Aftertaste of Lijiang Ancient Town

The train was flying like a giant dragon among the mountains and ridges of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Listening to the indifferent "All the Way North", I came to the ancient city of Lijiang in western Yunnan.

The first stop in Lijiang is on Xianghe Road. Xianghe Road is not wide and there is a constant flow of pedestrians on the road, mostly tourists. Walking about a hundred meters through Xianghe Road is the south gate of the ancient city. In fact, there are many gates in the south of the ancient city, and there are signs outside each gate prohibiting entry of motor vehicles. Entering the gate, you feel that the streets of the ancient city are unique. Streets, whether wide or narrow, are paved with rectangular stone slabs. The middle stone slabs are laid vertically, usually with one to three rows. Narrow streets only have one row, and wide streets have three rows, not four. The stone slabs on both sides are laid horizontally. The stone slab is not smooth, and the surface is pitted and uneven. When walking on it, there is a feeling of bumps and bumps. I really want to take off my shoes and walk on it with bare feet, so that the soles of my feet are in close contact with the stone surface and the texture of the stone slabs can be felt. The protruding part travels between the toes, allowing you to enjoy the most down-to-earth experience in your life. Some of the joints between the stone slabs are filled with concrete, and some are occasionally filled with a little soil, and dense leaves of Artemisia annua have grown out. The houses in the ancient city are all made of wood, mostly one-story, with few second-story and no three-story houses. Lanterns are hung on the eaves. Walking on the street, there are many shops on both sides, mostly travel agencies, inns, restaurants, clothing stores, handicraft shops, flower cake shops and bars. Let's just talk about the guest's residence. It's called a hostel or a hotel elsewhere, but it's called an inn here. It may be the best way to preserve and inherit ancient culture, and the names are all kinds of weird. Looking in from the door of the inn, there is a path paved with bluestones in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by lush flowers and trees. It is the embodiment of the Naxi people's life philosophy of "no house can be built without trees, and no courtyard can be built without flowers". They are close to nature. and love of nature. The restaurant is also different from other places. When you enter the door, the left side looks like a bar, where one or two singers will play guitar and sing songs. The right side is where guests eat and consume. Sitting inside, you will indeed feel like the "" in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly" The feeling of "eating hot pot and singing"! The silver jewelry store has a dazzling array of products, including bracelets, necklaces, earrings, silver chopsticks, silver cups, silver bowls, silver pots, etc. It's endless. The boss doesn't like tourists like me. The boss is very discerning and can tell at a glance that I am not a rich second generation person. Of course, I am not a second generation poor, but a dozen generations poor. How can a poor ten generation person afford these things? I have thought for a long time that if one day I become successful, I will build a big villa, set up a big living room, and move all the items in the store to my home. At the same time, a dressing room should be set up outside the door of the living room. People wearing long clothes and long skirts are prohibited from entering and exiting the living room at will, lest they hide my silver chopsticks in their trouser pockets and take them away. At the slightly wider intersection of the ancient city streets, there is often a stone tablet with a map of the ancient city painted on it, and special signs to remind you of your current location for the convenience of tourists. During the day, there are certain personnel in these places to provide assistance to tourists. I knew on the map that the Wangu Tower is the highest, and I wanted to go there to have a panoramic view of the ancient city. According to the signs on the map, turn left and right, and gradually the street becomes narrower. Every 2 to 3 meters, it goes up one level, and the terrain gradually rises. About 30 minutes later, we arrived at the Wangu Tower Observation Deck. There was a woman standing by the door, wearing Naxi costumes, and she motioned for me to come in. There is a word "Free Viewing" written on the door. When you enter the door, you will see that the house has two floors. Climb up the stairs to the second floor. The tables and chairs in the building are placed in a fan shape along the window. There are three brothers sitting in the middle, two of them. A man and a woman, maybe a group. The two male singers were sitting on either side, playing the guitar. The girl was playing and singing "In a Moment" by Lijiang Xiaoqian. The seats by the window are already full. People are chatting, reminiscing about old times, or looking at the scenery. There are tea and coffee on the table. Others take a step to speak, but I take a step to take pictures. Shamelessly, I asked two handsome guys and a pretty girl to get out of the way, and finally found an angle and took 3 photos. A gust of wind blows, and the wind chimes hanging on the eaves jingle, which is pleasant to the ear. It is indeed like Liu Zongyuan's feeling of "like a ring ring, making his heart happy"! After coming down from the Wangu Tower Observation Deck, I met a man at the entrance of an alley. He was holding a camera and appeared to be careful every time he took a photo. His professional and skillful scene selection skills were incomparable. Since I like traveling, I should also buy a camera! Coming down from the Wangu Tower Observation Deck, passing through several alleys, you arrive at the Guanmen Gate. Entering from the Guanmen Gate, you can reach Mufu, which is the residence of the chieftain and is known as the "Little Purple City" of Lijiang. The ticket cost 60 yuan. Under the tour guide's explanation, I learned about the history of Tusimu Mansion's ups and downs, and even realized the true meaning of "a history of Tusi, half a history of the nation".

