Speaking of ancient towns in Yunnan, most people first think of Dali ancient town, Old Town of Lijiang and Shuanglang, the romantic scenery in Dali, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang and Erhai Lake in Shuanglang, all of which are fascinating. As time goes on, more people go there, and people will inevitably be crowded and commercialized. If you want to spend a quiet time in the tourist season, you might as well live in these little-known ancient towns, where there are really few people, beautiful scenery and more food.
Nayun ancient town
Nayun ancient town has a history of more than 700 years. Nayun means Naweng in Dai language and Neijing in Dai language. At the same time, it is also the last Dai ancient town in China. There are buildings with different styles of Dai and Han nationalities here. If you have time, go to Tusi Yamen to see the gorgeous murals on the wall, which are the records of Dai history. Nayun, like its name, gives people a quiet and leisurely aesthetic feeling, and the years are quiet. Here you will eat authentic Dai cuisine and feel the strong Southeast Asian customs.
Dukezong ancient town
According to Tibetan pronunciation, the name "Dukezong" has two meanings, one is "Castle built on stone" and the other is "Moonlight City". Unlike Old Town of Lijiang, the Dukezong ancient city in Shangri-La is not as graceful as the water town, nor as romantic as the Dali ancient city, but rather a bit cold and hard. Walking in the street, walking on the uneven stone road, with quaint wooden houses on both sides, the sun shines down from the top of your head, and everything is so beautiful.
In Guishan Park, there is the largest prayer wheel in the world. When there are many people, you can turn together, but the number of turns must be a multiple of three, and it is clockwise, indicating blessing.
Baisha Ancient Town
It is only 10 km from Old Town of Lijiang, but it is not as noisy as Old Town of Lijiang. It borders Yulong Snow Mountain in the north and Yizhi Mountain in the west. It is the ancient capital of Naxi nationality, a world-class "ancient Naxi kingdom" and the birthplace of Mu family. Here, you will experience the most primitive Naxi folk customs. This wall attracts Dongba murals with hundreds of years of cultural history. In the distance, Dongba ancient music came, Dongba characters jumped from the paper, the old woman on the street, the fragrant chicken jelly, and the misty Yulong Snow Mountain in the distance were all refreshing. These are the most real human fireworks.
Heshun ancient town
Known as Yangwendun in ancient times, it is located in Tengchong, the hometown of Ginkgo biloba. For hundreds of years, various cultures have collided here, forming a unique overseas Chinese hometown culture and caravan culture here. Heshun's Chinese architecture has a long history, with ancestral halls with South Asian style, wood carvings with Huizhou architectural culture and round arch windows with Western Gothic style, forming a rare architectural style of combining Chinese and Western styles in China. Heshun local specialty is also very good, and the price is not expensive. Mugua chicken, sugar Baba, boiled bait, etc. If you have the opportunity, you must eat three drops of water, which covers almost all the flavor characteristics of Tengchong.
Nuodeng ancient town
Nuodeng Ancient Town is located deep in the mountains north of Yunlong County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. This is a Bai village with a history of thousands of years. It is surrounded by mountains and has a panoramic view. This is one of the few ancient towns that still retain their original ecological life. They have ancient banyan trees and ancient happy fruit trees that are 100 years old. Houses are built on the mountain, and villagers rest at sunrise and sunset, which has a sense of simplicity of ethnic minorities. With beautiful scenery, don't forget delicious food. The Nuodeng ham here has been published in China on the Tip of the Tongue. The special geographical environment and warm climate created the famous Nuodeng ham.
Jianshui ancient city
Because of its remote location and traffic restrictions, it was once little known. In this small border town, its profound historical culture, human landscape, ethnic customs and many well-preserved ancient buildings and cultural relics are worth learning and discovering their stories. When you come here, you will only be surprised. It is small and quiet. There are not many tourists, most of them are locals, which makes you feel kind. Take a look at the sunset on the ancient bridge. Take the slowest train, eat boiled tofu, take a walk after dinner, walk on the bluestone road and feel lonely quietly.