Shaxi Ancient Town (Shaxizhen)
Shaxizhen, Yunnan, 671302
With soaring-eaved roofs and timber-framed homes threaded with lanterns, Shaxi Ancient Town (Shaxizhen) represents the China that time forgot. Lovingly preserved since its era as a market town on the Tea Horse Road, highlights include the Ming Dynasty Xingjiao Temple and the Yujin stone arch bridge. Try and catch a Chinese opera performance or the lively Friday market.
The basics
Shaxi Ancient Town is roughly halfway between Lijiang and Dali, so you can explore its cobbled streets and temple murals, and pose for photos with horses, on a day trip from either city. Plenty of multi-day tours let you experience Shaxi Ancient Town alongside highlights such as Tiger Leaping Gorge. Options range from trips that transfer you between Lijiang and Dali via one or more historic towns to more ambitious journeys that trace the Tea Horse Road from Lijiang or Shangri-La to Kunming.
Things to know before you go
Shaxi Ancient Town is a great choice for photographers and history buffs, or anyone looking for a more peaceful alternative to Lijiang.
Like most preserved Chinese historic villages, Shaxi has an entrance fee.
Always ask before taking photos, particularly of people wearing their traditional ethnic dress.
Allow half a day to fully explore Shaxi Ancient Town, including a stop for lunch.
There’s a good range of accommodation in the town, from hostels through to boutique inn conversions.
Cobbled, narrow streets and steps make Shaxi Ancient Town an unsuitable destination for travelers who rely on wheelchairs.
How to get there
Shaxi Ancient Town is a 65-mile (100-kilometer) drive south of Lijiang and a 95-mile (155-kilometer) drive north of Dali in northern Yunnan province. There’s no train station and public transit is difficult, although there are tourist shuttle vans from Dali. Most travelers visit on a tour or with a private driver.
When to get there
Shaxi is open all week and, like everywhere in China, is busiest at weekends. Photographers should visit Shaxi on a Thursday to catch the town when it is quieter; and spend the night to capture the lively traditional market on Friday morning. The weather is warmest between April and October; winters up here can be on the chilly side.
Exploring the Tea Horse Road
The Tea Horse Road once ran for almost 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) between Sichuan and Tibet, bringing Chinese tea to exchange with Tibetan horses. Today, attention tends to focus on the last surviving stops on the trail: Lijiang, a beautiful but busy town with flowing streams and water wheels; Dali, a lakeside city with tribal minorities; and Shangri-La, a mountain town with a distinctly Tibetan flavor. But traditional towns and villages like Xizhou Town, Baisha Ancient Town, and Shaxi Ancient Town add interest.
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