The Coldest & Most Underrated Spots in Yunnan: Located in Lijiang, You'll Fall in Love After Seeing Them
Lijiang has always been a popular tourist destination in Yunnan, boasting the perennial snow-capped Yulong Snow Mountain, the bustling Dayan Ancient Town, the charming (Shuhe Ancient Town), and the relatively original Bạch Sa Ancient Town (Bacheng Ancient Town), as well as the poetic La Shi Hai (La Shi Lake).
These are all popular attractions, but in reality, Lijiang has many overlooked hidden gems that most tourists don't know about, or even haven't heard of. Dayan Ancient Town's nearby Qingxi Water Reservoir and the (Qilinhu Lake) near Dongba Valley are such places.
The Qingxi Water Reservoir is approximately 4.5 kilometers from Dayan Ancient Town's iconic landmark, the Big Waterwheel, where you can enjoy a view of the perennial snow-capped Yulong Snow Mountain. It's a great place to bask in the sun during the winter months.
The Qingxi Water Reservoir is also known as Qingxi Park. Looking around, you'll find undulating mountains all around, alongside the Qingxi Village.
This reservoir is shaped like a lake, with a circular embankment on three sides, and a central artificial embankment. The embankment features several ancient-style arched bridges, and the shore is lined with various trees. In the spring, the vegetation is in a lush, vibrant state of green, with visitors walking across bridges and enjoying a picturesque scene. With good weather, you can take a snapshot, and the resulting photo will be beautiful.
The Qingxi Water Reservoir is backed by Yulong Snow Mountain and has a wetland area here, with dense woodland and flowering reeds like the fledging reed. The sky reflects a clear blue river, making it an ideal photography spot.
Qilinhu Lake is even more obscure, and many locals don't even know it exists, because its name was coined by people near Bạch Sa Ancient Town. This lake is located next to Dongba Valley and is not far from Bạch Sa Ancient Town and Shuhe Ancient Town.
Qilinhu Lake is actually a depression in the grassland. It formed a lake due to accumulated water. The water is clear, and the reflections are beautiful when the weather is clear.
Standing by the lake, you can gaze at the snow mountain, the grassland, and the lake, as if admiring a magnificent, richly colored oil painting.
Next to Qilinhu Lake is a naturally formed grassland that is full of lush green vegetation in spring and summer, stretching down to the foot of the mountains. The scenery is similar to that of Switzerland and other European countries.
The altitude of this grassland is around 2600 meters. In the spring, wild grasses and flowers bloom in the wind, and walking through the grass feels like wandering in a fairy realm.
Scattered across the grassland are pine trees that are evergreen and stand tall and proud, complementing the snow mountain and the grassland, creating a rich, varied oil painting scene.
