Lion Hill

As an integral part of Lijiang ancient town and the major nation-level scenic spot, the Lion Hill Park is located in the centre of Lijiang city. The hill massif is like a lion, thus getting the name Lion Hill. With ancient buildings lying around at the foot of Lion Hill, it is the best place for you to enjoy the panoramic view of the Lijiang Ancient Town. The park covers a total area of about 15 hectare with green trees covered on the hill and birds singing in the wood. There are more than 40 ancient cypress trees of 800 years old. Percentage of land-covered forests is about 90%.

 
The Wangu (Eternal) Tower

The landmark building of Lijiang ancient town--the Wangu building is located on the top of Lion Hill. This is the best pure wood building in the world, which is 33 meters high. Standing on the building, from the north you can see the miraculous and beautiful Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, from the east you can see the Lijiang ancient town with rivers flowing, from the west you can see the splendid new city of Lijiang, and from the south you can see the Naxi villages and green farmlands.

The Wangu Tower is a five-story structure with the longest natural pillars of such towers in all of China. In this park are more than 40 cypre tress growing. 0n Saturday mornings, men bring up their pet birds and hang the cages from tree branches, birds enjoying the fresh air and sunshine at the park.

A monumental building located in the ancient city of Lijiang, the tower is an example of wooden Dougong architecture (with sets of brackets on top of the columns supporting the beams within and the roof eaves without. A set that is cushioned with trapezoidal blocks is called Dou, and one that consists of tiers of outstretching arms is called gong). Thirty-three m. high, the tower has five stories and five tiers of eaves.

The top story has 13 angles, representing the 13 peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. Painted inside the tower are 2,300 auspicious patterns, representing the harmony and unity of the 23 ethnic groups living in Lijiang. The colorful murals in the tower are redolent of the traditional Dongba culture of the Naxi people.