Ancient Towns in China

This article is about ancient towns in China. The following is an introduction of a few famous ancient towns in China, such as Lijiang, Dali, Fenghuang, Pingyao, Zhenyuan and Langzhong.

Lijiang Ancient Town

With a history of over 800 years, Lijiang Ancient Town is perhaps the most well-known town in China. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in the year of 1997. Yulong Snow Mountain is not far from the town. There will be Impression Lijiang show in the evening.

Ticket: CNY80

Location: Lijiang City, Yunnan Province.

Dali Ancient Town

Dali Ancient Town is located in Yunnan Province, which is just 2 hours’ drive from Lijiang. It is situated at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and faces Erhai Lake on the east. There is no ticket of the town.

Location: Dali City, Yunnan Province.

Fenghuang

Fenghuang Ancient Town is a small town built during Kangxi’ reign in Qing Dynasty. The name Fenghuang literally means phoenix. For over 300 years, it still remains its original appearance. The old Diaojiao wooden houses, flow of Tuojiang River, old towers and rusty iron gate tell stories of this small town.

Ticket: CNY148 valid for 3 days

Zhenyuan Ancient Town

Zhenyuan is located in the east of Guizhou Province. It was built over 2000 years ago. It was known as one of the most beautiful ancient towns in China. Wuyang River runs across the town reflecting the buildings on both sides. There are trains available from Guiyang or Kaili to Zhenyuan. There is no entrance ticket of Zhenyuan if you just want to walk around in the town. It is advised to take a boat trip on Wuyang River. The night scene is stunning.

Location: Zhenyuan County, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province.

Pingyao Ancient Town

Pingyao Ancient Town is one of the best preserved ancient towns in China. It is inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. It is located in the center of Shanxi Province, which is 85 km away from the capital city Taiyuan. The history of the town dates back to 2800 years ago. This town is once the financial center of China in late Qing Dynasty. Tourists don’t need to buy a ticket if they just want to walk around the town. However, there are many attractions in the town which can only be visited by ticket. It is advised to buy one. The ticket is valid for 3 days and each of the attractions can only be visited once.

Ticket: CNY150

Location: Pingyao County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, China

Langzhong Ancient Town

Langzhong Ancient Town is located in the northeast of Sichuan Province. It may be not well-known by foreigners. However, it is one of the most important military towns in the history. It was built about 2000 years ago. Tourists will be impressd by its unqiue architectural style.

Ticket: CNY100

Location: Nanchong City, Sichuan Province.

Ancient Towns in China