Lijiang

Take a free virtual walk through Lijiang, China — no passport, no flights, no account required. Nearaway streams immersive 4K walking tour footage from Lijiang's streets, letting you explore Asia's cities from anywhere in the world. Choose from 2 different walking tour videos across the city.

The Naxi people settled the Lijiang basin from the north around the 7th century AD, establishing a feudal kingdom under the Mu clan that lasted over 400 years. Unlike most Chinese cities, Lijiang Old Town (Dayan) was designed around a network of three forks of the Yuhe River which runs through every street, giving the town its unique canal-and-cobblestone character. The Mu clan governed Lijiang as Ming dynasty vassals for over two centuries and built the Mu Family Mansion as their palace. The town served as a key waystation on the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道), which connected Yunnan's tea-growing regions with Tibet's horse markets. A devastating earthquake in 1996 killed over 300 people but, paradoxically, brought international attention and UNESCO World Heritage listing the following year, which funded the town's restoration.

Lijiang Old Town was built without any city walls — virtually unique among Chinese ancient towns — because the Naxi people's surname Mu (木) would be 'encased' if walls were built, forming the character for 'trapped' (困). The town survived the 1996 Yunnan earthquake largely intact due to its traditional timber-frame construction, which is inherently flexible — a lesson in vernacular earthquake engineering. The best time for a virtual walk through Lijiang is march–may (snowmelt from jade dragon snow mountain, wildflower meadows) or september–october (harvest season, clear skies). Must-try local foods include Lijiang baba (丽江粑粑) — crispy sesame flatbread, the town's most famous snack, Naxi grilled yak cheese (烤奶酪), Black bean jelly (黑豆凉粉) with chilli and vinegar.