Lijiang downtown

Lijiang is home to the Naxi, a minority matriarcal culture originating from Tibet. The Dongba, Naxi shamans of a religion which is an almalgalm of Tibetan buddhism, Islam, and Taoism, created more than a thousand years ago a writting language consisting of more than 1300 pictographs. It is the only hieroglyphic language still in use. There are interesting foods to try, as well as traditional music to hear. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lijiang is in Yunnan, 570 km north-west of Kunming. It can be reached by air or road (a couple of hours from Dali, a full day to Jinjiang, the railhead).