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4 Money Talk: Don’t Fall In Love With Your Investments 12 Style Talk: The Collection 11 Dining: Bowl’d, Light & Salt On The Bund & Saucepan 17 The Japan Supplement
Transcendent
LIJIANG Experience Unique China
July16 TalkMagazine
COVER STORY CITY LIVINGCOVER UPFRONT STORY
Transcendent
LIJIANG
Experiencing A Unique Part Of China Nyima Pratten
Lijiang is a beautiful patchwork of cultures, traditions and ethnicities, stitched together with a long history, respect for the local environment and ancient architecture.
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direct flight away from Shanghai, Lijiang is located in Northwest Yunnan, a province home to 26 of China’s 56 ethnic minorities. The Old Town of Lijiang is a UNESCO Heritage site, and welcomes flocks of local and international tourists everyday, however, it also has the look, and feel, of the many hundreds of other old towns dotted around China. We visited Lijiang to explore the vast outdoors, enjoy the fresh air and breathtaking scenery, whilst immersing ourselves in the unique culture and traditions of the mainly Naxi area, and this did not involve a visit to the heaving Old Town in the city centre.
cafes and souvenir shops catering towards tourists.
We based ourselves at Banyan Tree Lijiang, a gorgeous hotel and spa, modelled on ancient Naxi architecture, with beautiful roof tiled buildings and a majestic pagoda in the centre of the property, along with private jet pools in the traditional courtyards of each private villa. The hotel is a stone’s throw away from Shuhe, another traditional town, less commercialised that the main Old Town in the city centre. When walking along the cobbled streets of Shuhe, visitors can still see local Naxi tending their vegetable gardens and drawing water from their traditional three-pit well, as well as busy
We entered Shuhe on the main thoroughfare, rammed with bike rental companies, restaurants and bars, before winding down narrower, quieter lanes in search of the Tea Horse Museum. Although all of the displays are in Mandarin, this small museum has free entry, and is made up of authentic, and beautifully landscaped, Naxi houses, a temple and courtyards. It tells the story, through pictures and artefacts, of the arduous tea horse trail, which traditionally linked Yunnan and Tibet with Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and India, and even on to Western Africa,
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exchanging tea, horses and medicine on route. It is a great area to enjoy the traditional architecture in peace, and get some authentic photographs, without the miscellaneous body parts of other tourists popping up. After exploring the museum for a while, we wandered away from the busier bar street, and headed northwest, across the river, which cuts through the houses and is the lifeblood of the town. Water has always played a pivotal role in the spiritual life of Naxi people, with all houses and towns having some sort of flowing water element. Here we found quaint, ancient Naxi houses, and the infamous Number One restaurant, once
owned by a wealthy mafia-style tea horse family, which boasts the only balcony in Shuhe, offering a fantastic vista of the tiled town roofs. The building now functions as a family-run restaurant, serving traditional dishes and potent yellow wine. The Jinsha, Lancang and Yalong rivers cut through the Naxi area of Lijiang, and the Yulong mountain range, also known as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, is ubiquitous in the area, and a magnificent backdrop to the city. We rented a car from the hotel and headed towards the mountains. As the weather was slightly wet, we took this easier option, however, it is also possible to rent a mountain bike and zip over the mountain range. After summiting one side of a smaller mountain, we arrived at Wenhai Lake, situated in a green valley full of purple primula flowers, yaks and horses. Further along from the lake is Xue Hau Cun, a small town completely
untouched by the 21-century and an excellent place to take an unadulterated look at the local Naxi culture. If you’re really lucky, you might even see one of the older women wearing the traditional Naxi dress; a dark jacket and long trousers tied at the waist with a belt and a sheepskin slung over the shoulder, embroidered with stars, a sun and a moon. These intricately embroidered symbols are meant to represent diligent women, who start work before the sun rises and don’t stop until the moon waxes. July16 TalkMagazine
CITY LIVING
COVER STORY
During our trip, we also visited the stone village of Yuhu. Traditionally, stone houses were where poor members of the community lived, as stone was the cheapest material for building. However, these old houses have stood the test of time, and look almost regal compared to modern day houses. There is also said to be gold deposits in the area, and rumours are that locals have begun to dig under their house foundations to discover it. Yuhu is a horse trekking town, and tourists can rent horses from here to scale one side of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. There is a quaint restaurant in the village, called Nguluko, run by Lushan, who is as friendly and personable as she is knowledgeable about the surrounding area’s history, culture and biodiversity. Our final visit of the trip was to Baisha, a small but busy town full of locals going about their everyday business without too much interference from the tourist trade. Here we visited the famous copper
