Shaxi

Shaxi (沙溪; Shā​xī​) is in Yunnan Province.

Get in
From Dali and Lijiang

In the past, there were no direct buses to Shaxi from either Lijiang or Dali and travellers were forced to change buses in the county seat of Jianchuan County. Nowadays, however, both cities actually do have direct bus services to Shaxi. In Dali, buses to Shaxi depart from both the Dali Bus Terminal (大理汽车客运站) and the Dali Old Town Bus Terminal (大理古城客运站). In Lijiang, buses depart from the Lijiang Bus Terminal (丽江客运站). The trip to Shaxi from both Dali and Lijiang takes approximately 2 hours.

In addition to the above bus services, there is also a shuttle bus organized by the Landscape Hotel which takes people between their Shaxi and Dali hotels. The buses run at 09:00 and 15:00 from both locations and can be booked by visiting the hotel or asking your accommodation to ring them. Price is ¥80 each way. It's only small minivans, so it is advisable to buy the ticket a day in advance.

From Shangri-la

If coming from Shangri-La, you will need to change buses in Lijiang.

Get around
The main village of Shaxi (Sideng) can be easily toured by walking. It's also possible to visit the many other villages in Shaxi on foot, however, renting a bicycle would be a quicker and better option. Several shops near the main square offer bicycle rental (¥20 for full day hire) and also some of the guesthouses such as the Dragonfly and 58 Yard. Hiking and horseback riding are the main options for a visit into the mountains around Shaxi.

See




Buy

 * It is possible to buy wood carvings in Shaxi, but a better place to buy wood carvings is Jianchuan, not the most glamorous destination but a place that is famous in China for its high quality wood carvings (the carvings on sale in Shaxi all come from Jianchuan, so you pay a markup owing to this). If you hire a driver outside the bus station at Jianchuan for a modest fee, he will take you to some of the dozen or so shops located along one road just outside the city, where you can buy some outstanding pieces. Take a sedative beforehand to avoid sticker shock, most of these carvings are very expensive.

Go next
Catch the mini-bus (45 min, ¥10) to Jianchuan from outside the Shaxi bus station. There are daily buses to many other cities in Yunnan from the Jianchuan bus station. Price and schedule subject to change so better confirm with the Jianchuan bus station when you first arrive in Jianchuan.

Jianchuan and the roads that lead to Lijiang and Dali are quite congested due to large scale road construction of the new Kunming Shangri-La Highway. On the road to Dali, be prepared for long traffic jams and white knuckle encounters with heavy lorries. To go straight to Old Town Dali without getting stuck at the bus station, ask the driver to drop you off at the East Gate, as the bus will pass right near it. Ask your hostel to write this down in Chinese for you. You will save both time and money.

If heading to Dali an interesting alternative with much better scenery is the X804 road down through Qiao Hou, Lian Tie and into Yangbi. Mini Buses leave Jianchuan at 07:30 and 13:20 everyday, arriving to pick up outside the stationary store in Shaxi Village about one hour later. The fare down to Yangbi is ¥25 and the trip takes about four hours. From Yangbi Station, there are regular buses to Xiaguan (Dali New Town), Xiaohuayuan Qiqezhan every few minutes. The journey takes the old road and is about 40 minutes costing ¥10.