Lijiang, as a tourist destination in Yunnan, is popular with visitors from around the world. Located in northwest Yunnan, there is a Naxi ancient city only secondary to Kunming. Relying on unique national culture and magnificent natural scenery, it has attracted numerous tourists.
When it comes to Lijiang, you can find the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lashi Lake as well as Shuhe ancient town, in a peaceful setting. You never know that a house of chieftain - Mu Fu Mansion - is embraced by Lijiang ancient city secretly. The world is amazed at its beauty.
History of Mu Fu Mansion
There is an old saying that in Lijiang: “missing Mu Fu Mansion, you are not having a trip in Lijiang.”
Throughout Chinese history, Yunnan is mistaken for a label of “a land of savagery”. When talking about traditional buildings of Yunnan, a majority of people might remain impressed with home building made up by bamboo hiddened by bamboo forest.
When you first travel to Yunnan, it is unbelievable that traditional architecture as glorious as that of the Central Plains is available in the northwest Yunnan, set off by snow mountain in the plateau.
Just as its name implies, Mu Fu Mansion was the house of a local chieftain whose surname is Mu in Lijiang. The owner of Mu Fu Mansion is called as “Master Mu” by local people. It is said that the surname of Han ethnic group is not adopted by Naxi ethnic group in Lijiang.
In 1382, Ajia Ade, chieftain of Naxi ethnic group, paid allegiance to the governor of the Ming dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Emperor Taizu of Ming, granted a surname of Chinese character called “Mu” which is transformed by “Zhu”, without one falling leftwards and one rightward stroke. Mu Fu Mansion is “the Forbidden City” of Lijiang in Yunnan province.
“There is The Imperial Palace in the north and Mu Fu Mansion in the south”. Mu Fu Mansion, being a magnificent mansion of architectural art, not only fully reflects styles of Han ethnic group in the Ming dynasty but also preserves primitive and straightforward styles left from Tang and Song dynasties.
Current situation of Mu Fu Mansion
Mu Fu Mansion and other buildings were severely damaged in 1996 when Lijiang suffered a violent earthquake. In the process of post-disaster reconstruction, the World Bank provided a large amount of funds for Mu Fu Mansion.
The local government arranged human and material resources to elaborately design and plan Mu Fu Mansion on the principle of “as it is”. After three years, the original magnificence and resplendence of Mu Fu Mansion were recovered.
Now, Mu Fu Mansion remains at the foot of snow mountain. With unchanged solemn and magnificent momentum over several hundred years, it will continue to guard Naxi ancient city forever.
No.49, Guangyi Street, Dayan Town, Gucheng District, Lijiang City，Kunming,China
The best times of the year to visit Lijiang Old Town are from late March to May and mid-October to November. In winter it gets cold. The temperature goes down to nearly freezing, so warm clothes are needed.
The rainy season is from June through September, so umbrellas and rain gear are appropriate at that time. The cobblestone streets can be slippery when wet, so be careful.
The altitude is about 2,400 meters or about 7,800 feet, which may be too high for comfort for some people.
You can take the bullet train from Kunming Railway Station or Kunming Railway South Station to Lijiang. It takes around 3 hours to reach Lijiang Railway Station, and then take the bus to get there.
