Lijiang Ancient Town: A Classic Remnant of the Culture of Farming and Reading

Author: Zhang Beili
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Lijiang County, surrounded by mountains and rivers, is said to be named "Dayan Town" due to its resemblance to a large inkstone. Exploring its past, people discover this once-forgotten "Ancient Naxi Kingdom," where human life has thrived since ancient times. The Naxi people, the current inhabitants, are descendants of the ancient Qiang people who migrated south. Over the centuries, they have worked hard to build a beautiful homeland. Located at the transportation hub of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, the frequent trade activities in ancient times led to a prosperous population, making it a well-known market and important town. It is generally believed that Lijiang was established as a city at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. In 1253, Kublai Khan (the Yuan Emperor) camped here while marching south to the Dali Kingdom. For nearly 500 years until the early Qing Dynasty, the Lijiang region was ruled by the Naxi Mu family ancestors and Mu family tusi (established in 1382) under the jurisdiction of the central government. During this period, Xu Xiake, a Ming Dynasty geographer who traveled extensively in Yunnan (1587–1641), described the Lijiang city in his Diary of Yunnan Tour as "clusters of houses with tiled roofs densely arranged." By the late Ming Dynasty, there were over a thousand households in the ancient city, indicating that urban construction had reached a considerable scale. From Lijiang, one can gaze at the towering Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with its magnificent and ever-changing scenery. Folk songs say it "has four seasons on one mountain and different weather every ten miles." This area is renowned as a "treasure trove of flora and fauna" and a vast natural reservoir. Walking through the ancient streets paved with colorful stones and wandering around the commercial center of Sifang Street in the northern part of the town, one sees flowing streams, willow trees by the riverside, and markets or residences with bridges in front or streams behind. Countless small streams flow through the streets and alleys, winding around walls and houses. These streams all originate from the Yuquan Spring at the foot of the Elephant Mountain to the north of the city. Early in the city's history, the White Horse Dragon Pool and several wells were built based on underground springs and still exist today. People have developed a water usage method called "one pool, one well, and three ponds," where the first pond is used for drinking, the second for washing vegetables, and the third for laundry. The clear water flows sequentially, which is both scientific and hygienic. Residents also use water to clean the streets—by releasing the (water gate) and blocking the river, the water overflows the stone-paved road and flows down, cleansing the streets. The ancient Dayan Town of Lijiang, nestled against the mountains and rivers, lacks towering walls or grand avenues but is rustic and picturesque, exuding natural harmony. The houses in the town are built in a scattered and undulating pattern due to the terrain and waterways. People have constructed aesthetically pleasing and practical homes using wood, stone, and earth, blending the traditions of Han, Bai, and Tibetan residential styles to create a unique design. The most common type of residential architecture is the "three courtyards with one screen wall," consisting of a main house, side wings, and a surrounding wall. Each house has three rooms and two floors, with the main south-facing room reserved for the elders, while the east and west side rooms are typically used by the younger generation. Many houses have fish-shaped or leaf-shaped wooden decorations called "xuanyu" (hanging fish) on the eaves of their two mountain walls, symbolizing "abundance and good fortune." Many courtyard gateways are intricately carved, and the courtyards are paved with pebbles, tiles, and flower bricks. The main hall in front generally has six latticed doors and windows, with carvings of seasonal flowers or auspicious birds and animals in the center of the windows. The eaves of the corridors in front of the hall are usually wide, providing a cozy and pleasant space for activities. The Naxi people of Lijiang have always valued education and culture, and many are skilled in poetry, music, calligraphy, and painting. In the colorful festivals of the ancient city, in addition to all-night ethnic dances and local opera, the (amateur performance) of "Naxi Ancient Music" is particularly famous. Among them, the Baisha Fine Music is a large-scale classical musical suite that combines singing, dancing, and music, hailed as the "living fossil of music." Another piece, the Lijiang Dongjing Music, originates from ancient Taoist music and retains many melodies of lost Chinese lyrics and tunes. The Naxi Ancient Music of Lijiang has been invited to perform in many countries in Europe and has received warm acclaim from audiences. Due to its members being mostly elderly people from the local community, it is also known as the "Naxi Longevity Orchestra." The world-famous Lijiang murals are distributed across the ancient city and 15 surrounding temples. These Ming and Qing Dynasty murals are outstanding for their fusion of multiple religions and sects. The large-scale mural The Assembly of the Boundless Life Buddha preserved in the Dabaoji Palace in Baisha Village reflects the characteristics of Naxi religious culture by depicting over a hundred Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, and Taoist deities and statues. To this day, the picture-like hieroglyphic script "Dongba script" is still used in Lijiang. This unique script, used by the ancestors of the Naxi people to record Dongba religious texts, is the only living picture-like hieroglyphic script in the world. Over 20,000 Dongba ancient books, now stored in libraries and museums in China and some European countries, record the splendid history and culture of the Naxi people for thousands of years. Among them, the Dongba dance score called Como, which includes dozens of ancient dance arts, is an extremely rare and valuable document. The Dongba scriptures, hailed as the "encyclopedia of ancient Naxi," hold great significance for studying the history and culture of the Naxi people.