Explore Ancient Yunnan: Dali, Shaxi & Lijiang with Backyard Travel

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Travel News: Explore Ancient Yunnan: Dali, Shaxi & Lijiang with Backyard Travel

Explore Ancient Yunnan: Dali, Shaxi & Lijiang with Backyard Travel

Backyard Travel Release Their Second China Tour

Bangkok, Thailand (December 26, 2012) – Backyard Travel, Asia’s most innovative travel company, has today released details of their second tailor-made tour to China. The new trip takes travelers to explore the ancient cities of Yunnan with guided walking tours of Lijiang as well as to visit Erhai Lake in Shuanglang, the Three Pagodas in Dali and to spend time in the sleepy town of Shaxi. The tour also includes the opportunity to learn about the Bai and Naxi hill tribes, both of whom live fascinating lives in unique communities.

The five day / four night Explore Ancient Yunnan: Dali, Shaxi & Lijiang tour begins in Dali, the former Kingdom of Nanzhao. In this region, travelers on the tailor-made tour will be able to get up close to the Bai people who live around Erhai Lake in the quaint town of Wase and take a look at a life that’s largely remained unchanged for generations.

The second day of the tour leads travelers to the old scenic town of Dali, home of postcard perfect porches and near the famed Three Pagodas. From there the tour continues to Shaxi, a sleepy wild-west cowboy town which has become a travelers’ oasis unlike any other town in China.

Explore Ancient Yunnan: Dali, Shaxi & Lijiang with Backyard Travel

After a day spent visiting Shibaoshan (Stone Treasure Mountain) to investigate religious effigies like the statue of Guanyin, The Goddess of Mercy and the Stone Treasure (said to increase the chances of fertility), the fourth day of the tailored tour will be spent meandering the cobbled streets and stone bridges around the quaint canal network of Lijiang.

Lijiang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to the Naxi people, whose society is both ‘matrilocal’ (whereby couples move in with the wife’s family) and ‘matrilineal’ (where succession favors females over males). In Naxi culture, there is no marriage as sexual liberty takes precedence over formalized unions. Children, who do not know their fathers, are raised by their mothers, aunts and maternal uncles – a fascinating variation of society living in an old-school town complete with red lanterns outside people’s homes creating a true feeling of China.

The final day of the tour takes travelers to Yak Prairie to see the famous Jade Dragon Mountain, also called Mount Satseto in Naxi language, which stands majestically to the north of Lijiang and is a fitting end to an unforgettable journey.

“Yunnan is possibly not a place that immediately springs to mind for travelers when they consider a visit to China, however that’s only because they might not be aware of the pure beauty of the region,” said Backyard Travel’s General Manager Maeve Nolan. “In fact, Yunnan contains areas that many travelers may have seen in movies but don’t know the location it was filmed. This tailor-made tour to Yunnan allows travelers to see the incredible beauty this Southwestern province offers, as well as giving them the opportunity to experience life in olden-day China including encounters with indigenous hill tribe communities.”

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