I couldn't help but agree. On either side of us snow peaked mountains towered in the distance, their pinnacle obstructed by clouds. The closer hills were no less breathtaking. Each was covered with seemingly carefree sheep herders, the only source of traffic on route to our final destination in Yunnan, China.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. In all, we had spent 16 hours sitting on one bus after another, but it was worth it. Yunnan is arguably the nicest part of China, owing to its remarkable climate that remains warm nearly year round. It also boasts over 50 different ethnic groups with connections to nearly all the South East Asian countries nearby. As we raced by rice terraced fields hundreds of tan faced minorities could be seen working away, their legs half submerged in rice paddies and their backs turned against the heat of the mid-day sun.
We eventually arrived in Lijiang, one of Yunnan's more touristy destinations. Nonetheless it is beautiful. Our plan was to spend two weeks furthering our Chinese language studies. We had chosen this program both for its location and its cost, which was reasonable. Doing a language program was also reimbursed by Peace Corps as part of our mid-service training.
Lijiangs "Old Town" is referred to as the Venice of the east, but I wouldn't go so far as that. At the north side of the city is 黑龙谭 or Black Dragon Pool, which drains into hundreds of streams stretching down the cobbled streets of the older section of the city. The area of the town is relatively vast, containing hundreds and hundreds of traditional Chinese buildings; black, slate roofed buildings which slope at the corners and are built nearly entirely of wood. The city was partially rebuilt in 1996 after a devastating earthquake killed nearly 300 inhabitants. The traditional "old town" of Lijiang was up to that point untouched by tourism, but in the aftermath of the quake Lijiang's local officials reformed the old town into a traveller friendly destination. Today, most Chinese are well familiar with Lijiang, it being one of the prime destinations throughout China and by a large margin the most popular in Yunnan.
But don't expect it to be quiet or the streets to be free of tacky souvenirs. For that you had better go to Dali, a city not far from Lijiang with similar attractions and fewer tourist traps. I preferred Dali but Lijiang was better suited to our training needs.
Our days in Lijiang were rich, in the mornings we spent 4 to 5 hours studying Chinese, in the afternoons we went over our studies in the local cafes or took a bike ride outside the city. There were six of us- including Katie D. and our friends Richie and Katie A., the same couple who accompanied Katie D. and I on our trip to Vietnam earlier this year. The weather was not always nice, however, as it was rainy season in southern China at the time.
During the afternoons I usually peered down from a second floor cafe at older local residents all clad in blue. They were Naxi people, the main nationality in that part of Yunnan. The traditional clothing for woman is blue blouses, pants and cap, while the men are simply clothed in blue trousers, white shirt and blue hats. The matriarchal society had existed in that part of China for over 1500 years. Due to its location, the city, and in fact the entire province, had been loosely controlled either independently or by the Chinese, depending on the time period. In fact until the last two centuries the province of Yunnan had been little more than an afterthought in the Chinese imperial court, its only use being along its trade route to SE Asia. At times the province also proved useful for disposing unpopular officials. Had the Chinese court officials truly known the beauty of Yunnan they might have chosen a better place of exile, but instead the province was often ignored and looked upon as a jungle of barbarian tribes. I reflected on what the exiled officials must have thought when they arrived in this part of China, with towering mountains, cool climates and, to remarkably beautiful women, the region must have seemed like a paradise.
I also reflected on the areas past. In 1933 a writer named James Hilton visited this area of China and wrote about it in his fictional novel Lost Horizon. From then on the city of Shangri-La inflamed the imagination of western readers, leading them to believe this area of China contained a paradise of near-immortal inhabitants. I found a copy of the book on stands all over Lijiang city. It was now printed by a provincially owned publisher to increase tourism. I was not particularly enthused with the idea of using the book as another way to lure tourists, but since western, English language books are very rarely printed at all in China I decided to buy a copy for my school library. If you get the chance, you may enjoy reading it as well.
We finished our trip at a hostel in the center city, not far from our language training center which was farther toward the outskirts. There we found travellers from all over the world-U.S., Korea, Japan, Ireland and other parts of Europe. We ate our dinner in the courtyard surrounded by the sounds of excited travelers. A Naxi boy who worked as a waiter stopped to chat at our table. We gave him an English name, which he loved, and gave him an English poem he could give to his next girlfriend (he was even more happy with the poem, and took every opportunity to use it on girls around our table).
At night the city was lit by red lanterns, and our hostel was no different. Before falling asleep in our four person dorm room, we took our time listening to the sounds of Lijiangs old town ceaseless bustling before our long journey home to Sichuan.
