Located in the northwest of Yunnan Province and the middle reaches of the Jinsha River, Lijiang got its name because of the beautiful Jinsha River. On the junction of the Tibetan Plateau and the Yungui Plateau, Lijiang has under its jurisdiction the Naxi Autonomous Prefecture, Yongsheng County, Huaping County and the Ninglang Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Endowed with plenty of hills, basins and valleys, Lijiang has a rich reserve of land, forest, minerals and tourist resources. The scenery in Lijiang is a wonder of the world. The Yulong Snow Mountain is the glacial of modern times in the southernmost of the Northern Hemisphere, enjoying the fame of the Glacial Museum and the Kingdom of Flora. Laojun Mountain, also called the Kingdom of Azalea, is the treasury of the botany genes of the mountain cross-section. There is also the Chibi Scenery, where one can see the sunrises and sunsets three times one day, and the camellia tree with ten thousand camellia flowers.

Lijiang has a unique culture and a long history of over 800 years. It is called the Oriental Venice and Gusu of the Plateau. Lijiang has the only pictographic writing still in use -- the Dongba characters; the relics of the stone city, where people lived in stone caves; the Baisha Mural under the national protection and the Naxi Music which is called the living fossil with the flavor of the poems of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Lijiang is a complex community with several ethic groups. The hospitable people of Lijiang are ready to welcome guests from all over the world. Lijiang is also among the few cities listed as a cultural heritage of the world.