Lijiang: the very name itself means “beautiful river” – and what a beauty it is. Chosen by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site due to its “harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality”, this city is rich treasure trove of history and culture. Its spectacular location in the foothills of the himalayas simply makes it even more irresistible as a destination.
Since ancient times, this city has been a crossroads for trade between Beijing and the tea plantations of the South, as well the jade mines of Burma. And leather implements and silverware have been produced by local craftsmen for generations. The area’s rich mix of different tribes and religions has also fostered the construction of breathtaking temples and produced an architecture that has synthesized traditions from as far as Tibet and the Forbidden City in Beijing.
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