Atop the summit of Lion Hill, the Amandayan Hotel stands as a quiet mediator between Lijiang’s past and present. Its name unites the Sanskrit word for peace, aman, with Dayan, the thirteenth-century name for Lijiang under the ruling Mu family. Before the resort opened on February 18, 2015, this 1.8-hectare site held the steel frame of the Lijiang Television Tower. Local planners relocated the tower to restore the natural skyline, clearing the way for a design that honors the surrounding UNESCO World Heritage-protected Old Town.

Architect Edward Tuttle and interior designer Jaya Ibrahim shaped the resort to mirror traditional Nakhi courtyard housing. They organized the thirty-five suites into the classic "Three Courtyards and One Screen Wall" configuration. The buildings are entirely wooden, held together by precise mortise-and-tenon joints assembled without a single nail. Visitors can run their hands over the smooth Northeast China elm furniture and smell the faint, resinous scent of Yunnan pine sourced from the high forests of Shangri-La. Overhead, heavy Jin clay tiles shield the rooms, while local stone underfoot grounds the structures.

The layout respects the living community. Tuttle and Ibrahim split the property into North, Middle, and South zones. This division preserves an ancient pedestrian path that local villagers still use to cross the hill. At the heart of the grounds lies Wenchang Palace, a historic temple and imperial examination hall built in 1725 during the Qing Dynasty. Today, the hotel acts as the custodian of this heritage site, preserving its century-old trees, colorful murals, and stone carvings.

Inside the quiet courtyards, the sensory world of Yunnan comes alive. Guests hear the resonant hum of Himalayan singing bowls and feel the fibrous texture of handmade Dongba paper during artisan-led workshops. From the private terraces of the fifteen Deluxe Suites, the eye travels across the grey, undulating roofs of the Old Town to the distant, snow-dusted peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.