Enchanting Lijiang
Lijiang, in Yunnan Province, is renowned not only in China, but around the world, as a site of phenomenal natural and ancient beauty. Lijiang offers a unique cultural experience in the three famous old town districts, which make up part of the city, as well as stunningly beautiful vistas of snow-capped mountains.
Lijiang was once the ancient capital of the
Naxi Kingdom and hosts the biggest, single concentration of Naxi people. Lijiang was central to the success of the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, a hinterland trade route that transported tea from Pu’er County in Yunnan, one of the first tea producing areas, and warhorses from Tibetan and other ethnic groups from the region, to Bengal and India, taking in the countries that once were Burma and Tibet as well as Nepal. It was a treacherous journey over mountainous terrain and crossing major rivers. It was not only horses and tea that were exchanged along the route; other goods indigenous to the local areas it passed through were also trafficked. The route, often referred to as the “Southern Silk Road”, was of great cultural importance to the area as it boosted the local economies and increase communication and migration between the different ethnic groups. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that 23 ethnic minorities, out of 26 ethnic minorities listed as living in Yunnan, call Lijiang home, the largest, of course, being the Naxi. The cultural influence of this route means that, even to this day, you are just as likely to find Tibetan and Indian handicrafts in the local stalls, as you are Naxi.
As soon as you arrive in Lijiang, you are struck by the bright blue skies and the puffy balls of pure white clouds contrasting with rolling green plains, punctuated by
an assortments of foothills and jagged, snow-capped mountains. Traditional Naxi houses seem to sprout out of the ground, distinguishable by their stone and soil exterior and intricate tiled roofs. Solitary gold stupas also often glinted in the light as we sped through different villages
on the way to our hotel, Banyan Tree Lijiang. We had been told that this time of the year was the best time to visit, with temperate weather and clear skies, and they weren’t wrong. Every morning, we were able to see an unobstructed view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from our hotel villa.
The most important place on our Lijiang bucket list was Lijiang oldtown, which is made up from three different areas: Dayan old town, Baisha housing cluster and Shuhe housing cluster. Lijiang old town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, because it has “retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries.” We first ventured to Dayan old town, the largest and most commercial of the three old towns, situated downtown and chock-full of cafes, bars, tourists and photographers taking pictures of young Chinese girls pruning and preening in ethnic costumes that do not belong to them. The area has an atmosphere of a tacky tourist town and, although there are lots of viable eating options and trinket stalls, we would advise against going there. Instead, visit the much more quaint and authentic towns of Shuhe and Baisha. We went along to Chine Chine Wine bar in Baisha, run by our friends at Insiders – the cool sidecar travel company (web: www.insidersexpeditions.com) – for some local and imported cheese and a Tibetan beer.
We arrived during rush hour, about 4pm when all the children from town and the neighbouring villages are let out of school, and the street becomes awash with hobbling grandparents shooing their respective grandchildren in the direction of home. This event leads to total gridlock on the one, main, unnamed, cobbled road in town. Some cyclists had to get off and push their bicycles to weave through the handful of pedestrians on the narrow road. Apart from this flutter of activity, Baisha and the surrounding farmland is a sleepy town, entirely comprised of old, authentic buildings and where the horse is still king. You get the feeling that not much has changed around here for hundreds of years.
Insiders offer a great range of trips from two days to four-week tours, departing from Lijiang, and they can tailor-make itineraries to meet the needs of their guests. Along with their trademark sidecar tours, they also arrange tours in jeeps to allow a greater number of passengers and added comfort when covering greater distances. Kewen, from Insiders, told us that his favourite places to visit were Xiaxi, the site of an ancient tea and horse market, Nuodeng, a salt and horse village recently made famous in the TV show, A Bite Of China, and Xishou old village populated by the Bai people. Before leaving Baisha, we took a spin in the sidecar - there really is nothing better than appreciating the warm weather with a strong breeze blowing through your hair.
We finally visited Shuhe village in the evening, as it was only a ten-minute walk from the hotel. This village is a mix of the other two old town villages. Slightly more commercialised than Baisha, yet not uncomfortably so. There are enough shops, teahouses, cafes, bars and restaurants to keep you occupied for hours and many picturesque spots to photograph.
Banyan Tree Lijiang
Encircled by dramatic mountain terrain, Banyan Tree Lijiang is comprised of 122 stunning Naxi- inspired villas and suites with rousing views of the towering snow-capped peaks of the 5600 metre Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, said to resemble a jade dragon lying in the clouds.
A total of 42 Deluxe Suites, 40 Deluxe Garden Villas, eight Spa Suites, eight Two-Bedroom Deluxe Duplexes, 13 Deluxe Pool Villas, seven Two-Bedroom Jet pool Villas, three Three-Bedroom Jet Pool Villas and one Presidential Villa have been constructed with local materials, such as pink stone and grey Naxi bricks. Traditional red clay roof tiles, sourced from local kilns, also lend authenticity to the contemporary Naxi-styled curved roofs. As you indulge in the russet gold and lacquer-accented living rooms, you can contemplate the soaring poetry of the mountain peaks, which are reflected through the solid glass sliding doors leading out towards the private garden.
