Seven days in Lijiang

Recently I embarked on a five-week backpacking trip through China’s heartland, beginning my journey in Shaanxi province through Sichuan, making my way to the doorstep of Tibet then south to Yunnan.
One planned stop along the way was the much-heralded city of Lijiang in Yunnan’s northwest. Travellers I met along the way had one of two reactions: abhorrence at my cliched choice of destination or delight at my choosing such a marvellous town to pass through.
My mission was to snap a few memorable photos of the town and take a bike ride to a famous Lama temple outside of town.
Arriving in Lijiang, I was greeted by clear blue skies and welcoming sunshine, weather reminiscent of January in Southern California. The sun glistened on the cobbled streets and I started imagining all of the photos I would capture.
But there is no ebb to the wave of tourists in Lijiang, only a perpetual flow. The tour groups might cramp my picture taking, but they wouldn’t deter me from enjoying myself, as there appeared to be plenty of exploring to do in Old Town.
I let myself get lost in the labyrinth of streets in Lijiang. The city was built around an intricate but tidy maze of canals that are crossed by more than 300 stone bridges.
Photo opportunities abound, as do ways to spend money. I was delighted to find an artisan cheese shop and a gourmet bakery loaded with savoury treats that would provide ample nourishment for the long bike ride planned for the following day.
This hardly qualifies as experiencing the “real” Lijiang but these days, there isn’t too much authentic culture around. Many of the Naxi traditions have been sucked dry by development companies and replaced with shops hawking mass-produced “authentic” handicrafts.
The truth be told, there’s no longer anything old about Old Town Lijiang. The city was razed after the earthquake in 1996, so many of the buildings are quite new. UNESCO tagged the city with World Heritage status but has also threatened to de-list the city due to over-development. That is an unlikely scenario, though the temptation is understandable, especially at night when Old Town's once-quiet streets are suddenly awash with tourists and cheesy Chinese pop music from bars and restaurants.
One item that can be found in abundance in Lijiang is Yunnan’s famous pu-er tea.
This fragrant tea, a holdover from the southern route of the Silk Road is known as chamagudao, or Tea-Horse Caravan Route.
Stretching all the way from Burma to the Mediterranean Sea, this route was a critical trade link between the West and the East. Lijiang was an important hub for the traders heading west and a popular stopping point to rest and acclimatise themselves before heading into Tibet.
Pu-er cha can be found in all of the teahouses and is sold in large bricks or wheels. But be sure to look for the nei fei, the small ticket stuck onto the cake to ensure authenticity. You may even find a vintage year similar to what you would find on a wine bottle, which indicates the harvest year of the tea.
After spending a week in Lijiang, I found both stereotypes of the city correct.
It is certainly overcrowded, but the city is undeniably charming and enjoyable in spite of the throngs of travellers.
I am, of course, just one among them.
With the popularity of travel books like “Lonely Planet” and the Internet's siren call with endless information, few places renowned for charm have remained unspoiled by tourists.
I would recommend it to anyone inclined to hop on a bicycle and venture away from the cobbled streets into the surrounding countryside.
After the music fades from the restaurants and bars of Old Town and the revellers retreat to their rooms, what’s left is a tranquil and pristine sunrise that gleams above hundreds of tiled roofs, culminating in the setting for that perfect photograph.

 IF YOU GO
Thai Airways International flies from Bangkok to Kunming and Chengdu – both Chinese cities that have daily flights to Lijiang.