Shuhe is pretty night or day

Also spelled "Shuhe," this 1,000-year-old hamlet is just one part of Lijiang's UNESCO World Heritage trifecta, which also includes Dayan and Baisha. Once Lijiang's city center, this area now finds itself a short RMB 15 cab ride out of town.

With tourism exploding and large-scale events like the Snow Mountain Music Festival being hosted in the area, the government decided to give little Shuhe a much-needed face lift, rebuilding and renewing decrepit buildings, and splashing bright new colors over faded old paint.

It's no longer very authentic but it is still fun. With its cobbled lanes crowded with tourists, loud music blaring from open-air pubs, and a multitude of souvenir shops and guesthouses, it's much more Kao San Road than ancient Naxi kingdom, but tourists in the area can definitely have a good time taking plenty of nice pictures on the way to exploring the rest of Lijiang's attractions.

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