Dongba Alley at Lijiang Ancient Town 丽江古城
Most people visiting the Lijiang Ancient Town would usually immediately see the beauty of the ancient town itself. It is, they say, by far, the best preserved of the ancient towns of China. That is actually quite debatable since I have seen some structures being constructed inside the ancient town. No, they are not towering monstrosities but they look exactly like the original buildings. Whether this counts as preserving the buildings is probably best left for another discussion. However, there is more to Lijiang than just the old town. Culture is one of the selling points of this town.
Hanging Dongba Trinkets in Lijiang Ancient Town 丽江古城
The Naxi ethnic group that inhabits this area are well established in Lijiang, in fact the culture of the Naxi are one of selling points of Lijiang Ancient Town. A lot of the shops here at Lijiang focus on Naxi stuff, such as trinkets and even food. One of the aspects of Naxi life which is also on showcase here in Lijiang is their religion. The Dongba Religion can be considered an amalgam of Taosim, Buddhism and Bon. Really, sometimes it difficult to distinguish one from the other unless you are a specialist in culture. The plaza outside the ancient town has a section which lets people purchase Dongba trinkets and let them hang as a wish for good luck. In other parts of the country, this would have been just some locks purchased by lovers, here in Lijiang it is this.
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