The busiest time in Lijiang Old Town is at night.

The Waterwheel is one of the bustling areas of the ancient city. In the evening, when the lanterns are turned on, the lights are brilliant. There is a river flowing through this place, and the water is crystal clear. Walking towards the left bank, we came to the Music and Culture Square, where music was everywhere. Entering through the door, we saw a small sign hanging very high with the words "Throwing a Bowl of Wine". There was a big sign next to it. There is a couplet: "After drinking the bowl of wine, good luck will follow you." Some small words in the middle: "First fall, friends have no grudges, second fall, brotherhood is deep... Ten falls, family and everything are prosperous." In front of the brand is a row of wine jars with the word "wine" written on them, arranged in an arc, surrounded by Live a lot of broken bowls. There are several black square plates placed on the wine jar, and six black bowls are placed in each square plate. The edge of the bowl is black and the bottom is white. The bowls are filled with wine. The boss here tells tourists that 30% rice wine costs 10 yuan per bowl. Every time he drinks a bowl, he throws the bowl to pieces and smashes it. Several aunts and uncles drank and smashed it. Every time they smashed a bowl, cheers and applause erupted from the surrounding area. Walking up from behind the big sign with bowls of wine, and passing a few stone stairs, you will find the tambourine experience area. Sitting in front of it is a thin girl wearing glasses, with a tambourine in front of her and a microphone above the drum. The tambourine opposite the girl is arranged in a U shape, and any tourist can go up and play for free. There are many people trying it for themselves. After watching it for about 8 minutes, I finally figured out the rhythm of the tambourine: "Ta, ta, ta ta, Ta." For this understanding of music, I should thank my music teacher Hu Yumei when I was in the normal school. 3 years of normal school, 6 semesters, 4 semesters of my music exams, but I missed two semesters because I participated in Teacher Hu’s music interest training class. Throughout my entire academic career, I failed only music. There are many bars diagonally across from the Music Culture Square, with one meter of sunshine. There is a slogan "No wine tray" written on the door. The indoor music is soothing, and people are quietly listening to music, drinking tea and tasting wine. But the 88 Bar not far away is different. The indoor instruments are playing wildly. Passing by the door, through the window, I can see that no matter on the stage or off, people are all leaving their seats, standing up, holding balloons, and swaying their whole bodies in carnival. . At this moment, Jolin Tsai's song "Only Dance" can indeed set the floor on fire! In addition to One Meter Sunshine and 88 Bar, there is also Peach Blossom Island. We were in Lijiang that year and so on, too numerous to mention, hundreds of them. That year, we were on the second floor in Lijiang. Looking out the window, we saw a trio. The male singer was playing the guitar while nodding and smiling at the passers-by on the street. Some tourists also waved to him.

Walking on the streets of Lijiang Old Town, one is always immersed in a cultural atmosphere that cannot be expressed in words. "Little Baby" sung by the Xia Tian Play Group not only floats in the streets and alleys of the ancient city, but also flows in the hearts of every tourist like the melting ice and snow on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. "Little Baby" is a new and natural song, I like it very much!

Lijiang Ancient Town, my favorite!

Lijiang at night on July 14, 2018