Lijiang, as a place name, began with Kublai Khan's expedition to Dali to cross the Jinsha River. Jinsha River, as a tributary of the Yangtze River, was originally called "plowing water" because it originated at the foot of Niu Li Mountain in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Later, due to the similarity of the ancient sound "plow" and "Li", Jinsha River was also called "Lishui", which was named after the river. Lijiang is one of the second batch of famous historical and cultural cities in China, and it is also one of the ancient cities where China successfully declared the world cultural heritage to the United Nations.

Lijiang, as a place name, began with Kublai Khan's expedition to Dali to cross the Jinsha River. Jinsha River, as a tributary of the Yangtze River, was originally called "plowing water" because it originated at the foot of Niu Li Mountain in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Later, due to the similarity of the ancient sound "plow" and "Li", Jinsha River was also called "Lishui", which was named after the river.

Old Town of Lijiang, also known as Dayan Town, is located in the middle of Lijiang Dam, with Xiangshan, Jinhongshan and Lion Mountain in the north and fertile fields and vast fields in the southeast. Lijiang is one of the second batch of famous historical and cultural cities in China, and it is also one of the ancient cities where China successfully declared the world cultural heritage to the United Nations. It is the only ancient city without walls among the famous historical and cultural cities in China. It is said that the hereditary ruler of ancient Lijiang was surnamed Mu. If a wall is built, it is like the word "sleepy" in a wooden frame, which is unlucky.