Lijiang, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Shuhe, 5 days

We take the morning train from Luoyang Longmen, change at Zhengzhou East for the airport line, and fly out at midday. Three hours later we land in Lijiang. The road north runs past harvested rice fields and corn spread out to dry. We settle into a courtyard in Shuhe and walk beside the Qinglong River, whose water comes off the mountain and is cold to the touch.

Attraction introduction: Shuhe lies northwest of Lijiang and served as a staging post on the tea horse road. The Qinglong Bridge dates from the Ming, its flagstones hollowed by hooves. Water is drawn from the snow mountain and split into channels that run along the lanes.

Tips: Nothing is scheduled on arrival beyond acclimatising. Guests generally find the first night at 2,400 metres restless, so alcohol and long hot showers wait. In practice we eat lightly in Shuhe and turn in early, with the mountain booked for the morning.

We leave at half past six to reach Ganhaizi before sunrise. A line of light appears on the horizon, then gold creeps down the summit while the meadow below stays dark. At eight we enter, take the shuttle to the lower cable station, and rise with cloud beneath us. The walkway continues to 4,608 metres, where the wind makes standing difficult.

Attraction introduction: The main peak of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rises above 5,500 metres and the range carries nineteen glaciers, the largest directly beneath the summit. Blue Moon Valley below is fed by meltwater, its bed mineral rich enough to turn the pools turquoise in sun.

Tips: Above 4,500 metres the air runs short if you hurry. Guests generally find oxygen costs fifteen to twenty yuan in the old town and sixty inside the park. In practice we buy before entering and stop every dozen steps on the walkway rather than pushing through.

The morning goes to Baisha, smaller than Shuhe, where the main street ends at the murals. Painted in the Ming, they mix Tibetan, Chinese and Naxi hands on a single wall. After lunch we return to Shuhe and sit in a teahouse while a circle of neighbours dances in the yard. Towards evening we climb to Shilian Temple above the roofs.

Attraction introduction: Baisha, ten kilometres north of Lijiang, is one of the oldest Naxi settlements, and its murals fill the Liuli Hall and Dabaoji Palace, blending Buddhist and Daoist subjects. Shilian Temple sits on the hill behind Shuhe, small but with the whole town below it.

Tips: Flash is forbidden in the mural halls and the interiors are dim, so eyes need a moment. Guests generally find Shuhe crowded from midday and itself again at either end of the day. In practice we give this town the long hours and skip a further stop.

We move into the old town and enter past the great waterwheels, where channels run beside Wuyi Street and the flagstones have been polished by feet. In the afternoon we visit the Mu Palace, its corridors climbing terrace by terrace to a library with half the town in view. At dusk we take the steps up Lion Hill.

Attraction introduction: Dayan is the old town of Lijiang, built without walls, its water diverted from Black Dragon Pool and split three ways through the lanes. The Mu Palace was the seat of the hereditary Naxi rulers under the Ming, and the Wangu Tower on Lion Hill frames roofs against the mountain.

Tips: The old town charges no admission, though the maintenance fee was abolished and a booking is still needed. Guests generally find wheeling a suitcase over flagstones hard work, so a hotel near an entrance pays off. In practice we lodge by the south gate, where cars can pull up.

We are up at half past six and walk to Black Dragon Pool. The surface is glass still, the snow mountain reflected whole, the eaves of Deyue Pavilion cutting the foreground. Back in town we eat a Lijiang flatbread, pack, and leave for the airport at noon, landing in Zhengzhou towards evening.

Attraction introduction: Black Dragon Pool sits at the foot of Elephant Hill north of the old town, fed by springs that surface at the base of the slope. The Deyue Pavilion on its bank dates from the Qing and, on a still morning, mountain, water and building stack into one frame.

Tips: The pool is empty of visitors at seven and the light is steadiest then. Guests generally find it worth the early start, since any wind later wrinkles the reflection. In practice we book an afternoon flight so this hour is never cut short.