Janice explains Naxi script, Baisha village
Dawn and Ce examine fine silk embroidery, Baisha
Our day began with a Western breakfast - 2 eggs sunny-side up, bacon, toast, and coffee. The first time since we arrived in China that we can say that. It tasted great, and blessed with clear blue skies and perfect temperatures, we left the Lijiang old town in our bus for the nearby Baisha village, the "capital" of the Naxi settlement in this part of Yunnan province. When Bryant and I were here in 2003 it was a poor village of farmhouses and barns. Today it still has farmhouses, but vendor stalls line many streets, and knockoffs are being touted all along the way by Han Chinese who have moved here.
We visited the 400 year old Baisha frescoes depicting Tibetan, Han and Indian Buddhism, all linked with Daoist symbols. Our guide led us to an embroidery workshop where we were blown away by the work done there. Absolutely incredible embroidery pieces done by hand with the finest of silk thread made in a Yunnan village about 4 hours' drive away in small home-based workshops, not large factories. We were shown other pieces made over the years by family members, and came away with lighter wallets thanks to the amazing craftsmanship there. Our guide took us to a jewelry shop as well as a stall selling embroidery and tie-dyed fabrics, some of which found their way into shopping bags and later into our increasingly bulging suitcases.
Our visit to the village continued with lunch in a family run Naxi restaurant where we ate in a courtyard decorated with ears of corn and piles of pumpkins. Our guide then stopped by a farmhouse owned by an 89 year old Naxi woman and her 67 year old son. She is like a grandma to our guide, and when we entered her courtyard, she immediately went into her house and came right out with a plate of sunflower seeds and candy. Luckily Elaine still had a few of her Canada pins, so we were able to return her gift. She was very agreeable to having her photo taken, and even posed with us for a group picture. (See below). Meeting her was definitely a high spot in our day, and made our visit to the village so much more personal.
Then it was on to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, whose peaks played peek-a-boo with clouds all afternoon. We boarded another bus and then most of us rode a gondola up an opposite mountain to Spruce Meadow where we got a wonderful view of the 6000 m mountain. We were well above 3000 m at the top of the gondola, and we felt the effects of the thin air on our breathing. Everyone got lots of photos of the peaks and we were fortunate to have the viewing platform to ourselves for 10-15 minutes before another group came along.
Upon our return to Lijiang Old Town, we had dinner, and 5 of us headed to the blind masseurs/masseuses for full-body massages. We all left very relaxed and refreshed, and ready for a good night's sleep after a superb day.
Our group with Grandma and her son in Baisha
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