Lijiang has more to offer than the beautiful old town. It is an excellent base for exploring the foothils of the Himalayas, and visiting Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri La. Sadly we did not have time to do this, but we did spend time exploring the river valley to the North of Lijuan.

You walk out of the old town following the river where a series of pools have been constructed. There are many attractive bridges crossing the river, and spectacular views of the Snow mountain to the North which you can see reflected in the pools, most notably Black Jade Pool.

We went in the early morning. Despite the cold people were out exercising and practicing Tai Chi along the banks. Along the Eastern side of the river there are a series of temples and pavilions, attractively placed along or above the waterside. Stretching up the mountainside on the Eastern side you can see further temples, and also hidden in the trees, the cylindrical tombs typical of many mountainsides near towns in this area.

The river is full of fish, golden fish and larger trout like fish, and you see these in the smaller streams rushing through the old town. People collect drinking water from the springs running into the river and pools from vents in the surrounding hills. After 10 am you can use the streams for washing so people collect drinking water early in the morning. The Naxi religion is polytheistic and places a lot of emphasis on water gods, so wherever there are springs you find incense sticks and coloured bunting to please the water gods.

In typical Chinese fashion the authorities decided that the area was becoming too crowded, so they simply built more pools in the same style further upstream. The whole area is a gorgeous mixture of gardens and running water, stretching over a couple of miles in all, only marred by some ugly hotels and a technical school at the far Northern end.