the cobbled-stone walkway. It was dusk when we arrived, and the sunlight was replaced by artificial ones slowly. It was quite a sight.

We came upon a long roof with hundreds of bells and wind-chimes. These were offered by people who were making wishes, giving thanks for wishes fulfilled, and poems with exquisite calligraphy.

Above is a closer look at the bells and wind-chimes. They have different sizes, different decorations and writings. All are beautiful.

The creek that flows from the water-wheels separates the bars from the stores selling merchandise.

This is the "bar" side with lots of bright lights and loud music.

While this is the more tranquil merchandise side.

After nearly an hour of easy stroll, the tourists arrived at the "center" where four streets meet. This is called the "Four Square Street" (or a quadrangle).

The above photo shows the "impromptu" bridges.

We continued to venture on another alley. I think all the stones are from a marble quarry.

All the stores have a half-second story for the storekeepers to sleep and for goods to store.

Another view of the store fronts and second story.

The beautiful building at the back of the wall must be the residences of rich and powerful people.

The Old Town and New Town is separated by the street shown above. The tour guide left us at the "Square Street" and told us how to walk back to the hotel or take a taxi. After walking two blocks the sign post marker that the guide told us was nowhere in sight. I flagged down a taxi and arrived at the hotel for RMB 7.00 (about $1.00). Taxis are cheap and reliable so far for the few that I ventured to try.

2010 - China (8) Yunnan: Lijiang

Lijiang

After lunch the waitresses helped the tourists don their costumes.

"Lijiang" means Beautiful River. Just outside of town, there was a toll booth entering the highway (see below).

One of the most curious things that I saw was an all-purpose truck widely used around this area.

The truck has no hood for the engine, and the engine's flywheel is mounted perpendicular to the direction of travel. It hauls dirt, farm produce, people, and almost everything, and it is not fast but can manage the hills and curvy roads. It is quite versatile and made in China, and I am sure it is made affordable for the local farmers.

I took a closer shot at a new one being washed at a "water station". It looked so simple without a catalytic converter that even I could probably work on it. The "water station" is an area next to the gas station for cars and truck to fill up with, what else, water! Due to the terrain. the brakes are used frequently when going down hill thus overheating the braking system. The drivers use water to cool it off. They don't use low-gear braking, perhaps to reduce the wear and tear on the engine.

Our tour bus was also being serviced and washed. I was wondering how much did the washers make.

.The distant hill was a victim to deforestation, or mining operation. It left a scar in the otherwise pristine environment.

As we were approaching Lijiang, the distant snowy mountain beckoned.

This city also has traffic circle. At the middle of which is a metallic molding of a prancing horse atop a globe. The icon is from the Terra Cotta Museum in Xian. I think it is now used as symbol for tourism. It invites people to ride a "horse" and see the world; be it a classical horse, iron horse, horse with rubber tires, or flying horse, or even swimming one.

Dali is very close to the mountains and has a new "city" and old "town", with a combined population of over half a million. The Bai people is the prominent minority group here.

We had a nice dinner after a 5-hour trip. We were delayed due to an accident on the highway, luckily nobody got hurt. The meals in our tour were balanced with soup, rice, fresh vegetables, tufo, and roasted duck for the most honorable tourists.

The American "icon" is easily recognizable in any language. Such is the power of branding. It is pronounced as "Ko Kuo Ko Lok", meaning "Pleasant to the mouth with happiness" (loosely translated). Beside it is a popular local beer "Shan Sui" (Mountain Water). Notice the NBA symbol on the beer neck label.

We stayed at an elegant hotel with hundred of years of history but renovated.

It looked like a previous house of a noble family. Dali is windy, but the rooms were not drafty. We had a pleasant stay; cold, yes, but not drafty.