Situated in the Northwest of Yunnan Province and 527 kilometers away from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, Lijiang boasts Naxi Ancient music, known as the living fossil of Chinese classical music, the only living Dongba hieroglyphic in the world, Mosuo people embodying the characteristics of matriarchy, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, etc, all these making Lijiang a tourism hotspot in China and the world at large. Lijiang City, together with Langzhong in Sichuan, Pingyao in Shanxi and Xixian in Anhui, is known as one of the four best preserved ancient cities in China listed into the second batch of China’s famous historical and cultural cities. In 1997, it is incorporated in the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Lijiang is blessed with magnificent mountains and grotesque valleys, in particular two mountains, one river, one town and one lake, or the Laojun Mountain, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Best Bay along Yangtze River, Lijiang Ancient Town, and Lugu Lake respectively. 

Lijiang has nurtured splendid and colorful ethnic culture. The ethnic group in Lijiang have retained their own language, legendary tales, music and dance, literature and art, religion, marriage, burial, birth, festival, diet, clothing, reception, ritual, entertainment, psyche and eco-environment. There are a large number of ethnic festivals, such as the Bangbang Festival and Sanduo Festival of Naxi, the Torch Festival of Yi, Kuoshi Festival of Lisu, Wuxi Festival of Pumi, Zhuanshan Festival of Mosuo and Baba Festival of Taliu. 

Situated in the Hengduan Mountains where three Rivers converge, Lijiang boasts magnificent mountains, various ethnic group, time-honored history, splendid culture and abundant tourism resources. Around the city, there are 104 tourism hotspots, in particular Two Mountains, One Town, One Lake, One River, One Culture and One Folk Custom. Two mountains refer to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Laojun Mountain. Jade Dragon Snow mountain is the modern glacier in Northern Hemisphere lying closest to the equator, covering an area of 263 square kilometers. 13 snow mountains are lining up one by one, like sharp sword piercing into the sky. The famous scenic spots such as White Snow in Sunny Spring and Green Snow Glacier, are listed as National Landscape, Provincial Natural Reserve and Tourism Development Zone. In the landscape, there are scenic spots like Glacier Garden, Spruce Meadow, Ganhaizi, Yak Meadow, Jade Mountain Temple, etc. Laojun Mountain is named after the Very High Lord who practiced Taoist alchemy there and regarded by historians as the Forefather of Mountains in Yunnan. It covers an area of more than 710 square kilometers, most noted for its Kingdom of Cuckoo, Danxia Landform, 99 dragon springs and numerous animals and plants protected by the state. One town is the Lijiang Ancient Town, which is a national famous historical and cultural site dating back to over 800 years. It is the best preserved Naxi old town. In December 1997, it was listed into the World Culture Heritage by UNESCO. One River means Jinsha River, represented by the magnificent and breathtaking Tiger Leaping Gorge, in addition to other spots such as the Best Yangtze Bay, Shigu Town, Baoshan Stone Town, etc. One Lake refers to the Lugu Lake scenic spot, known as the Pearl on the Plateau and the Most Extraordinary Spot in China. One Culture, or Dongba culture of Naxi ethnic group, boasts the only living Dongba hieroglyphic in the world, the world-renowned Naxi classical music, Dongba painting, distinguished architecture and religion. Dongba Ancient Documents were listed into the Memory of the World by UNESCO in August 2003. One Folk Custom is the Mosuo people’s custom that they still keep its Male-Leaving Marriages, which is the last form of marriage from the matriarchy. Moreover, the scenic spot featuring the convergence of Jinsha River, Nu River and Lancang River was listed into World Natural Heritage site in July 2003.