Attraction · Lijiang Wangu Tower

Wangu Tower

The old town's highest point atop Lion Hill, a five-story wooden viewing tower 33 m tall; overlooking the unbroken grey-tiled roofs of Dayan Old Town, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the old town in one frame—the most classic Lijiang photo

Visitor info

Opening hours
08:00-18:30
Ticket
CNY 50

Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.

The old town's highest point at the summit of Lion Hill, a five-story wooden viewing tower 33 m tall; from the top, look down over the unbroken grey-tiled roofs of Dayan Old Town, and frame Jade Dragon Snow Mountain together with the old town for Lijiang's most classic photo. Inside, the tower gathers a rich array of inscribed plaques and couplets; sunrise and the evening lights offer the most exceptional views.

Getting there: Lion Hill footpath

Photos

Wangu Tower — photo 2Wangu Tower — photo 3Wangu Tower — photo 4

More in Lijiang

  • Old Town of Lijiang (Dayan)

    A Naxi old town built from the late Song into the early Yuan, standing unwalled for 800-plus years (legend holds that the Mu chieftains' surname means "wood", and a wall around it would form the character "trapped"—so walls were taboo); inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1997

  • Mu Mansion (Mufu)

    Residence of the Naxi Mu chieftains, built in the Ming Wanli reign and said to comprise 162 rooms: "in the north the Forbidden City, in the south the Mu Mansion"

  • Grand Waterwheel · Black Dragon Pool Park (Yuquan Park)

    A clear spring lake at the foot of Elephant Hill at the source of the Yu River, Deyue Pavilion and Five Phoenix Pavilion reflected in the water, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain framed across the lake—hailed as "the foremost view of the snow mountain" and the birthplace of Lijiang's postcards

  • Five Phoenix Pavilion (Fayun Pavilion)

    Built in the Ming Wanli reign, its three tiers of flying eaves spread like five phoenixes in flight; originally the main building of Fuguo Temple, later relocated to the shore of Black Dragon Pool

  • Naxi Dongba Culture Museum

    A museum dedicated to Dongba culture, with systematic displays of Dongba scriptures, ritual implements and sacrificial ceremonies; the Dongba pictographic-script documents are inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register

  • Lijiang Romance Show

    Songcheng Performing Arts' large-scale resident show in Lijiang; five acts—Naxi Genesis, the Ancient Tea Horse Road, the Women's Kingdom of Lugu Lake and more—weave an epic of northwestern Yunnan, packed with sound, light, effects and real-scene sets; multiple daily sessions make it a good evening pick