Mabu is a distinctive local food from Lijiang. It is made by mixing pig’s blood, rice, and various spices in a specific ratio, then stuffing the mixture into processed pig intestines to create a rice-based sausage. Making mabu is a traditional practice among the Naxi people. Whenever a pig is slaughtered for the New Year, nearly every Naxi household prepares some mabu. …
Chonglou holds significant medicinal value and is widely used in the production of various traditional Chinese medicines and clinical treatments. It is an important traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that chonglou has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, cooling the liver and calming convulsions. It is used to treat abscesses, sore throat, snake bites, bruises, and convulsions. Modern pharmacological studies...
Yulong Snow Mountain Cordyceps grows in alpine meadows at elevations above 3,000 meters. It is harvested only during clear weather in the months of May to July, right after the snow melts. The cordyceps parasitizes the fruiting body of a unique bat insect native to the snow mountain, forming a dried composite of the larva. Benefits: replenishes blood and qi, nourishes lungs and kidneys, warms the middle energizer and resolves phlegm. Treats impotence, seminal emission, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees…
Wild Gastrodia elata from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a specialty of Yulong County in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. It is mainly produced in Ludian, known as the "Hometown of Medicinal Herbs" by the Jinsha River. The product is predominantly wild, characterized by its large size, thick texture, firm quality, yellowish-white color, and semi-translucent appearance, indicating excellent quality that sells well in both domestic and international markets. Wild Gastrodia elata from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain grows in...
Steam Pot Chicken is one of Yunnan’s famous dishes, having been popular among the people in southern Yunnan for over 2,000 years. Jianshui produces a unique type of earthenware steamer called a "steam pot," which is specifically designed for steaming food. The method for making Steam Pot Chicken involves cleaning a young chicken, cutting it into small pieces, and placing them in the steam pot along with ginger, salt, scallions, and tsao-ko. The pot is then covered…
Naxi Grilled Meat is primarily made with streaky pork, featuring golden, crispy pork skin that’s not greasy, tender fat, and juicy, crispy lean meat. It can be dipped in local chili powder or served with mint. “Naxi Grilled Meat” is a traditional packhorse caravan dish that became popular along Lijiang’s Ancient Tea Horse Road. The main ingredient—fresh streaky pork—is marinated with spices, then grilled over an open flame...
Made by mixing cooked rice with sweet wine starter (also called koji) and keeping it warm for a certain period. The key agent in this process is a microorganism called rhizopus, which breaks down starch into glucose. Rhizopus is suitable for making sweet rice wine. It can grow on various cereal ingredients, converting starch into sugar, so whether the rice used is glutinous or regular, once it's cooked...
Highland Wild Morel Mushrooms grow in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests at altitudes of around 2,000–3,000 meters from late spring to early autumn. They are a renowned and delicious edible delicacy enjoyed worldwide. The mushrooms are crisp and tender, with a deliciously rich flavor, and are packed with nutrients such as high-quality protein, amino acids, vitamins, and various minerals. Known as the "Queen of Edible Mushrooms"...
When the people of Lijiang loudly proclaimed their ambition to create a distinctive high-quality Lijiang tobacco leaf brand, the response was far from enthusiastic. After all, in the public’s mind, Lijiang is merely an ancient city with timeless charm and majestic snow-capped mountains.
is one of the famous products of Lijiang’s snowy plateau, also known as Cordyceps. Its nourishing and therapeutic effects surpass those of ginseng and deer antler, and it is extremely expensive, with top-quality specimens selling for nearly thirty to forty thousand yuan per kilogram. The reason Cordyceps is called “winter worm, summer grass” lies in its unique life cycle: during the highland plateau’s brief summer thaw, bat moths lay eggs on…
The copperware of Lijiang, Yunnan, boasts a long history and has long been renowned. The Naxi people are skilled in crafting copper items, with their advanced techniques thriving continuously and beloved by people of all ethnic groups. In the Old Town’s Sifang Street, there are over a dozen shops specializing in various kinds of copperware. A dazzling array of copper items is displayed along the street, forming a notable cultural landmark. The exquisite assortment of copper crafts...
