Jianchuan

Jianchuan, located roughly halfway between Dali and Lijiang on the old road, is a nice small town untouched by tourists. Even it is a tiny town, but it is quite famous for its wooden and stone carving.A visit to Jianchuan should start with an hiking on the Thousand Lions Mountain. Don’t worry! These lions are stone carved lions. The ages of carving these lions are from Song Dynasty (906-1279) to Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Every 10 minutes or less, a single or several stone lions from different periods are welcoming you on your way. After 4 hours’ trekking, around by the fascinating arts, you’re bound to overwhelm your tire.Other interesting visit is a stroll in the Jianchuan old town. In the well-preserved wooden structure houses handed down from Ming or Qing Dynasty, different stories are telling. Two of them we recommend you to visit, one is family Zhang, and the host is an artist of clay figuring. Another one is the General Lu’s family, the General was passed away, his wife is a kind 80-year-old lady and she is very good at embroidery. It’s a once in a lifetime experience to watch and try the embroidery with her.Apart from that, the workshops of cloth shoes and wooden carving, or a Chinese medicine store and a Confucian temple could be added into your tour program if you interested in anyone of them.A visit of Jianchuan can be combined with the discovery of Shaxi and Shibaoshan Mountain on the old road from Dali to Lijiang.