Shuhe Ancient Town, near Lijiang

The view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, from the Banyan Tree

Shuhe

Shuhe is about 4km northwest of Lijiang Old Town, and feels like Lijiang did ten years ago, before it became excessively touristy. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants, all built of rocks from the surrounding mountains. These buildings also house the owner’s families, transforming it from a theme park like Lijiang, into a working town.

Shuhe is one of the earliest settlements of the Naxi people, built a thousand years ago as a crucial post on the Tea Trade routes. In the Naxi language, Shuhe means “a village at the foot of a peak”.

In the last ten years it’s been completely rebuilt. In 2002, over 500million rmb was spent remodelling the 5 square mile area. The channels and waterways still provide spring water to each house, but the tightly packed stone roads are home to a multitude of independent shops and restaurants, along with hotels ranging from youth hostels to a Banyan Tree resort.

The main square, Sifang Jie, in Shuhe

Sights

The central square of Shuhe is Sifang Jie. By day it’s a car park for tour minibuses, but in the evening it comes alive with music and dancing. It’s surrounded by shops selling the local specialities of woodcarving and leatherwork, particularly cobblers.

A couple of the leatherworking shops in Shuhe

The 25m wide Qinglong Bridge dates back to the 15^th century and is considered the first to be built of the many bridges in Lijiang. It spans a small river that starts at the Jiuding Dragon Pool. The water is perfectly clear, so it’s possible to see the teeming fish below, untouched by the townsfolk who believe them to be spirits of the gods. The Naxi regard the spring as holy, and the Dragon Spring (Longquan) Temple lies on the riverbank.

The view from QingLong Bridge in Shuhe

Shuhe used to be the centre of Lijiang town, so is also covered by Lijiang’s UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status along with the outlying town of Baisha.

The main restaurant area in Shuhe Old Town

Eating

There are small food outlets dotted all over town, but the main eating area is on the north side of town, where modern restaurants lining the canal vie noisily for passing trade.

There are many options for food, but those by the main waterway seem exclusively to be foreign restaurants. We visited Mamma Mia, an Italian restaurant that also served Thai and Chinese. I ordered the only German dish on the menu. It was about as fresh and authentic as you’d expect a German meal to be in a remote village in Southern China…

Rich outsiders own many of these larger venues, capitalising on the town’s growing popularity. They aren’t worried about profits or repeat business, and the quality of the food reflects this.

The main street in Shuhe, leading away from the taxi drop-off area

Getting to Shuhe

There are regular shuttle buses from Lijiang Old Town to Shuhe Ancient Town costing 5rmb.

Alternatively, it’s simple to take a 20-minute taxi ride there, but it’s trickier on the way back without being charged a ‘waiting fee’, even if the cab has only just dropped someone off.

Bicycles can be rented in Lijiang, but the journey takes over an hour and it’s cheaper to get a taxi.

The corporation that rebuilt the town still requires a 30rmb entrance fee, in addition to the governments 80rmb Lijiang Old Town Preservation Receipt.

Hopefully related posts:

Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang, Yunnan Tips for visitors to Lijiang Old Town Lijiang, the Venice of the East – Yunnan Province Porcelain Port – CiQiKou Ancient Town, Chongqing