Pearl ginseng is a species listed in both the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the Yunnan Provincial Pharmaceutical Standards. It is mainly produced in Yunnan and is one of the precious and commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. It has long been a traditional medicine frequently used by ethnic groups in our province such as the Bai, Naxi, Lisu, and Tibetan peoples. For a long time, the supply for medicinal use has relied on the collection of wild resources. Coupled with unregulated and excessive harvesting in recent years, as well as deforestation in certain areas that has disrupted the natural ecological balance, some species have become endangered. As a result, the price of pearl ginseng has soared, and wild resources alone can no longer meet market demand. The scarcity of pearl ginseng resources has become a bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of related pharmaceutical industries, making artificial cultivation an inevitable choice to address the shortage. The county has nearly 30,000 acres of arable land suitable for growing pearl ginseng. To date, a standardized artificial cultivation demonstration base and a high-quality seedling breeding base have been established, laying a solid foundation for future large-scale promotion.
Lijiang ginseng is mainly produced in the Lamairong area of Ludian, Lijiang. Since the successful domestication and cultivation of "northern ginseng relocated to the south" in the early 1960s in Lamairong, Lijiang ginseng has been favored by consumers for its large size, superior quality, high content of ginsenosides, and affordable price. For many years, it has been primarily processed and managed by local foreign trade and pharmaceutical departments...
Naxi Tapestry is a craft product of the Lijiang Wool Textile Factory. It is meticulously woven using locally sourced high-quality fine wool, with most pieces featuring a yellowish-white wool base and black wool embroidery. The designs incorporate ancient Naxi Dongba script and paintings, along with patterns rich in auspicious and beautiful symbolism, creating a variety of styles. This product has been awarded a design patent…
Red beans symbolize longing, and throughout history, many touching stories have been told about them. The famous Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei wrote in his poem “Yearning”: “Red berries grow in southern land. / How many load in spring the trees? / Gather them till full is your hand; / They would revive fond memories.” This five-character quatrain uses the red bean to convey deep emotion, making it the most renowned “love bean.” The red bean tree is also known as the “tree of longing.”…
Located in the southwestern border of China, Lijiang is home to the industrious Naxi people. Through long-term life practices, the Naxi have created a variety of foods, among which Lijiang Baba is particularly renowned across western Yunnan, often referred to as "Lijiang Baba and Heqing Wine." Method: (1) Roast sesame seeds until yellow, then mix them with white sugar, 20 grams…
In Naxi art, wood carvings are perhaps the most captivating. Wood carving art, even if not unique to the south, is certainly more prevalent there. Naturally, grand mansions are adorned with intricate carvings on eaves, windowpanes, doors, and furniture—but so are ordinary homes. The Naxi people are no exception, and their carving tradition is highly developed. Nowadays, as trends shift...
Dongba batik is a new type of printed and dyed handicraft based on the batik techniques of the Miao people in Guizhou and the Bai people in Dali, enriched with the cultural essence of Naxi Dongba paintings and calligraphy. It uses carriers such as cotton cloth, silk, and velvet, and employs a special wax knife to dip melted wax and draw...
It is one of the finest among the various locally grown mushrooms in Lijiang. Among the four counties of Lijiang—Yongsheng, Huaping, Ninglang, and Lijiang itself—Yongsheng produces the most, followed by Huaping. They gradually come onto the market around the Torch Festival each year. The main varieties are white chicken truffle and black-headed chicken truffle, with the latter being the superior variety. But regardless of the type, chicken truffles that have not yet opened their caps...
Scientific name: Tricholoma matsutake. Also known as large-flower mushroom, matsutake, or peelable mushroom. In the Naxi language, it is called “Yumuluo.” It is a delicacy among Lijiang’s native fungi, with products mainly exported by air from Lijiang in both fresh and salted forms. Matsutake is rich in crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and vitamins such as B1, B2, and PP...