Shaxi Old Town


Shaxi is a historical market town in Jianchuan County, Dali Prefecture. Located in the Jinsha River, Lancang
River, Nujiang and the Sanjiang-domain southeastern Nature Reserve, located in Dali and Lijiang scenic
area between the ancient city, known for the Shibao Mountain on here.

Shaxi is a town with a long history of the Millennium, can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period
more than 2,400 years ago. Aofeng Hill ancient tomb group, the east, the Shaxi full speed copper sites
quietly told us that for more than 400 years BC, Shaxi to create a black-Jiang as the center of bronze
smelting production base, at the time of their ancestors on the Shaxi with a high bronze smelting
technology, Yunnan become one of the cradles of bronze culture.

Tang and Song Dynasties period, as the Nanzhao Shaxi, Dali country was on the trail of a town, and plays
a positive role.  It started as a trading point for ancient tea and horses road during the Tang Dynasty (618
– 907) and the town was at its height during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1912).It is probably the
most intact horse caravan town on the Ancient tea route leading from Yunnan in to Burma and Tibet.

As we all know Buddhism on the Nanzhao Kingdom, the impact of deep Dali, Nanzhao, Dali culture into a strong religious overtones, and Shaxi is
the dissemination of Buddhist culture was one of the witness, in the Shade-ching, along the left Shizhongshan Under the Nanzhao, Dali built in the
country during the caves is the best explanation. That is in the Tang and Song Dynasties period, because in the Shaxi Nanzhao, Dali States to
Shade strengths Shizhongshan Grottoes to go through this, Tang and Tubo economic and cultural exchanges on the trail of a land terminal very
famous.

On 11th October 2001 the World Monuments Fund declared 101 world heritage sites to be in imminent
danger. Included amongst these was Shaxi, Si Deng Street. Shaxi Si Deng on the ancient horse and tea
trail, is the only surviving market town of the era, with the only intact Bai town stage, horse inn, temple and
walled town gate. This market town hidden away in south west China is almost perfect.