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brothers, who hail from a family who for generations have handmade copper pots and pans, which are famous to the local area. The Naxi people once belonged to a kingdom named Dongba, who had their own pictorial language. They created pictographic characters, also called Dongba script, which can still be found in Lijiang today. Baisha town calligrapher, Mr Yang, runs his calligraphy business alongside his small restaurant, and offers Dongba as well as Mandarin scrolls from his small shop front. The embroidery school in small Baisha town also trains their young women, who have been selected for their skills from around the municipality, to create beautiful pieces of Dongba script artwork. One evening, we followed the hoards of Chinese tourists to watch The Romance Show of the Song Dynastic, in the city centre. Although typically overdramatic,
and not entirely accurate, the show was a great spectacle with wonderful, upbeat performances and high-tech special effects, which left us with a taste of what the tea horse trail was like many generations ago. Lijiang is the perfect place to visit if you are looking for a complete change of pace, and want to discover more about a relatively unknown minority group. Unlike your typical Mainland holiday destination, it is easy to get off the beaten track and explore the surrounding areas on your own, without the constant crush of people. The blue skies, fresh air and diverse natural landscape make for the perfect break, and staying in style and comfort at the Banyan Tree Lijiang helps to recharge both mind, body and soul.
Advertorial
Welcome To Banyan Tree Lijiang The Venice Of The Orient
Come live in a fairytale, where quaint bridges arch over neat water canals and cobblestone streets stretch along a wonderful array of architecture. Here, ethnic charm melds with living history to awaken your spirit.
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eclared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Lijiang has been aptly referred to as the Venice of the Orient. At Banyan Tree's luxury resort in Lijiang, located 2,000 metres above sea level, the temperate climate and pristine environment adds to the ethereal charm cloaking the air. Be fascinated by the legendary Naxi Kingdom as you explore Lijiang's beauty. Admire the majesty of the legendary Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a sacred sanctuary standing guard over the ethnic minorities since ancient times and an hour's drive from Banyan Tree Lijiang resort. Banyan Tree Lijiang is a multi award winning resort and spa, set in the highlands of Yunnan province, an area rich in history and cultural diversity. Resting near the base of the famous Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the luxury resort in Lijiang offers spectacular views of the mountain and surrounding foothills.
Enter A Hidden World Delight in the panoramic view of the legendary Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and unwind in a private heated outdoor jetpool. The spacious villas are complete with a plush bed, a private study room, an opulent bathroom and a beautifully tended garden.
Tour And Trek Uncover the beauty of Lijiang on foot, bicycle or horseback, and visit charming sights, including Tiger Leaping Gorge and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with the hotel’s tour and trek service. Take a trip around the old town and pick up historical artefacts to bring home, or learn the story behind every fascinating aspect of this Chinese city.
Tease Your Palate Set in repose against a mountainous backdrop and right beside the tranquil cool of a koi pond, Bai Yun Restaurant provides you flawlessly authentic Cantonese cuisine, cooked to oriental perfection. With an open-concept banquet setting, allowing you to dine in an atmosphere of conviviality and old-world charm, Bai Yun also has an air-conditioned private area, suited for business discussions conducted over delicious dishes, or genial family gatherings.
Be Touched By Hands Of Peace The hotel’s luxury spa in Lijiang exudes an aura of absolute privacy and incorporates natural Yunnan ingredients into treatments. Pearl barley, red rice, ginseng and green tea are just some oriental secrets therapists use to thoroughly pamper and nourish the skin. Let your senses be lulled into a state of
sheer relaxation as you embark on an award-winning spa journey to soothe spirit and being. Banyan Tree Spa Lijiang was awarded two honours in 2014 – the 7th Annual TTG China Travel Awards 2014 for Best Spa Resort in China, and Best Spa Award in the 2013 Travel & Leisure China Awards awarded in January 2014. Yuerong Road, Shuhe, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. Tel: 86 888 533 1111. Web:lijiang@banyantree.com July16 TalkMagazine