Why go
Shaxi was the busiest caravan stop between Dali and Lijiang until the 1930s, when the road moved elsewhere and the town quietly faded. That neglect saved it. Sideng Square and its surroundings were restored in the 2000s under a project led by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, but the town lives on around them.
The Bai residents still farm, still hold the Friday market, and still cook in their courtyards. Shaxi rewards people who slow down: it is a place to sit in a courtyard, walk the riverside fields, and let the place come to you.
- Sideng Square — a sand-coloured market square with a theatre stage
- The Friday market, when Bai farmers still come to trade
- Xingjiao Temple's Ming-dynasty Buddhist murals
- Yujin Bridge, the elegant stone arch over the Heihui River
Where to go
Begin at Sideng Square, with its Ming theatre stage, then walk the short stone street to Xingjiao Temple to see the faded Ming murals. Cross the Yujin Bridge and follow the field paths along the Heihui River in the evening — the light on the rice paddies is the town's best show.
Around town
Rent a bicycle to reach the outlying villages, or walk up to the old market street above town. The Bai three-course tea and goat-cheese (ru shan) grills are the local tastes. At night the square is given over to a few lantern-lit bars and a lot of quiet.
Getting there
- Bus from Dali (Xiaguan) bus station to Jianchuan, then a local bus to Shaxi
- Taxi or chartered car from Dali Old Town, ~3h
- History
- Key Tea-Horse Road stop
- Altitude
- 2,100 m
- Market
- Friday (street + livestock)
