Not that you can't go to Macau or Sanya, but Lijiang in Yunnan offers better value for money

## **✅Lijiang Budget Travel Guide: How to Stay Sober (and Save Money) in the City of Romance** ### **✅Must-Visit Attractions in Lijiang—Old Town, Snow Mountain, and Scam Alerts** 1. **✅Lijiang Old Town (Dayan Ancient Town)** - **"China's most artistic pedestrian street"** with cobblestone paths + red lanterns + hand drum shops. Every few steps someone asks, "Want to get your hair braided? Take a photoshoot? Try flower cakes?" (Suggested response: "Maybe next time!") - **✅Must-do**: Visit the Old Town at 7am to enjoy the tranquility with fewer people, and pretend you're a local. - **Scam prevention**: Bar street drink prices ≈ Shanghai Bund level, consider bringing your own bottled water and pretend to be drunk. 2. **✅Jade Dragon Snow Mountain** - **"Yunnan's version of a refrigerator magnet"**, elevation 5,596m, but most tourists only reach 4,680m (because going higher requires willpower + oxygen tanks). - **Money-saving tip**: Skip the tour groups and book the cable car tickets yourself (you'll need fast fingers and stable internet). - **Fun fact**: Blue Moon Valley at the foot of the mountain is more photogenic than the snow mountain itself, and doesn't require a ticket (shh!). 3. **✅Shuhe Ancient Town** - **"Lijiang Old Town's quiet sister"**, less commercialized, more dogs, perfect for daydreaming + coffee drinking + pretending you're in a Chinese fantasy drama. --- ### **🍜 Lijiang Food Guide—From "Strange Cuisine" to Delicious Discoveries** 1. **✅Lijiang Baba** - Not what the name might suggest in English, but a baked flatbread! The sweet ones taste like mooncakes, savory ones like scallion pancakes. One can keep you full for half a day. 2. **✅Chicken**