Visiting the Scenic Jade Water Village in Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Hey all, sorry for being away for so long, I felt a little burnt out and took a short break, plus I’ve been working on my other project TripArai, an itinerary and travel planner app. Anyways, I’m back to Feastography! So let’s explore the Jade Water Village in Yunnan together!

Despite its name, the Jade Water Village is more like a Dongba Culture Center rather than an actual village, never the less, it’s a very interesting place to check out to learn more about the history of Naxi people. Plus the village is located at the base of the gorgeous Yulong Snow Mountain, making for a great scenic viewpoint.

For those of you who are interested I’ll talk more about the Naxi people below.

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Yushuizhai - The Dongba Holy Land

yushuizhai jade water village sanduo naxi god — *These little waterfalls really add to the scenic beauty of the village*

In Mandarin the Jade Water Village is known as Yuzhuizhai which translates to… Jade Water Village. This area serves as the center for the Naxi people and their Dongba culture as evident by the many landmarks and icons regarding the Naxi people.

Now I did say that the Jade Water Village is more like a culture center rather than a village, and it’s true, you won’t find many people living here. Despite that little bit of false advertisement, the area is still very much eye candy to those (like me) who enjoys scenic views.

Which makes sense as the main “theme” of the Jade Water Village is to showcase man’s relation to nature.

In fact, the whole of Lijiang and it’s surrounding areas are very being on nature and scenic views, the most beautiful views I have ever seen as well such as Shangri-La and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. These attractions are not to be missed, and I highly visiting them all or booking a tour such as this 6 day luxury trip to Shangri-La in Dali, Lijiang, Yunnan whenever you visit Yunnan, China. Trust me if you are a big fan of nature you won’t be disappointed.

The Dongba Culture of the Naxi People

dongba culture wall — *These are ancient Naxi scriptures can anyone read these? Tell me in the comments below!*

Within the Jade Water Village are various artifacts and buildings meant to preserve the heritage of the Naxi people.

From what I can gather (and what my tour guide told me), the Naxi are nomadic people who led a simple lifestyle emphasizing their connection with nature.

dongba ritual furnace — *This slightly awkward looking structure is actually a ritual furnace, located at the sacrificial grounds*

At the Jade Water Village You can find buildings such as:

The Dongba Shiluo Hall - A place where sacrifices were made to the natural God.
The Dongba Cultural Relics Exhibition - A building dedicated to showcasing the relics of the Naxi people.
The Dongba Brewery - An exhibit displaying ancient wine making methods, I know a lot of you will like this one ;)

In addition to these specific exhibits, there are also traditional Naxi dance performances that you can watch. I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of those while I was there but if you are lucky enough to stumble upon a performance, you can enjoy over 30 different traditional Naxi songs and dances.

Some of these songs are ancient dating back hundreds of years back! It’s a shame that I didn’t get to see them but you should definitely stick around to experience them, especially if you are into history and culture.

Sanduo, the Naxi God of Nature

naxi god of nature sanduo — *The Goddess Sanduo looks very menacing, I would not want to mess with nature after meeting her…*

For me, the most interesting part of the Jade Water Village is definitely the bright gold plated statue in the middle of the village dedicated to the Naxi God of Nature.

This deity is known as Sanduo, the God of the Yulong Mountains and the most important one to the Naxi people.

The statue of Sanduo herself is sat in the middle of a pond with 4 additional deities (or creatures?) located behind her. In front of the statue there is this ominous plaque that basically reads as an apology letter from us Humans to the Goddess Sanduo. An apology describing how we as Humans had destroyed nature with our greed.

I don’t mean to come off as disrespectful, in fact I mean this is a positive way, the whole atmosphere and vibe came off a little creepy which I personally liked. It reminds me much of the Thai horror film Medium (which is a great documentary-style horror film by the way).

Yeah slight tangent, but if you go to the Jade Water Village you’ll understand what I mean, it feels like I should be apologizing to Sanduo on behalf of all Humanity.

jade water village salmon — *I wonder how these guys taste :)*

One interesting thing that my guide told me was there you can see Salmon in the waters of the Jade Water Village, but not just any salmon, these are white (more like yellow/orange-ish) salmon that are unique to this region Yunnan.

And need I mention that the water in this village is crystal clear? And not only that the color of the soil/rocks underneath causes the water to reflect this greenish JADE color. Very fitting to the name of the village.

Details About the Jade Water Village

The Jade Water Village is a scenic attraction in Lijiang, Yunnan, China. It’s main concept is the preservation of the Dongba culture of the Naxi people. Here you can learn about the area’s treasured history as well as witness gorgeous scenic views of the Yulong Mountain.

Location: 2632+6QW, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang, Yunnan, China, 674101

Opening Hours: 24 Hours | Mon - Sun

Phone: +86 888 519 0108

Entrance Fee: 30 RMB

How to get to the Jade Water Village from Lijiang

I’m going to assume that you’re starting at the city of Lijiang, though it’s quite far away being 12 Kilometers from Lijiang City.

I recommend traveling via Taxi as it’s the easiest and most convenient, the total cost for the journey will be around 30 RMB.

For the cheaper option you’re going to want to take the public bus. More specifically the No. 8 bus to Jinjia Market, then from there transfer to the minivan directly to the Jade Water Village. The whole journey will cost you 5 RMB.

Looking for Things to Do in Yunnan, China?

6 Day Shangri-La in Dali, Lijiang, Yunnan Tour - Encountering Cangshan Erhai Lake & Climbing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Viewing Rizhao Jinshan Mountain
5 Day Once in a Lifetime Yunnan Tour - Yubeng Village, Ancient Temples, Rizhao Jinshan Mountain

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