Naxi, A wisp of my sunlight

03.11.2006

I introduce Lijiang to my friends because Lijiang is harmonious with my feeling when I visited there. Its fantastic scenery moved me and left me a very deep impression.
In recent years, I have been to Great Wall, Tai mountain, Suzhou royal garden, I have also been to Dalian, Qingdao, and enjoyed the roaring and deafening vigor of Tai lake and Penglai, and …However, I always felt that I was a guest, just a guest, small and blank, because most of the places I have been to can hardly get me serious appreciation.
While, compared with them, Naxi, an old town of Lijiang, is completely different. As soon as I arrived in the ancient town, I felt just like, I came back home. No matter how many persons visited there, and no matter how many shops there were. I was just attracted by the charming and historical town: Fishes swam in crystal river, willow trees showed us their experience over thousands of years, old wooden houses with red walls and cyan tiles displayed assembly of architectures, and every bridge told us a plangent story. Even the paths, at the both sides of bridge, also showed us ancientry and modernization…
After the sun went down beneath the horizon, every family lit up lanterns and dark red light rushed onto the river. Most of the districts were tranquil because every pub did not attempt to, in blatant street, persuade their tourists to live in, even though all of them opened up to all tourists. The leisure atmosphere is just like the characters of local guys, idle and indolent. When I entered a shop, suddenly, a special feeling arising from my heart, I felt as though I was strolling in the art world, meanwhile, shop keeper was a folk artist. Silver accessories, sheepskin paintings, batiks and wooden craftworks were displayed everywhere in the shop. Some of them were laid out, some were hung, and even some were set out leisurely. They were so fancy and superb that I could not put them down once I picked them up and appreciated them in my hands. Young shop keeper talked with his assistants, vividly. “What are they talking about?” I thought, “Maybe it was an impressive love story.” I smiled….
However, beside these quiet places, there are blatant places also. Sifang street and “a wisp of sunlight”, you can find here and there and all people will get tighter at Sifang street in the end. Under the clear and bright moon light and red light of lanterns, with the melodious Naxi music, diligent Naxi girls handling in hand danced into a circle and sang their ancient songs…
“A wisp of sunlight” is famous bar street, every bar which is all decorated primitively and simply. At the daytime, you can sit there enjoying the fantastic landscape of the other side of Lijiang river, or attract tourist, or think about yourself. Meanwhile, you are also a part of the scenery of other tourists relatively. It is absolutely a paradise of young people after the sun goes down. In the evening, every bar lit up their lanterns and hung in bunch. Upstairs and downstairs at both sides of the river were full of guests. Some of them were young people who were dressed various costumes, some were tourists came all the way for the beautiful scenery, and some were tall and behaving lovely foreigners, but most of them were smart guys and charming girls. Ebullient Naxi youths began to sing their folk songs, and soon, all tourists joined in them. “Yaso, yaso, yaso…” songs rose up and down. At that point, I thought, drinking was not important any more, and food seemed unnecessary as well…
It is intoxicating in this old town in the evening. And I am thinking, Lijiang is just my home, my spirit land. And I am also thinking, when I walk on the streets, from the bottom of my heart, if I could meet a girl who has the same experience as mine, and if I could live there with her forever, spending wonderful times and enjoying the romantic moments…
Unfortunately, for the life of mine, it destines no such opportunities.