Of course, the hotel also offers fully-fledged five star amenities, including extensive meeting facilities, a tennis court, library and games room, as well as Bai Yun Chinese restaurant, which partially floats over a communal courtyard pond and the Banyan Tree Spa, with treatments inspired by the four seasons.
Dining
Treat yourself to the Presidential Villa’s Imperial Feast. The modern six-course degustation menu is served by a personal butler in this regal abode with dramatic views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Diners savour delicacies such as the sesame-encrusted Lijiang trout and barbecued Yunnan duck with prune relish in a mesclun leaf basket before spending a night in the romantic villa.
Also available is the Moonlight Pagoda meal, hosted in an iconic handcrafted Naxi-style pagoda, which features Naxi-inspired creations such as flat rice noodles with yak meat and barbecued local matsutake mushrooms. Sweet temptations adapted from local street side stalls, including buckwheat cake drizzled with honey, round out the meal.
Spa
Banyan Tree Spa features six heated spa treatment rooms, a Tea Lounge, a fully equipped gym and a yoga pavilion. You will have a truly unforgettable experience at the Banyan Tree Spa as the extremely professional and warm-hearted therapists set about easing your tension. In fact, this unique experience is cultivated through professional training at its Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Lijiang. The treatments draw on the Five Chinese Elements and the intimate spa will leave you feeling rejuvenated. Along with the massage, therapists offer a soothing footbath, a herbal drink with refreshments and 30 minutes calm time. Pure luxury.
Day Trips Organised By The Hotel
We took one of the many day trips organised by the hotel in one of their luxury Grand Cherokee Jeeps. In the morning, our driver took us to see the Impression Lijiang show before we took a cable car up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Impression Lijiang is a tremendous one-hour show, situated in a large, open-air amphitheatre looking
out towards the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The performance showcases the cultures, traditions, dances and songs from many of the ethnic minorities in the Lijiang area. Although conducted in Mandarin, there is the occasional English translation on the large screens at the side of the venue and, really, the language of music and dance can be interpreted by all. Expect to see literally hundreds of performers on stage at once, as well as a large troupe of horses. We defy you not to smile as the thunderous banging of traditional drums reverberates through your body. The show is in a completely open space with no shade from the sun in the hotter months, so be sure to bring sunscreen or a shawl to protect yourself (parasols are quite rightly not allowed in the venue as it obscures the view of guests behind and this rule is strictly enforced by guards in the stands). Some local people voiced their concerns to us that the performers themselves were from Lijiang, and not necessarily the ethnic minorities they represented. But, if you take the show with a pinch of salt, they are only working to promote the perception of the varied ethnic minority groups in the region and that has to be a good thing.
Our driver arranged VIP seats for us during the show and also organised a VIP ticket to take our jeep to the foot of the cable cars leading up to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This was much appreciated by us after we left the arena as hundreds of guests, without VIP tickets, exiting the arena had to queue to take the public bus to the cable cars. It allowed us to enjoy a stress -ree day from the politics of queuing in China.
Once we arrived at the base of the mountain, just before boarding the cable cars that seemed to disappear vertically upwards into the heavens, our driver arranged the rental of a long, Bosideng winter jacket and provided us with a can of oxygen. In retrospect, we were completely unprepared for what was about to happen; as we did not account for the way the high altitude of the mountain would affect us. At the end of the cable car journey, there was a stone tablet decreeing that we had reached 4506 meters above sea level, and there were several puddles of vomit left by people suffering from extreme altitude sickness.
We felt extremely short of breath, and immediately cracked open our cans of oxygen to take a few deep inhalations, but there really was a mixed bag of reactions to the altitude. Some visitors were able to go storming ahead into the distance taking the stairs two at a time, seemingly unaffected by the height of the mountain. We were up so high that we were parallel to glacier formations and snow started to appear on either side of the stairway. As we gasped for breath, mentally unable to give up on our mission to summit the staircase and take in the views of the province from the highest possible point, we noticed Tibetan workers pickaxing their way through stone, lifting their tools high above their heads before slamming them down onto the solid surface like it was nothing.
We counted about 700 steps on the way up, although this is an estimate to the nearest hundred as we were very groggy and short of breath for the majority of our – in total – three hour climb! Upon reaching the top of the stairway and standing on the highest viewing platform, we were 4680 meters above sea level. Actually, the top of this mountain has never been summited as it is just far too steep to climb.
The bird’s eye view from our perch did not disappoint, as we got to look down over the bleak stone and ice of the mountain crest towards the lush greenery of the plains below. Definitely worth the tough climb.
Web: www.banyantree.com
