Go Deep in Lijiang: Top ten heritage sites to visit (1)

From January 14 to 18, the first Intangible Cultural Heritage Week was held in northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang. 10 intangible cultural relics of the old town of Lijiang were recommended for visitors by following the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Map.

1. Naxi Hieroglyphics Experience Museum
The art works displayed in the Naxi Hieroglyphic Experiencing Museum, include the Dongba characters, paintings, wood carvings and embroidery. In the museum, you can learn more about history from Dongba masters.
Known as the "living hieroglyphics", Dongba characters are made up of about 1,500 common words and are still in use nowadays. In 2003, Dongba ancient books and documents were listed by UNESCO as a Memory of the World Heritage Site.

2. Naxi Renjia

Want to know about what the traditional Naxi wedding looks like? The wedding of Naxi people is staged from 14:30 to 16:30 every Saturday in the Xihe Naxi Renjia, showing the authentic marriage culture in Lijiang.

3. Fang Guoyu's former residence

Fang Guoyu (1903-1983) was a famous Chinese historian, who was born in Lijiang, and of the Naxi ethnic group. Fang Guoyu's former residence was built during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty (1796-1820). The former residence of Fang Guoyu was renovated to display the life story of Fang Guoyu.

4. Shoudao Handicraft Art Museum

The Shoudao Handicraft Art Museum is a window to display and experience traditional handicrafts in Lijiang. The museum has the exhibitions for Dongba papermaking, Naxi leather art, painting, calligraphy and more. It is the best place to know about Naxi traditional handicraft skills.

5. Heng Yu Gong Folk House Museum

Built in 1875, the house is named 'Heng Yu Gong' and it boasts delicately-carved wooden doors and windows with dim gold-plated patterns, reflecting the history of the ancient Tea Horse Road and its own cultural significance.

Source: The Window of Gucheng; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi