Baisha: A comfy corner in Lijiang

Nestled at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Baisha is a small village on the plain 10km north of Lijiang in the vicinity of several old temples. Compared to the crowded and bustling Lijiang Dayan ancient town, the glamour of this small village lies in its tranquility and original Naxi ethnic flavor.

Baisha town. [Photo courtesy of sina.com]

Naxi:

Apart from its serene environment, Baisha is also known as the living showcase of ancient Dongba culture. Dongba refers to Naxi's indigenous religion. It is the very first living place since the Naxi ethnic group settled down in Lijiang around two thousand years ago, and so is the cradle of Naxi culture.

In the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the leader of Naxi group built magnificent mansions inside the Dayan town and temples at Baisha town. Nowadays, many of these ancient sites have disappeared in Dayan ancient town due to too much commercial tourism. However in Baisha things remain almost unchanged.

Baisha town. [Photo courtesy of sina.com]

Frescos:

The biggest Lama temple – Fuguo Temple in Lijiang used to be in the town of Baisha. In the ancient buildings, there are many unique frescos with high artistic value. At present there are 55 frescos. The most famous frescos are known as Baisha Mural of the Dabaoji (Great Treasure) Palace and the Colored Glaze Temple (Liuli Dian).

People:

Local people living in Baisha live a simple lifestyle. These people are often knowledgeable about medicine, astronomy, geography, agriculture and are also very good at singing folk songs and dancing.

[Photo courtesy of sina.com]

In this peaceful town, there is a yard called "Shali Book House", which is named after a Naxi author. At the gate, we are warmly greeted by the owner, who invites us in to walk around at ease. Golden corns and dried wild delicacies, as well as knick-knacks shining with distinguished Naxi flavor decorate the yard. In the spacious room, we saw a lot of books for sale. The author is Shali, the big brother of the owner. All his works are about his hometown's charming scenery and Naxi ethnic culture. However, Shali passed away the year before.

Shali Book House. [Photo courtesy of sina.com]

It is said that Lijiang has three weird people: Xuanke, who initiated the Naxi ancient music association; He Zhigang, talented calligrapher with no arms; and He Shixiu, highly skilled self-taught doctor who has spent all his life researching herbs and curing people.