Finding activities in Lijiang which children will consider entertaining may be a challenge. The highlights here are based almost entirely around the unique Naxi culture and the dramatic outdoor scenery in the neighbouring mountains. If your kids enjoy tramping through hills and valleys, then Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and its cable cars will provide plenty of fun. Older kids will be able to appreciate the wonderful Naxi lifestyle that is best experienced by wandering the Old Town and watching the impressive cultural show of traditional performances.

Due to the rich ethnic diversity created by the Naxi, Yi and Bai people, Lijiang offers a rare glimpse at a cultural side to China which is increasingly hard to find. In a country full of a billion Han Chinese, it’s a refreshing change to walk the cobbled streets of Lijiang’s Old Town and marvel at the orderly life of this picturesque and ancient city filled with different ethnicities. There are endless things to do and see, most of which are only discovered by leisurely wandering the alleys and old shops of the Naxi quarter. Don’t miss an all-male performance of traditional Naxi folk music or the excellent cultural show at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park.

Thanks to its year-round spring-like climate, Lijiang has traditionally been able to produce an abundance of vegetables, meat and fish. The Naxi have developed a distinctive cuisine over the generations based on local ingredients which falls somewhere between Tibetan and Han Chinese food. Lijiang’s unique cuisine is one of the highlights of a visit to this city.

Authentic Naxi food can be found all over the streets of Lijiang, often in the form of tasty little snacks like baba, seasoned and fried potato cakes, or the hugely popular jidou liangfen, a jelly made from chick peas. Reflecting their Tibetan roots, butter tea is readily available throughout the city and makes a nice addition to the traditional bingfenliangxiao dessert. If you get the chance, try and find a restaurant in the Old Town that serves a traditional Naxi banquet called sandieshui. This feast consists of 39 different courses featuring most of the city’s specialties.

In addition to the wealth of Naxi cuisine, dozens of restaurants supporting the ever-increasing number of foreign and Chinese tourists have opened in both the new and the old parts of Lijiang. Western, Tibetan and Sichuan Chinese restaurants offer plenty of variation on the local fare, with the Western dishes among the most expensive. The Old Town offers lots of family restaurants and quaint little cafés catering mainly to tourists. Eateries in the new part of Lijiang tend to have less character but still serve up decent food and Naxi ambiance.

The Yunnan province is famous for its tea, and visitors have plenty of traditional teashops to choose from. The teahouse experience is a real eye-opener, as most of them stock an incredible range of unusual teas. They are also great spots to take a break from your Old Town wanderings. Perhaps the best place to start your culinary explorations of Lijiang is in the Market Square, which is lined with restaurants and shops.

Lijiang has always been a major trading town so shopping and selling comes naturally to the Naxi. The Tea and Horse Ancient Road, which was just as busy as the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD), ran right past Lijiang. Traders from the Tibetan plateau and Sichuan province regularly passed through the city on their way elsewhere.

The beautiful and exotic Naxi handicrafts are the most interesting things to buy in Lijiang. Colourful and creative, Dongba pictographs appear frequently on Naxi jewellery, t-shirts and other souvenir items. Naxi hand-woven shawls are popular items, as are the legendary Naxi mural replications which are sold in pieces. Lovely Jixiang and Bunong bells are also a big hit with shoppers looking for something exotic. Jixiang bells are considered lucky to the Naxi, while Bunong bells hark back to the days of horse caravans.

The best place to start shopping is on Square Street, the busiest part of Lijiang. Mixed in with the dozens of souvenir shops, there are some real gems owned by locals who create their own handicrafts. Shoppers will find the most authentic crafts at the Naxi owned shops.

In Lijiang it’s all about Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the impressive snow-capped peak that dominates the horizon. This extensive mountain range is one of the nicest alpine parks in China, and offers a wealth of outdoor recreation activities for all kinds of people. Whether you want to just take a cable car ride for great views or get in some hiking, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the perfect place to do it. Visitors won’t find any other forms of recreation in Lijiang, as everything is focused on the mountain park.