Old Town of Lijiang
The Old Town of Lijiang, which is perfectly adapted to the uneven topography of this key commercial and strategic site, has retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still functions effectively today.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/811
The Old Town of Lijiang represents a fusion of indigenous Naxi architecture and culture with external influences.
The Naxi-minority descends from Tibetan nomads. They have a matriarchal family tradition and an over 1000 years old script. This script consists of pictograms, and is kept alive by some individuals. There is also a Naxi-orchestra: old men that play traditional Chinese music on antique instruments, unique for China.
Lijiang has an ingenious ancient network of waterways, that is supplied by the mountain springs. Via canals the houses in town are connected to this network.
The cobbled streets, bridges and houses add to the picturesque picture of this ancient town. It gained wide attention in the 1990s: first because of a BBC-documentary and a childrens series, that made kind of a myth out of Lijiang.
In 1996, the town was hit by a very serious earthquake which damaged a lot of the old houses and streets.
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/lijiang.html
No comments:
Post a Comment