Niujie Old Town in Yiliang County, Zhaotong
Attraction Overview
With a history of more than 1,000 years, Niujie, a national key tourist attraction, is located in the northeast of Yiliang county, which is one of the key tourist attractions of the millennium town planned by the people's government of Zhaotong city, known as "little Hong Kong".
Attraction Type: Ancient Town
Chinese Name: 彝良牛街古镇(Pinyin: Niujie Guzhen)
Best Time to Visit: All-year-round
Recommended Visiting Time: Half Day
Open Hours: All Day
Admission Fee: Free
Location: Yiliang County, Zhaotong City of Yunnan
Brief Introduction
With a history of more than 1,000 years, Niujie, a national key tourist attraction, is located in the northeast of Yiliang county, on the boundary of Sichuan and Yunnan in the center of Chongqing, Chengdu, Kunming, and Guiyang, which is one of the key tourist attractions of the millennium town planned by the people’s government of Zhaotong city, known as “little Hong Kong”. It’s about 78km to the county of Yiliang, 50km to Xiaocaoba Scenic Area, 143 km to Zhaotong City, 200km to Shunan Bamboo Forest, 180 km to West Grand Canyon Hot Spring, 40 km to Dousha Pass, 100 km to Huanglianhe Scenic Area, etc.
History and Culture
Niujie old town was built in the eastern Han dynasty, first prosperous in Hongwu period of Ming dynasty and full prosperous in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. It was an important line of communications connecting Yunnan and Sichuan, which became an important commercial town since the village fairs on the lunar cattle and sheep days, so got the name of Niujie(Niu means cattle in Chinese).
The cultures of central plain, Bashu and ancient Yunnan blend here, where merchants and talents gathered since ancient times. In 2008, it was named “historic and cultural town” by Yunnan province.
Features of Niujie Old Town
Owing to the mingling of commercial culture of more than a thousand years, rich and generous cultures of Shu State and ancient Yunnan have been crystallized here. Niujie now has five winding streets and more than 800 houses with a combination of Western and Chinese styles, among which more than 400 are residential houses of Ming and Qing dynasties. More than ten temples and ancestral halls built during the Qing Dynasty are still well preserved.
