The Most Unique Landscape in Lijiang, Yunnan: The Three-Compartment Water Pool – A Testament to Ancient Wisdom
As China's economic level continues to rise, many Chinese people enjoy arranging time to go on trips, and Lijiang City in Yunnan Province is a popular tourist destination.
Lijiang has three ancient towns: Da Ren, Shuhe, and Baisha. Shuhe is located in the middle of the road between Da Ren and Baisha, outside of Lijiang city center. It is prosperous but also quiet, full of rustic and literary atmosphere, and has always been deeply loved.
When traveling to Shuhe, in addition to admiring the ancient town scenery and tasting food, you can also discover a very peculiar landscape here.
In several corners of the Shuhe ancient town, there is a small water pool with a rectangular or elliptical shape on the ground. They are located beside the road.
These small water pools are all divided into three sections, with a stone pillar separating the middle, leaving a narrow passage for water to flow through. The depth of each water pool is different. The three water pools are connected to each other but also independent, and the water flows from the highest level to the lowest level. Locals call this type of water pool 'Three-Eyed Wells'.
Why are there these small water pools in the ancient town? What are they used for? With these questions, we asked the locals.
It turns out that these small water pools are used for local people's living water. The first section of water is the clearest and can be used for drinking, the second section is used for washing vegetables, and the third section is used for washing clothes, and this section of water is the worst after washing, and the water is directly drained.
The invention of the Three-Eyed Wells embodies the ancient wisdom and simplicity of the Lijiang Naxi people's traditional living concepts. As early as ancient times, they had the idea of protecting nature and valuing drinking water, which is admirable!
Shuhe is the second town established by the Naxi people in Lijiang, and it is the second closest town to Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang's three towns. It has both the beauty of the plateau and a bit of the elegance of the Jiangnan ancient town. The willows scattered along the riverbanks contribute to the poetic atmosphere of Shuhe. The music from restaurants and bars adds to the romantic atmosphere.
Shuhe was once an important trading hub on the Yunnan Tea-Horse Road, with merchants from Lijiang and other regions departing from here to transport tea and other goods to all over Yunnan and as far as Southeast Asia. Merchants from other places would also transport living supplies to Shuhe for sale. At its most prosperous time, Shuhe gathered merchants from all over the country.
Shuhe is the central point of Lijiang Scenic Area, and many one-day and two-day tour groups will arrange pick-up and drop-off in Shuhe. The number of tourists here is second only to Da Ren.
