Treasure of China: Ancient Town of Lijiang

Author: Zhang Beili
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Lijiang is located in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, with a long history, beautiful scenery, and magnificent natural environment. It is the homeland of the ancient Qiang people and the Naxi ethnic group. Lijiang Ancient Town, with an altitude of 2,400 meters, is the central city of Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, one of China's historical and cultural cities, and a key national scenic area. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Lijiang County is said to be named "Dayan Town" due to its resemblance to a large inkstone. Exploring its past, people discover this forgotten "ancient Naxi Kingdom," which has been inhabited since ancient times. The current Naxi people are descendants of the ancient southward migrating Qiang people. Over the long centuries, they have worked hard to build their beautiful homeland. This area is located on the transportation hub of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet. In ancient times, frequent merchant activities made it a well-known market and important town. It is generally believed that Lijiang was established as a city in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty. In 1253, Kublai Khan (the Yuan Emperor) marched south to conquer Dali and. From then until the early Qing Dynasty, the Lijiang region was ruled by the Naxi Mu family ancestors and Mu family tusi (established in 1382) in hereditary succession under the central dynasty. During this period, Xu Xiake, a Ming Dynasty geographer who traveled extensively in Yunnan, described the Lijiang city in his "Diary of Yunnan Tours" as "clusters of houses with tiled roofs arranged neatly," and by the late Ming Dynasty, the city had over a thousand households, indicating that urban construction had reached a considerable scale. From Lijiang, one can gaze at the towering Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, whose scenery is ever-changing. 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 in Lijiang, 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 Pool and several wells were built near 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, with clear water flowing sequentially, which is both scientific and hygienic. Residents also use water to clean the streets: by releasing the and blocking the river, the water overflows the stone-paved roads and flows down, cleansing the streets and keeping them clean. The ancient Dayan Town of Lijiang, nestled among mountains and water, lacks towering walls or grand avenues but is rustic and picturesque, exuding a sense of natural harmony. The houses in the town are built in a scattered and undulating pattern due to the terrain and waterways, with people constructing aesthetically pleasing and practical homes using wood, stone, and earth, blending the traditions of Han, Bai, and Tibetan residential styles to create a unique style. The most common type of residence 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 room facing south for the elders to live in, and the east and west side wings for the younger generation. Many houses have fish-shaped or leaf-shaped wooden decorations called "xuanyu" on the eaves of their two mountain walls, symbolizing "prosperity and surplus." Many courtyard gateways are intricately carved, with courtyards paved with pebbles, tiles, and flower bricks. The main hall in front generally has six lattice windows, with carvings of seasonal flowers or auspicious birds and animals in the center. The eaves 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, with many skilled in poetry, music, calligraphy, and painting. In the colorful festivals of the ancient town, in addition to all-night ethnic dances and folk operas, the "Naxi Ancient Music" is particularly famous. Among them, "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, "Lijiang Dongjing Music," originates from ancient Taoist music and preserves many melodies of lost Chinese folk songs. The Naxi Ancient Music has been invited to perform in many countries in Europe and has received warm acclaim from audiences. Due to its members mostly being elderly people over the age of 70 from the local community, it is also known as the "Naxi Longevity Orchestra." The world-famous Lijiang murals are distributed in the ancient town and 15 surrounding temples. These Ming and Qing Dynasty murals are notable for their unique blend of multiple religions and sects. The large mural "Great 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 Buddha statues together. To this day, the pictographic syllabic 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 pictographic script in the world. Over 20,000 Dongba ancient books, now stored in libraries and museums in China and some European countries, record the glorious history and culture of the Naxi people for thousands of years. Among them, the Dongba dance score called "Cemo" includes dozens of ancient dance arts, making it 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.