The ancient city of Lijiang is founded in Dayan Town, a largely Naxi settlement first built during the Southern Song Dynasty some eight centuries ago . In December 1986 , the State Council designated the place as a famous ancient UNESCO put Lijiang on a list of the world major cultural heritages . With square Street at the core, the entire city spreads out in all direction , and is crisscrossed by labyrinth of flagged streets and alleyways.

Lijiang has two distinctive seasons, the dry summer and the wet winter. The temperature range of the four seasons is narrow. The annual mean temperature ranges from12.6 C to 9.9 C. The Dongba religion, a primitive religion, is the common belief of the Naxi people. In addition, some of them believe in Lamaism. These two religions have greatly influenced the ideology of the Naxi people and their social activities and life.