Children of the Jade Dragon: The Naxi of Lijing and Their Mountain Neighbours the Yi

No province in China boasts the geographical and cultural diversity of Yunnan.

Lijiang County, situated in the far northwest amidst breath-taking landscapes, is home to several of the province’s ethnic minority groups. Two of the most interesting are the Naxi and their neighbours the Yi. Famous for their centuries-old musical tradition and unique pictographic writing system, the Naxi founded Lijiang, which is now the best-preserved traditional city in the country. In the nearby mountains live the Yi, formerly a slave-holding society, now a proud and conservative people who have been little affected by the modernisation taking place in China. Over Lijiang looms the snow-covered pack of Jade Dragon Mountain which dominates the lives of both peoples and has become to symbolise the region.