At the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain lies the village of Shitou – Yuhu Village
Just over ten kilometers north of Lijiang Ancient Town, on the southern slope of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, there is a village called 'Wulukun', meaning 'village at the foot of the snow mountain'. This is Yuhu Village. In 1922, Joseph Rock, as an explorer, writer, and photographer for the American 'National Geographic Magazine' and the Harvard University Arnold Arboretum, entered Yunnan, China from the Thai-Burmese border and settled down at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for 27 years, most of which he spent in Yuhu Xueli Village. Yuhu is an artificial lake dug by the Mu family clan before the Ming Dynasty. The Mu family built a summer palace, the Jade Dragon Academy, and a deer farm by the lake. The earliest residents of Yuhu Village were those who served the Naxi king by guarding the palace and raising deer, hence the village was also called 'Cuan Kuo Luo'. Naxi folk songs often mention Yuhu and the snow mountain deer farm. In Yuhu, the snow water is clear, aquatic plants sway gently, and the grand Jade Dragon Snow Peak is reflected in the lake against the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, as if nature itself has settled at the bottom of the lake. This 'Reflection of Yuhu' is one of the famous 'Twelve Scenic Spots of Jade Dragon'.
It takes about half an hour to get there by taxi from Lijiang, costing over 50 yuan. Along the way, you can see a train, which the driver says starts from the Lijiang Tourist Distribution Center and ends at Ganhaizi of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The whole line is 20.47 kilometers long, with five stations: Tourist Center Station, Baisha Ancient Town Station, Yushui Village Station, Dongba Valley Station, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Station. The ticket price is 70 yuan, which is more expensive than a ride-hailing service. If you drive yourself, you can stop by the roadside to take pictures of the snow mountain, which is very beautiful. When you get to Yuhu Village near Longnv Lake, it's too close for good photos. Once you reach the parking lot of Yuhu Village, you're stopped; local drivers say you used to be able to drive straight in, but now it's fenced off. There's no entrance fee, but you have to buy a round-trip ticket for the electric shuttle, which costs 30 yuan per person and cannot be purchased one-way, which feels a bit like forced buying and selling. Walking into the village is free, but it's over 2 kilometers to the village and very sunny. Taking the electric shuttle to the village, you have to walk an uphill stone path of over 400 meters to transfer to Longnv Lake. The road is rough, but you can take pictures along the way. Many villagers will ask if you want to ride a horse, and I heard the price is 168 yuan. I didn't want to ride, nor did I ask how long or where to ride. At the transfer point, it takes about 5 minutes by car to Longnv Lake, which is just a large lawn with the snow mountain as a backdrop. The lake is very small, and there's a concrete dam being built on the opposite shore, losing its original charm and resembling a reservoir. The wind is strong at the foot of the mountain, and hats can be blown away while taking photos. That's the visit!