Baisha Village (白沙村) in Lijiang is a small village at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山 / 玉龍雪山).
It’s a quaint and beautiful little town that’s great to visit after coming down from the mountain. After spending a morning at Blue Moon Valley (in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), we spent time in Baisha Village in the afternoon.
Known for its ancient Naxi culture, Baisha has preserved this untouched, timeless feel with cobblestone streets, rustic wooden buildings, and people dressed in traditional clothing.
There’s no shortage of street vendors, so when my friend got hungry, we picked up some chili dusted blood and glutinous rice sausage skewers.
The food has a very strong Tibetan influence because Baisha is one of the first places where the Naxi settled after migrating down from the Tibetan plateau. We stopped in a Tibetan restaurant and sampled a number of very interesting local dishes, such as these yak meat pies.
I also tried their high mountain barley cake (a bit dry and hard!), as well as their yak butter tea, which was a bit savory and warm. Definitely very, very interesting and different from what I usually have!
The area has a slow paced feel, and it wasn’t too crowded when we went.
We even found a lovely rooftop coffee shop where we watched a gorgeous fiery sunset.
This village is only a 20-minute drive from Old Town in Lijiang, so it’s a nice, more relaxed (less crowded) option if the Old Town is getting a bit much!
Posts in this Lijiang Series
Lijiang China Trip Report: Lijiang Old Town
Blue Moon Valley of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang, China
Yu Hu Village in Lijiang, China 玉湖村
Baisha Village in Lijiang, China 白沙村