Shuhe Ancient Town, Lijiang

Other old town that Lijiang has, is Shuhe. This one is quite far, we need to take a bus and have a little walk. The different between Shuhe and Lijiang Old Town, Shuhe is more likely as an attraction where tourists can sit, eat, take a horse trip, shopping, and taking photos. I found Shuhe is not a great place to stay since it far away from town and I agree with someone say that Shuhe is like a tourist trap. What I like about Shuhe, is at their back side. The main side is quite boring, nothing authentic and too many shops than something to see. But if you walk thru inside the area, when there’s landscape, rice fields, small river, it’s more calming. And so many pre wedding session as always haha.

Not sure why this is rated so highly but Shuhe Old Town is a total tourist trap. There’s a ¥30/person entrance fee if you enter from the main gate. As we walked around the town we did see side entrances you can sneak in from for free. The whole town itself is basically a run-down and less interesting version of Lijiang Old Town. Sure, there are less people but it was almost to a point where it felt deserted. Also, many of the shops were closed adding even more to the desolate feeling. Maybe it was because we came on a Tuesday afternoon...but according to people we have asked, it’s a pretty peak season for Lijiang travel. I also didn’t feel like anything was authentic about this town. All the buildings featured stalls after stalls of the same tourist shops: tea, textile (scarves and “ethnic” clothing), flower cakes, and silver. I walked into an indigo textile shop only see to “made in India” on the tags... It’s almost like Shuhe wanted to duplicate Lijiang Old Town but it did it in the most tacky and unthoughtful way. Oh also, there are horse/donkey drawn carts going through the streets (for the tourists) so you gotta be careful you don’t step in a steaming pile of poop. The buildings are quite pretty though so if you’re looking to take some nice photos without anyone in them, this would be a nice place. Otherwise, I’d totally give this town a miss and just stick with Lijiang Old Town.

Another ancient town in Lijiang, with longer history than the main one. Since it is a little less know and not in the center of the city, it attracts less tourists, making the area quieter. Don't get discouraged by what you see in the beginning, go to the further ends of the town to see narrow valleys and feel the spirit of the old town. There are numerous cosy cafes all over the place, but I cannot say anything about the quality of their service, since I have not entered to any of them. A lot of couples are having photo shoot sessions in the upper part of the old town. The entrance fee is 40rmb.

By the time we visited this town (June 2019), some of the roads are still under construction, so it is a bit dusty (so wear your face mask). According to the tourist guide, the items sold here is much cheaper than at Lijiang Old Town. But personally, some items are still a bit pricey especially the silver items. Love the old town vibe especially the cafes near the waterway. It was beautifully decorated with flowers and other ornaments. The waterway flowing along the town is also very clean and crystal clear. In terms of shopping, so far most of the shops only accept cash (but I actually saw some locals used WeChat pay). Ability to converse in Mandarin is an advantage as you may be able to have a better bargain or deal as compared to when you're not. 😅 If you are planning to come during summer time, please remember to bring umbrellas or hat and apply your sunscreen (SPF) as the UV rays here is FOUR times higher than any other places.

It's cool knowing that the roads were the same that were used throughout history. You will see many people taking their wedding pictures in the area, I guess that means it is a good place to take pictures.