Lijiang in the farthest reaches of Yunnan Province in southwest China, near the borders of Tibet, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, has barely changed since Kublai Khan arrived in 1253. Now a UNESCO heritage site, the town has been receiving visitors in increasing numbers and there are fears that the uniqueness of this town without walls will erode in the tide of tourism and globalisation. In this pocketbook, striking colour photographs of sites, scenes and inhabitants serve to illuminate the author's discursive exploration of old Lijiang's past, architecture, traditions and people.