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Ancient City of Lijiang - DaYan Town

This ancient city of Lijiang is found in Dayan Town, a largely Naxi settlement first built during the Southern Song Dynasty some eight centuries ago. In December of the year 1986, the State Council designated the place as a famous ancient historical and cultural city of a national caliber. In 1997, the UNESCO put Lijing on a list of the world's major cultural heritages. With Square Street at the core, the entire city spreads out in all directions and is crisscrossed by a labyrinth of flagged streets and alleyways. Most of the dwellings, scattered at the foot of a mountain or by the rivers, which flow through every nook and corner of the city, are brick-and tile structures with carved doors and painted windows. Traffic across the rivers is facilitated by a large number of tiny stone bridges. The entire city is evocative of a town south of the Yangtze River.