Baisha Old Town
丽江, 云南
The original Naxi settlement and capital of the Mu kingdom, predating Lijiang's famous Old Town by centuries. Quiet cobbled lanes, Ming-dynasty murals, and far fewer visitors than the main tourist center 8km away.
为什么要去Baisha Old Town？
Before Lijiang Old Town became the region's commercial and political center, Baisha was it — this is where the Naxi ethnic group's Mu dynasty ruled from for roughly four centuries. The Baisha Mural paintings inside a cluster of small temples here blend Tibetan Buddhist, Taoist, and Han artistic styles in a way that reflects how this stretch of Yunnan sat at a genuine cultural crossroads, not just a tourist-facing rebrand of the idea.
怎么体验
It's an easy half-day trip by bicycle or taxi from Lijiang Old Town, and the contrast is immediate — the same style of Naxi architecture and canals, but with locals doing daily errands rather than rows of souvenir stalls. The mural halls charge a small separate entry fee and are usually shown by a local caretaker rather than self-guided.
小贴士
Go in the morning before tour groups doing the "Jade Dragon Snow Mountain + Baisha" combined itinerary arrive in the early afternoon.