A City of Perpetual Spring: Yunnan’s Lijiang and Shangri‑La Revealed
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
A travel couple recounts a month-long backpacking trip across Yunnan province, China, from Chengdu to Kunming, highlighting the region’s ethnic diversity, dramatic landscapes, and changing tourism culture. They describe Shangri‑La (named after James Hilton’s fictional paradise) and its Tibetan-influenced highland life, where young Chinese “wanghong” (网红, influencers) don traditional costumes for staged photo sessions at sites like Songzanlin Monastery. The authors also revisit Lijiang Ancient Town, home of the Naxi people and their unique pictographic script Dongba (东巴文). Lijiang’s waterways, fed by the nearby Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and its strict local water-use customs evoke a tranquil past, but nights now reveal a club-filled nightlife—nicknamed “hunting clubs”—that contrasts sharply with the peaceful mornings. The piece closes with practical route, duration, and budget details for the 28-night trip along the ancient Tea Horse Road route.
