Our last day in Lijiang was spent exploring the parts of the sprawling seven-square-kilometer ancient town that we hadn’t seen yet. We wandered through the relatively quiet morning streets to the Heilong Park, or Black Dragon Pool, for some spectacular views of the lakes, pagodas, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain backdrop. Locals were hand-feeding squirrels, and kids were fattening up the koi carp.
The entire place is a photographer’s dream, and there were plenty of them about doing photo shoots for girls dressed up in local attire. We headed uphill to the west of the old town through tiny cobbled alleyways to dine at a local restaurant overlooking the town.
From there it was up to Lion Hill and the Shizishan Wangu Tower, an impressive five-tiered pagoda offering spectacular 360-degree views of the town.
After a couple of hours’ rest, we ventured out again for golden hour and some Lijiang nightlife. The streets and market square were rammed with people, all jostling for the best photo, and it was a challenge taking pictures. Bars blared out live music, clubs paraded dancing girls, and staff hollered at passersby with deals for cheap beers or meals in hundreds of restaurants and pubs.
There were several live cultural shows and dances, and the ancient town was a throng of activity, but far too many people for my liking … and this was just a normal day, I’d hate to see how many bodies crushed into these streets on a long weekend.
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