The Ancient Town of Lijiang was built at the foot of Yulow Snow Mountain that lies in the northwest of Yunnan Province. The town was built in the late Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty.

Lijiang has maintained an authentic and historic townscape and is a treasure of ancient Chinese architecture. The entire city spreads out in all directions and is crisscrossed by a labyrinth of streets and alleyways. It also has a complex ancient water-supply system that still functions and is in use today.