Stone Drum Village



On the mountain at the Jinsha River's bend stands Stone Drum Village (Shigu Village). The Jinsha
River does a U-turn at Stone Drum Village and flows northward, then it changes the direction and goes
to the northeast. The curvature of this turn almost reaches a 140° of angle. It is the First Bend of Yangtze
River known throughout the world.

Stone Drum Village is 50 kilometers from Lijiang. This ancient town is named after a drum-shaped
marble plaque. Built during the Jiaqing era (1548-1561) of the Ming Dynasty, the stone drum is a
monument commemorating the victory of Lijiang's Naxi ruler over an invading Tibetan army. On the bank
of the river there is a memorial hall of the Long March of the Red Army.

Jinshajiang River flows at great speed down to Shigu and then with the width of the river enlarged from
here, the speed of the water gradually comes down and makes Shigu a natural ferry. Shigu is always an important part of the Tea-horse Road.
From this place, people can go south to Dali and north to Tibet.

The climate in Shigu is mild. The soil here is very fertile and productive. Because of all these, it is
very important in the Tea-horse Road. Tibetan people brought furs and herbs here to exchange for
tea, salt, cloth and other articles for people live around. It is in the market day when you can really
experience the natural and simple life in this important town on Tea-horse Road.

The stone drum has an obvious vestige of what appears to be a "rip" in it. It is said that the stone
drum would rupture prior to any war and then fold when peace returned.