China Old town of Lijiang

Lijiang lies at an altitude of 2600m at the foothills of the Himalayas, at the foot of the Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), which is one of the highest mountains in Yunnan at 5596 m. Lijiang is home to the Naxi minority, which is the trade center between Tibet and Yunnan and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The climate is pleasant all year round. The old town of Lijiang is characterized by narrow cobblestone streets and crossed by many channels on which the houses of the Naxi lie. They are traditionally built around a courtyard. In the severe earthquake of 1996, they were the only ones to survive the earthquake unscathed.