Baisha Naxi Embroidery Institute

Baisha Town was once Lijiang's political, economic and cultural center. It is the original settlement of the Naxi people who came to the greater Lijiang Valley over a thousand years ago. Made up of at least 12 smaller villages, the main village is Sanyuan (三元村), which has one main stone street called of course, Baisha Street. Have a drink some Yunnan coffee eat a Naxi Pie. Good for a half day visit. A quiet town which makes a nice break from the packed Lijiang Old Town. People are more friendly, stores are seldom throwing ridiculous tourist price. You will see elderly peddlers, some in their traditional Naxi outfit, selling honey, fruits, nuts and other stuff. Support these elders by buying their goods, since they offer fair price even though don't have many visitors. You should consider staying a few nights, in a Naxi family’s courtyard, no hotels or hostels here. Even though almost everything costs you a ticket price to do in China these days you can do many things here for free. Visit some of the temples or traditional Naxi houses of the area before they are gone.

The Buddhist murals here reflect a fusion of both Han Chinese and Tibetan painting techniques with Naxi cultural traditions.

One of the main attractions in Shuhe Old Town. The museum is housed in a former Buddhist temple, which was historically known as the Dajue Temple (大觉宫) and dates back to the late Ming Dynasty. So besides the exhibitions on the Old Tea Horse Road, one can also view some old Buddhist murals. More murals from the same time period may be seen at Baisha Old Town (see below).

Better than Lijiang if you want a place less commercialized; a horse ride in the town is an attraction.

On your way to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, you may stop by at the Dongba Valley culture center. They moved some families from other places to this village and let them live their normal lives. Such domestic scenes as the husband in a family counting change while the wife is comforting the baby or two young siblings baking cookies and selling them to visitors are common. There are live singers and instrumentalists performing at different corners. Some singers are pretty and sing well.

A small museum featuring the Dongba religion and culture. Quite intriguing to see how other Chinese beliefs are related to the Dongbas.