West of Lijiang

Just 13 km west of Lijiang is the small but picturesque Lashi Lake, from where comes most of the fish served in Lijiang restaurants. Lying a kilometre from the road at its nearest approach, the lake is backed by a hill that all but obscures jade Dragon. Naxi settlements lie in the plain on both sides of the lake, while far above on the mountain sit a few Lisu villages. The road swerves away from the lake and steadily rises until not only Jade Dragon is more fully visible, so is the more distant snow peak of Habashan.

Continuing west the road crosses the hills and descends to the Jinshajiang and its First Turn at Shigu. This old town rises up a hill that overlooks the narrow strip of farmland that borders the river as it makes its bend. Partway up the hill is a memorial hall to the Red Army division under He Long and Xiao Ke that made its crossing here on the Long March in 1936. Around here the view down is splendid, especially in spring when the fields beside the river shine brilliantly yellow from the mustard and rape flowers.

Another 90 km north, passing left bank mountains reflected in the river, the road comes to the small Naxi town of Judian, which lies back from the banks. The town has typical Naxi houses, but nowhere near as nice as in Dayan. The road west climbs into the Hengduan Mountains, eventually reaching Weixi.

The western branch of Lijiang County is less populated, with wilder terrain and bigger patches of forest. Laojunshan, with its 99 Dragon Pools, lies west of Shigu. Halfway to Judian a lateral road turns west at Jinzhuang, passes Naxi villages in the valleys and suddenly, after about 20 km, just before Liming, the scenery alters. The cliffs, bald mountain summits, even the boulders by the road are all a very red shade of auburn. From here to Liguang, another 9 km, the hues of the hills are unlike any others in Yunnan. They provide a feast for the eyes of anyone who appreciates natural colours.