Lijiang Trip: Discovering the Three-Eyed Wells and Admiring the Wisdom of Ancestors
As China's economic level rises, many Chinese people enjoy arranging time to travel, and Lijiang City in Yunnan Province is a popular tourist destination.
Lijiang has three ancient towns: Da Ren, Shuhe, and Bai Sha. Shuhe is located in the middle of the road between Da Ren and Bai Sha, outside of Lijiang city. It is prosperous yet quiet, full of rustic and literary atmosphere, and has always been deeply loved.
When traveling to Shuhe, in addition to appreciating the ancient town scenery and tasting delicious food, you will find a very peculiar landscape here.
In several corners of the Shuhe Ancient Town, there is a small water pool with a rectangular or oval shape, and they are located on the side of the road.
These small water pools are all divided into three sections, with a stone pillar separating the middle, leaving only a gap for water to flow through. The depth of each water pool is different. The three water pools are interconnected but independent, and the water flows from the highest level to the lowest level. Locals call this water pool 'Three-Eyed Well'.
Why are there these small water pools in the ancient town? What are they used for? With a question, we inquired with the locals.
It turns out that these small water pools were used for local people's daily water supply. The first level of water is the clearest and can be used for drinking, the second level is used for washing vegetables, and the third level is used for washing clothes after being washed, and the water quality is the worst in this level, which is directly drained.
The invention of the Three-Eyed Well embodies the ancient wisdom and rustic, frugal lifestyle of the Lijiang Naxi people. 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, it is the second closest town to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the three towns of Lijiang. It has both the beauty of the plateau and the softness of the Jiangnan ancient town, and the willows along the river have created the poetic atmosphere of Shuhe. The melodies from restaurants and bars have added romantic atmosphere.
Shuhe was once an important trading hub on the Yunnan-Guizhou Tea-Horse Road, merchants from Lijiang often started from here to transport tea and other goods to various parts of Yunnan and even Southeast Asia. Foreigners would also transport some daily necessities to Shuhe for sale. During the town's most prosperous times, it gathered merchants from all over the country.
Shuhe is the central point of the Lijiang Scenic Area, many one-day and two-day tour groups will be responsible for picking up tourists in Shuhe. The number of tourists here is second only to Da Ren.
