Yunnan has always been a very popular tourist city. There are many attractions here that have always attracted countless tourists. So what are the ancient town attractions in Yunnan worth visiting?

If you don’t know where to go, you must try these places.

Shaxi Ancient Town Shaxi was once an important town on the Yunnan-Tibet Ancient Road. The ancient town generally refers to Sideng Street with Sifang Street as the center and surrounding streets and alleys.

In 2001, Sideng Street was listed on the World Monumental Buildings Conservation Foundation's list of World Endangered Architectural Heritage as "the only surviving ancient market on the Tea Horse Road".

With the help of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Shaxi has achieved results in the restoration of ancient markets and the protection and development of ancient villages.

Due to the traffic twists and turns, Dalixiang Line tour groups usually skip Shaxi.

However, after the road into the town was widened, the flow of tourist groups and related industries surged, and an expressway was planned to be built in the section from Diannan to Shaxi.

According to reports, Shaxi may begin to collect ancient city maintenance fees from tourist groups.

Regardless of whether this place will turn into a "Chinese standard ancient town" filled with street-level shopping malls in the future, for now, Shaxi is still quiet and elegant.

Xingjiao Temple and Shaxi Ancient Town are not big, and the main attractions are concentrated in Sifang Street.

Xingjiao Temple, where three religions are worshiped together, and the ancient stage opposite the temple gate are the most important buildings in Sifang Street. They are laid out in this way because they are to be performed for gods and Buddhas.

The temple was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. The 16 Buddhist-themed murals on the innermost outer wall are the most important cultural relics in the temple. However, they have become mottled due to poor protection. There is a copy of the murals on display in the second courtyard.

The first entrance to the courtyard is an exhibition of Azhali, the Tantric Buddhism of the Bai ethnic group in Dali. Those who are interested in folk religion can take a closer look.

After visiting Xingjiao Temple, you need to ask the staff to open the small door next to the stage before you can continue to visit the Tea Horse Road Exhibition Hall.

There are some caravan artifacts and unearthed cultural relics in the museum that can help you understand the history of Shaxi.

Finally, don’t forget to go up to Kuixing Pavilion on the top floor to overlook the rooftops of old houses in the town (it may not be open during the epidemic).

Yujin Bridge and Heijiang River Go out of the east gate and go south to Yujin Bridge. This ancient stone arch bridge spans the Heijiang River and was once the only way to Dali from Niu Street on the Tea Horse Road.

Traveling north along the Hexi Road, you can reach the Benzhu Temple in Shaxi.

The deity enshrined here is King Duowen of the North of Tota. In ancient times, the people of Shaxi hoped that he could help reduce floods here.

The Heijiang River originates from Luofeng Mountain in Lijiang, is the upper reaches of the Yangbi River, and finally flows into the Lancang River.

To the east of Shaxi Ancient Town, a section of the Heijiang River is gentle, and together with the mountains and villages, it creates a landscape that resembles a landscape painting.

Markets and festivals are now subject to building conservation and other reasons, and the venue for market gatherings has been moved from Sifang Street Market to outside the town.

If you want to get closer to local life, you can come to the market on Friday.

In addition to common small commodities, the market also sells Chinese herbal medicine and local products, such as ginseng that looks like a bug.

In summer and autumn, fresh wild mushrooms are on the market, among which matsutake mushrooms are the most precious.

The Prince's Meeting on the eighth day of the second lunar month is a grand festival in Shaxi. It is to commemorate Sakyamuni's ordination, and the activity center is also in Sifang Street.

The celebration lasts for half a month from the first day of February, and is the busiest on the eighth day of February. People carry the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and the statue of the Buddha when he was a prince and parade around the entire temple street.

Weishan Ancient City If you want to see a more laid-back and simple ancient city, Weishan is the best choice.

The ancient city was built in the 22nd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1389). It still maintains the checkerboard layout of the city when it was built more than 600 years ago. It is a relatively well-preserved ancient architectural complex of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, and is also the birthplace of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom.

In 2020, Weishan opened a high-speed train, and the fastest trip from Dali Station in Xiaguan to Weishan is only 22 minutes.

The ancient city of North Street and South Street is not big. North Street and South Street, where the two drum towers are located, are the most ancient central axis streets in the city.

The huge Gongchen Tower is commonly known as the Dagu Tower. Unfortunately, a fire in early January 2015 destroyed all the wooden structures on the tower.

Nowadays, the tower has been restored and it is possible to climb the tower, but it may not always be open. If you encounter a tourist group climbing the tower, just follow them.

The Star Gong Tower, which is shaped like a seal, is also called the Little Drum Tower. It is a cross-street building at the intersection of four main streets, east, west, north and south.

Gongchen Tower goes north to Risheng Street and Yuesheng Street, where there is a strong neighborhood atmosphere.

From south to north, you can see the Xu Family Courtyard (Tourism Bureau), Diguanfang, Beishexue (Qunli Primary School) and Qunli Gate.

The most worth-seeing Sun Palace in the Nanzhao Museum is a restored Qing Dynasty building.

The wooden pillars, stone pestles and beam frames have basically retained their original appearance. Pay attention to the two wooden lions with cats on the beams.

There are two sets of wooden doors in the house, both of which are masterpieces of folk wood carvings. The six colorful carved wooden doors from Minglun Hall of the Confucian Temple are exquisite.

There are not many exhibits in the museum exhibition hall, mainly local bronzes, Buddha statues, the Four Treasures of the Study and Yi costumes.

Mengyang Park has a rich atmosphere of life. There are many old people carrying bird cages to meet friends and enjoy the collected thrushes.

The forest in the park is lush and dotted with cherry blossoms, and you can also find several century-old cypress trees.