Lijiang Town, Lijiang Travel Package Tours, Yunnan Tour Information Hotel Guide

LIJIANG OVERVIEW

The town of Lijiang comprises of the new town and the old town. This county measures 155.7 kilometers from south to north and 112 kilometers from east to west. Territory of the County is 7,648 square kilometers, and is consisted of 24 townships or towns inhabited by 330,000 people respectively of the Naxi, Han, Pumi, Yi, Miao and Tibetan ethnic groups. Lijiang is the government seat of the Prefecture. As the important gateway of northwest Yunnan, the county is penetrated by National Highway 214 which leads to Tibet in the north and Dali in the south, and the county thus show strategic importance ever since the historic times. Because that Lijiang airport has been opened to air traffic, computerized telecommunication service has been put into operation and that Guangtong-Dali railway is to be opened to traffic in the near future, the county has gained easy access to all parts of China. The highest point of Lijiang County is the 5,596-meter-high Jade Dragon Snow Mountain which stands in the close vicinity of Lijiang County seat. The lowest place of Lijiang County is the river valley which is only 1,219 meter above sea level, along which cascade hydropower stations are under exploration and planning and will soon be built in the middle reaches of the Jinsha River. The segment of Jinsha River flowing in Lijiang County measures 447 kilometers. Because this river segment has water drop of over 700 meters with an average flow volume of 49.1 billion cubic meters which is enough for several large hydropower stations, Lijiang County is one of China's areas with abundant hydropower potential. Annual mean temperature of Lijiang County is 13.5.c, and the County enjoys pleasant and diversified weather which is neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer. Located in a remote area, Lijiang is a piece of "clean land" which is free from pollution even today. The County is renowned for its magnificently beautiful natural scenes. The high mountains and deep valleys of the County are deposited with mineral treasures awaiting for development. Just to name a few, Lijiang's mineral treasures include copper, iron, tungsten, aluminum, potassium, coal, sand gold and marble, all of which show extremely rich reserves. The County is also praised as the "Kingdom of Plants", "Homeland of Medicinal Herbal Plants", "Suzhou on the Plateau" and "Oriental Switzerland". Mountains, rivers, flowers, ancient towns, culture, music, paintings, special food and industrious people of Lijiang County have woven into a uniquely colorful picture of ethnic folklore. The intense traditions and folklore of Lijiang County which show unique characteristics of the ethnic nationalities as well as ancient Chinese culture have won admiration of people from all over. The devastating earthquake which hit Lijiang on February 3, 1996 had brought about unforgettable injuries to Lijiang people, yet what is even more deeply implanted in the hearts of Lijiang people are the considerate care of the Party and the State as well as the selfless help from friends all over the world. Presently, Lijiang people are encountered with hard-to-get opportunities of historic significance such as the overall post-earthquake re-construction, implementation of the poverty alleviation projects organized by the central and provincial governments, application for entering Dayan Town of Lijiang into the World Cultural Heritage listings, comprehensive development of the tourism and agricultural resources of northwest Yunnan Province, development of the biological resources with food resources as the key link and the hydropower resource development focusing on the middle and upper reaches of the Jinsha River. Lijiang is also a very useful base for exploring the rest of Yunnan. From here you can travel north towards "Shangri-La" Zhongdian or Deqin, or take the trek on the Tiger Leaping Gorge in one of the most naturally beautiful areas of China. The town is focused towards eastern tourists mainly, with little (large scale) impact from western tourists. Thus, most people have no English language skills so be prepared to use some Chinese.