Shaxi Ancient Town

Shaxi Ancient Town, located between Lijiang Old Town and Dali Ancient City, used to be an important and prosperous hub along the ancient Tea Horse Road which refers to the international trade route with the caravan as the main means of transportation.

With the decline of the ancient Tea Horse Road, the town seems to have been forgotten. But this helps retain the original appearance of the small town. Many of the historical sites have been well preserved including Sifang Street, Xingjiao Temple, Yuxi Bridge and Ancient Opera Stage. Compared with other commercialized ancient towns in China, the undeveloped Shaxi Ancient Town is a better place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the modern city and experience the quaint lives of local Bai People.

Shaxi Ancient Town

Xingjiao Temple

Sifang Street is shaped like a curved ruler which is paved with red sand slabs. In the center of the street are two old Chinese scholar trees. There is an ancient stage on the east side of Sifang Street and Xingjiao Temple on the west. A trading fair is held on Sifang Street every Friday, which is said to be the last market on the ancient Tea Horse Road. The loud bargaining and cries of sellers in the Shaxi market narrow the distance between people and one can experience the fun of the original bargaining at the market.
 Xingjiao Temple was built in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) and has a history of nearly 600 years. It is the largest and most representative Buddhist Tantra temple in China. The well-preserved murals of Ming Dynasty in the temple are deeply influenced by the painting style of the Central Plains in China and have rich local ethnic characteristics. They are the treasures of the Bai People in the southwestern China.
 Ancient Opera Stage is the most distinctive building which is opposite the Xingjiao Temple on Sifang Street of Shaxi Ancient Town. In some special festivals, visitors can enjoy the traditional whiplash performance of the Bai people.

Ancient Opera Stage in Shaxi

Visit Shaxi on Horseback

Before approaching the Yuxi Bridge, one may only feel that it is an ordinary bridge. When stepping on it, you will see that the bricks of the bridge have become pitted because of the long-time trampling of pedestrians and livestock. You can watch the sunrise and sunset here, and appreciate the shallow white light glistening on the river. 

In addition, there are many other cultural sites worth visiting in Shaxi. But the things most worth trying is its lowly life style. If you have time, you may spare one afternoon to take a stroll in this small but unique town.
 since there is no direct bus to Shaxi Ancient Town, you must first take the long-distance bus to Jianchuan County and then take the local car which you can find at the gate of Jianchuan Bus Station to Shaxi Ancient Town. The departure time of the local car is 06:30 - 19:00. The journey may takes about 40 minutes and the fare is about CNY 13.  

Schedule of Long-distance Bus to Jianchuan

From	To	Departure Time	Tickets	Journey Time
Kunming	Jianchuan Bus Station	09:00 and 19:00	Around CNY 170	7 hours
Lijiang		08:00 - 17:00 every 30 minutes	Around CNY 30	2 hours
Dali		06:00 - 18:00 every 15 minutes	Around CNY 40	3.5 hours

     

Admission Fee	Free entry to the town; CNY 20 for Xingjiao Temple.
Opening Hours	The ancient town is available all day around

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