Lijiang Old Town: Between Commercialization and Naxi Culture, I Found My Favorite

#discoverchina #lijiang Many claim Lijiang Old Town has become overly commercialized, but as I wandered its streets, I discovered a vibrant pulse of Naxi culture still alive in every detail. Beneath the upturned eaves of ancient houses, shop signs are adorned with mysterious Dongba script,and we amused ourselves by guessing the characters with a guidebook, as if deciphering a thousand-year-old code. Suddenly, around a corner, cheerful drumbeats led us to a group of Naxi elders dancing around a torch in the traditional circle, their sheepskin coats swirling in the firelight—soon even bystanders were tapping their feet to the rhythm. The air was forever sweet with the scent of freshly baked flower pastries and from famed shops like Mulaoye to hidden alleyway bakeries, each had its own floral blend of rose, jasmine... One bite through the flaky crust felt like swallowing a mouthful of Yunnan’s spring. Perhaps the real Lijiang hides in these discordant harmonies:Tourists raise selfie sticks against backdrops where Naxi grandmothers still water camellias with copper pots; the neon of bar streets can’t drown out the rust on old caravan gates at dawn. For all its crowds, this place remains earthy at heart.