Stone Arch Bridge and Traditional Pavilion, Lijiang

Lovely Lijiang

Today a modern, diverse city of more than a million people, Lijiang's history of human habitation stretches back as far as 100,000 years. In that context, the series of dynasties that built the city's renowned Old Town were just drops in time's pond, each lasting just a few centuries. But they made their mark on the land—especially the Ming Dynasty, which left Lijiang with a sophisticated system of canals built to supply water for drinking, bathing, and irrigation. Fed by the Black Dragon Pool seen here, the waterways snake amid tangled, touristy streets packed with gable-roofed traditional homes.