The previous reviews seem to focus on the components of Dayan Old Town and the Heilongtan Pool, both of which are located in the centre of Lijiang. I visited neither but had the opportunity to see Shuhe Old Town, a more distant part of the site. As a whole, it appeared to me as one of the many tourist-oriented Chinese old towns that are commercialized to such a degree that the authenticity becomes questionable. However, some things stood out to me about Shuhe specifically. Obviously, as the town represents the Naxi minority, its architecture is a bit different (I especially enjoyed the roofs). Many flowering and fruiting trees and bushes are planted throughout the town, making the walk enjoyable despite possible crowds. The urban layout of the streets and canals is definitely preserved. The use of Naxi pictograms on the labels is also very interesting. I can also confirm that Els’s recommendation of local food still holds true (PS: the cheese is called rubing and it is definitely worth trying).

And now we get to the more negative section. As I already said, the entire town is a continuous commercial zone. Every building is a shop or a restaurant, so don’t expect any significant authentic sections in the interiors and lower portions of the majority of the buildings. Although most (if not all) buildings in the area are not taller than two floors, they often have new modifications (windows, extensions, etc.) that may visually clash with the overall look of the structures, though generally not too much. In the end, did I enjoy the site? Somewhat. Is there OUV? Perhaps, but Shuhe didn’t feel that special to me. My impression from other reviews and photos of the central part of Lijiang is that it does not differ significantly from Shuhe (although it does seem to have more unique structures). And yet the site tends to receive fairly high ratings. Maybe the atmosphere of central Lijiang is different, or there’s something else I’m missing that I didn’t experience in Shuhe. So, take this rating with a grain of salt as it is based on a combination of my experience of this relatively remote portion of the site and my understanding of the “main” part that I didn’t personally see.