Was man in Lijiang sehen sollte

To reach the mountain area, you have to take a private mini van from the Hongtaiyang square in front of the Mao statue. The mini van costs 20¥ and will wait until it is full before it will leave. There is no official city bus, but the mini vans have adopted the #7 name so people can recognise where they are going. Note that some cable cars can be cancelled due to wind, but there is plenty to see without going up the mountain. The mountain area is part of a national park, which has a ticket gate where you will have to buy a 130¥ entry ticket, this ticket does not include any cable cars or other transportation, which is required to actually visit anything. The mini van will drop you off here at the ticket gates and tourism centre. You can't walk anywhere from here (closest stop is 6km), and must buy a 20¥ ticket for a shuttle bus, that makes a loop and stops at all the important viewpoints. The bus ticket gives you access to this route and you can get on and off as you please, and can also return back to ticket gate in the end. The ticket itself has a tiny map showing the stops the bus goes to, but is in Chinese. To find the shuttle bus in the tourism centre, follow the signs to "Blue moon valley bus waiting area". The first stop is the Blue moon valley where you can see the White water river and artificially made waterfalls. It is worth getting off here. You might be asked to purchase tickets for the electrical bus, which they call the "Little green frog". It's not worth it. You would miss the 20-minute walk on a wood trail, which is very enjoyable. The walking trail goes parallel to the electric bus route, so if you can't find it, follow the small bus at first. Walking trail is very nice and goes in different directions. It is paved and well marked with signs. It is possible to take a short cable car to Spruce meadow, or get on the shuttle bus and continue to the next stop, where you can see the white water river dammed up and turned into mini reservoirs. From this stop, you can also get back to the park entrance, you can ask somebody if the bus will go back or continue further to the next stop, which is Yak meadow. If you take the cable car up the mountain to high altitudes, renting a coat is not necessary during the late spring and summer season. You would find it a big burden later. Watch out for altitude sickness in the thin air. On your way to Yu Long Snow Mountain, you may stop by at the Dong Ba Valley culture center. They moved some families from other places to this village and let them live their normal lives. Such domestic scenes as the husband in a family counting change while the wife is comforting the baby or two young siblings baking cookies and selling them to visitors are common. There are live singers and instrumentalists performing at different corners. Some singers are pretty and sing well.

Walk north along the canals from the waterwheels just to the north of the old town. It is about 10 minutes walk up-river, and if you cross over to the left side (western pathway) you will pass the "Through the Window Cafe".. a cool place run by an affable New Zealander that serves great coffee and western food. Ask him nicely and he may even show you where is the free entrance, if you don't already have the Old Town Preservation receipt which costs ¥80. (Note: Black Dragon Pool is virtually empty as of June 11, 2012, and there is no reflection on the parched ground.)

A taste of Mulaoye Wine (木老爷酒; Mùlǎoyejiǔ), a kind of local alcohol, is available for ¥5 (in a shot glass), and there is also a free tea tasting area. Allow at least two hours explore this expansive complex and do wander off into the side courtyards as it will take you back to the main courtyards. If you are visiting Wangulou, exit the Lion Hill Park from the south exit which leads you right into the back entrance of Mu Palace.

You can try how to do hand-made embroidery there if you have time. Also you can buy some very nice embroideries there if you like.