Lijiang is the ancient capital of the Naxi kingdom and 2,400 meters above sea level on the Northwestern Yunnan Plateau in China's southwest. Located along an important trade route that was once part of the Silk Road from Yunnan to Tibet, Lijiang was an important center of commercial and cultural exchange.

Famous voyagers who have lived here include Austrian-American scholar-cum-botanist Dr Joseph Rock who introduced Lijiang to the West in the early 20th century. Rock was widely known as National Geographic's "man in China". He lived in the Yuhu vicinity in Lijiang in the 1930s and 1940s. He is remembered for importing 80,000 exotic plant specimens in Lijiang to America and also wrote articles such as "Holy Mountains of the Outlaws" and "The Land of the Yellow Lama". It is widely believed that the Shangri-La James Hilton described in his book "Lost Horizon" was based on many articles written by Rock. At Yuhu, 10 kilometers from Lijiang, you can visit a museum showcasing Rock's memorabilia.

Another foreign explorer associated with Lijiang is the Russian-born Frenchman Peter Goullart who penned the book "Forgotten Kingdom". He lived and worked in Lijiang in the 1940s. A review in 1957 described Goullart's literary work as "a book about paradise by a man who lived there for nine years." Goullart had high regard for the Naxi women who, in his words, "silently and persistently, like the roots of growing trees...evolved into a powerful race."

How to get there:

• You can take a flight to Kunming International Airport, followed by a 40-minute domestic flight to Lijiang Airport.
• Alternatively, take a flight to Shanghai International Airport, followed by a four and a half hour domestic flight to Lijiang Airport.
• There are additional direct flights from Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu to Lijiang Airport.
• Lijiang Airport was built in 1995 and is a 30- to 40-minute drive from Banyan Tree Lijiang.
• Banyan Tree Resort Lijiang is 15 minutes by car from the historical old town of Dayan.

More information:

• Old Town of Lijiang
• Natural Beauty
• Ethnic Minorities
• View Maps