Lijiang Dayan Flower Lane

At the North Gate of Lijiang’s 800-year-old Dayan Ancient Town, a 30,000-square-meter cultural block rises as a monument to the ancient Tea Horse Road. Developed by Cedar Culture & Tourism Group following an 800-million-RMB acquisition in 2016, Dayan Flower Lane serves as the debut of a national themed series. The architecture combines traditional Naxi timber-frame structures with modern interactive spaces, spanning a 20,000-square-meter building area.

At the main entryway, visitors stand beneath Lijiang’s tallest Naxi-style wooden archway. Nearby, the high-angle Eye of Lijiang Observation Point offers a panoramic view of ancient tiled roofs stretching toward the Wangu Pavilion on Lion Hill. Below, the narrow alley of Yueguangli runs beneath a canopy of thousands of multicolored oil-paper umbrellas, their paper rustling softly in the mountain breeze.

Human presence is etched into every corner. On the Painted Stairs, hand-painted brushstrokes depict the Naxi Dapeng Divine Bird. Along the Wave Wish Wall, visitors leave personal graffiti and hang wooden wishing plaques, their rough-carved surfaces clinking together.

As twilight falls, the lane transitions into a National-level Night Cultural and Tourism Consumption Cluster. The scent of slow-simmered broth and roasted spices drifts from the Meeting Mabang Dishes restaurant, where chefs prepare the traditional Naxi Eight Bowls inside replicated caravan camp layouts. Outside, under the illuminated archway of Meeting Lijiang Square, visitors and locals join hands for nightly bonfire dances, their faces warmed by the crackling fire as they step to the rhythm of Naxi customs.