This must be the quaintest of quaint towns I’ve set foot on in quite a while if not in all of my travels. Found halfway between Dali and Lijiang,

Shaxi is home to beautifully preserved adobe courtyard mansions that offer a glimpse into a forgotten era. It was the most intact trading center for centuries linking Yunnan into Bhutan and Tibet on the Tea and Horse Caravan Trail and this lead to its prosperity during the Tang Dynasty. The network channeled tea, horse, and other valuables among the diverse ethnic groups residing in the eastern Himalayan region. What lead to the trail’s demise was the development of the road transportation and Shaxi became just another village in the 1950s. In 2001, the village was included in the protection list of 101 endangered sites and a Swiss-led team worked for years to restore the deteriorating town.

The old town of Shaxi is quite compact and easily explored by foot.

It consists mainly of a few quiet lanes and alleys that radiate from Sideng Square—a fascinating marketplace at the heart of Shaxi where we spent most of that Sunday people watching and just chilling.

The iconic Sideng Theater seats in the middle of the square.

The unique 4-storey architectural structure and exquisite craftsmanship are the soul of Shaxi because it is (to this day) where the Bai people perform during celebrations.

Across the theater is the Xingjiao Temple. Both are ancient structures that add character to the square. The temple (now a museum) is one of the best-preserved temples in the entire China because it was sequestered and used as a local government headquarters during the Cultural Revolution.

This ironically saved it from destruction. Coupled with painstaking restoration by the Shaxi Rehabilitation Project (SRP), a visit is worth the while. Original murals can still be seen on the walls of the Hall of the Heavenly King.

One alleyway leads to the eastern village gate and outside this gate, the Heihui River meanders from north to south through Shaxi.

The crescent-shaped Yujin Bridge was the only way for the Bai people go to the fields and do business back in the days. With the towering mountains as a backdrop, this bridge is a sight to behold and is one of the highlights of this leg.

Many find pleasure just to simply lie on the grass and chill.

What used to be tack shops, blacksmiths and caravanserais are now guesthouses and

foreigner-friendly cafes (offering English menus and western style dishes), which signals an upcoming tourism boom (read: tourist buses) in this old town.

Though its visitors still form a fascinating merge of intrepid and curious travellers, many of its visitors (at the time of my visit) came in groups and spent an hour or so running through the ancient streets taking shots of the temple and theatre.  This tells me that the boom might have started already.

The best time to enjoy the quietness of this old trade post is first thing in the morning or very late at night.

As soon as the last bus headed back to Lijiang, the sanctuary of calm kicks off and we sit in the square savoring the solitude.

At night, we shared the square with the art students. We sit sipping our cup of coffee while they gather around the plaza playing street games under the moonlight and a few lights illuminating the square.

Scenes of Shaxi

Sideng Square the day after, during breakfast, before journeying on to Lijiang.

Ancient tree scatter around the village.

Art students abound; finding inspiration in this breathtaking old town.

 A resort on the rise.

A crystal clear stream flows through the main street of the ancient village.

Bastardized English Menu

The fried parameters look like worms but is a root (perhaps from the ginseng family)

The park by the river, just outside the East gate of the ancient town.

The courtyard of our guesthouse (Renjia just off the village entrance) — turned into a drying area.

The entrance to our guesthouse was through the kitchen.

Perhaps why they serve delicious Yunnan cuisine at our guesthouse.  This was lunch when we arrived.

Modern day giveaway — local kids with they games.