Lijiang sits in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain… The legend tells us that the nine smart men and seven smart women of the Naxi Tribe decided to build Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to guard the Earth and prop up the sky. Its construction bonded the people with nature.
Today we ventured up the mountain to about 10,500 feet above sea level to watch the Naxi Cultural Show in an outside amphitheater. The mountain looks like it reaches somewhere around 13,000 feet. We were told that the production today featured 500 Naxi actors in a portrayal and demonstration of their history and culture. The next pic is the theater:
The mountain is the background, not part of the set. Up until recently, this theater was the highest in the world… Presentations are two or three daily, everyday.
Editor’s note: I have been occasionally downloading video clips. I’m told that they were loaded, but I can’t see them on the page from China. The stats tell me that some of you have seen them…So I’ll keep adding them, especially today.
Fittingly, the weather clouded up and we sat through a half hour of snow flurries. Somehow it seemed to add to the presentation.
At the beginning of the show, the narrator talked about the Silk Road running through Lijiang and the mountains. The contribution of the Naxi was to provide a passage through the Snow Mountains for the caravans from Shangri-la to Lijiang. One more video try to end:
An incredible and unique afternoon, followed by a drive down the mountain and a walk through Old Town. The stay in Lijiang welcomed us to the Naxi culture and the mountains of rural China.
The Adventures of Barry Brink 