Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain
Location: Near Lijiang, Yunnan
Transportation: Bus service from Lijiang
Culture/History Rating: 2/5
Scenery Rating: 4/5
Hotels:
Lijiang Guanfang Hotel - Middle-snow Mountain Road, Lijiang
Lijiang Jade Dragon Garden Hotel - No. 62 Jishan Lane, Xinyi Street, Lijiang, Yunnan Province
Lijiang Zen Garden Hotel - No. 36 Xingren Alley, Wuyi Road,Dayan Town, Lijiang, China
Tel: 86-888-5188888
Cost: Around 70 USD
Tel: 86-888-5151288
Cost: Around 40 USD
Tel: 86-888-5189799
Cost: Around 50 USD
Summary: The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is not bad for sight seeing. If you are in Lijiang you should visit this place. A little disappointment for me when I visited there for the first time as the summit was surrounds by thick clouds. The altitude at the top (where you can reach anyway) is around 4,500 meters above sea level, so if you are not very healthy like me, you should get some oxygen bottles (Small ones around 20 RMB each, I used two, my wife didn't need one). At the top there's a rock saying that the current altitude is 4500+ meters above see levels, so that should give you enough incentive to get there. Don't worry there's cable car going up.
Description:
| Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Mountain), located 15 km north of Lijiang city with an altitude of 5600 meters (18,400 feet) above sea level, is the highest mountain on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. There are totally 13 snow-covered peaks in this mountain. Storms frequently rage on this mountain and snow-white is the main rhythm of this mountain. Shanzidou Peak, the main peak of the mountain, with an altitude of 5,596 meters above sea level, is especially clad in white snow all the year round. |  |
 | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain mountain extends 35 km from south to north and 12 km from west to east, producing different altitudes in the mountain. Owing to conspicuous three-dimensional climate caused by different altitude, various trees and rare animals living in different climates can live together in this mountain It is estimated that half of Yunnan's 13,000 plants species, 400 kinds of trees, dozens of flowers types, and one-third of China's known species of medicinal herbs can be found here. When the spring comes, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain bursts into bloom when the camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas start flowering. Herders take their cattle, goats, sheep, and yaks to graze on its slopes. In autumn, a portion of the pines turns amber yellow, while the leaves on deciduous trees present patches of orange, bright yellow, and scar. |
| The mountain is a holy mountain for the Naxi (also spelt Nakhi and Nahi) people, a soul of the tribe. Allegedly, the Naxi tribe believed that their Genius "Sanduo" was the god of mountain, living on the Jade Dragon Mountain. Legends say whenever the Naxi people fought with their enemy, he always appeared, with white face like the snow, wearing white helmet and white armor, riding a white horse, holding a white spear, to help the Naxi soldiers to defeat the enemy. Naxi warriors must sacrifice the "Sanduo" god before they went to battle. On the slope of the mountain lies a "Sanduo Temple" where the Genius "Sanduo" of the Naxi people is worshipped. |  |
 | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is also a holy mount of love in the eye of the Naxi people. In the past, many Naxi lovers who tried to get rid of the shackle of arranged marriage and feudal ethics, in belief of "would rather die for freedom than live in distress", went to the mountain to sacrifice their young life for ideal love. They saw the mountain as their final setting place for themselves and for their love. Access to the top of the mountain is provided by a cableway from the foot of the mountain to Dragon Spruce Meadow. Seen form Lijiang city, the mountain, with its main peak thrusting into the clouds, appear magnificent and sublime. Now, the mountain has become a nice place for snow sightseeing, mountaineering, explorations and scientific investigation. |
Climate:
|
statistics |
Average values in the latest 20 years |
|||||||||||
|
month |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|
average temperature |
6.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 17.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 17.0 | 16.0 | 13.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 |
|
Highest temperature on the average (centigrade) |
14.0 | 15.0 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 22.0 | 20.0 | 17.0 | 14.0 |
|
Lowest temperature on the average (centigrade) |
-1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 14.0 | 12.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
|
rainfall (mm) |
1.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 21.0 | 59.0 | 180.0 | 238.0 | 220.0 | 143.0 | 70.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 |
|
largest amount of rainfall (mm) |
8.0 | 21.0 | 14.0 | 38.0 | 41.0 | 76.0 | 105.0 | 66.0 | 59.0 | 53.0 | 37.0 | 14.0 |