Russell with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain behind.

The group with a view of
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance

Henry, Emma, Luke on the trail at Spruce Meadow

Pang Jing Mei interprets the Dongba writing for us. The murals show artistic characteristics of the Naxi, Tibetan, Han and Bai ethnic groups.

Ms. Sopper writes:

Leaving Lijiang is hard. We say goodbye to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Spruce Meadow and all the yaks old and young, but not before each of us had a chance to get up-close and personal with our own yaks. (Believe it! there are photos.) We were so pleased to have the opportunity to visit a Bai Village and view their exquisite murals. Barely protected from the elements was a small shrine all four walls of which contained frescoes combining Buddhist, Taoist, and Tibetan images. It is really quite striking how Yunnan Province is at the same time so diverse in terms of art, food, faces, costume, dance, music and culture and still how the underlying philosophies of the people seem to share elements and themes.

Russell describes his experience from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain:

As we ascended the steep slope of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain the intimidating loom of the nearby peaks diminished. My preconceived thoughts of the hills looking like The Sound of Music changed as we entered a heavily wooded area. I wondered to myself if “Spruce Meadow” meant something more than trees on a mountain. Just as my daydreams of frolicking in the flowers of an open meadow began to fade, we came upon a large meadow full of yaks grazing. What had at first looked like a simple meadow in the context of the surrounding mountains looked powerful and breath-taking. I felt I could understand why young couples used to seek refuge from a constricting society in this incredible setting. On top of this ledge in the mountains the air felt clean and the sky was clear. The crashing clanking and banging of the city was gone and all that was left was the cold mountain breeze and the sight of the yaks peacefully grazing.

Lucas studied the Naxi culture earlier this semester and writes here on his impressions:

The first day we spent in the Old Town of Lijiang was amazing. The little shops were filled with great trinkets and we saw many traditional Naxi dancers in the middle of the square. The next day we went to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Black Dragon Pool.  The last day we went up to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and then went to Dali.Having read about the pool’s beauty, I was looking forward to seeing it. The beauty was stunning.  I had read in online journals that it had sparkling emerald water and that description was correct. The pagoda in the middle was the Naxi and Dongba museum and I was disappointed that we were not going in but in reality the Naxi were all around us and our tour guide was even Naxi. The tour guide told us of many legends and stories of the Naxi people. The whole three days in Lijiang were a Naxi experience.Because I had studied so much of the Naxi culture I expected Old Town Lijiang to be less modernized and more traditional. I thought this because Old Town Lijiang was the Naxi capital and had mostly Naxi residents. The Old Town turned out to be very modern with narrow streets and small shops lining the streets. The next day was Tiger Leaping Gorge and Black Dragon Pool. Tiger Leaping Gorge was great but I really wanted to see Black Dragon Pool. Between Mr. Perrin’s science lesson on how loud shouting made the pond bubble and the stunning water and architecture surrounding it, I was completely satisfied. We ate dinner across the street from the Pool and before the food came we saw Naxi people dancing in the restaurant’s courtyard. We got up and joined them.

On our last day in Lijiang we went up Jade Dragon Snow Mountains and walked around a meadow full of yaks. The highpoint of the afternoon was when we all got to ride yaks. On the plane ride I recounted the events in Lijiang. This was when I realized that studying wasn’t enough and that experiencing the Naxi dance and a real yak ride and visiting the capital made it so much more real. The three days in Lijiang were a learning experience that I’ll remember my whole life.

The group hiked the path along Spruce Meadow

Yaks in Spruce Meadow

Left: Our guide Pang Jing Mei, Mary Greene, and guide Yang Yue in front of the Baisha Temple. Baisha Old Town is the earliest settled town of the Naxi peoples in Lijiang.