"Seven Stars with the Moon",the folk costume of Nahsi Nationality.

    The Da Yan Ancient Town, part of the Lijiang Ancient City is a small and beautiful town, which is something like Venice and Suzhou, while it has richer flavor of rural life than Venice and Suzhou. It has been integrated with scenic mountains and rivers and mingled with the scattered villages. The Lijiang Ancient City has witnessed the vestige and vicissitudes of the Nahsi nationality from generation to generation. So many stories of the historical legends handed down in the streets and lanes, in the imposing dwellings and courtyards, as well as in shops and workshops of the ancient city. Therefore, the ancient city is a place for Nahsi people's living and cultural consumption. It is more valuable that the diligent and honest Nahsi people are still living in the vernacular dwellings spreading over all corners of the ancient city. Therefore, this is a "living" ancient city that has registered historical changes while following the modern times. Because of the above-mentioned distinguished features and special values, the Li Jiang Ancient City has been inscribed in the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO in 1997.

    The development of cities and towns is synchronous with the social and economic  progress of the local areas. The Lijiang  Ancient City. of course, has no exception. During the Sui and Tang Dynasty, the Nahsi nationality was called "Moshayi"  who established tribal villages. Viewing from historical outlook of tribal village's development, these tribal villages were the source for the development of the Lijiang Ancient City. The vernacular dwellings at that time were the initial shape of the modern "Batten" houses. The commodity exchange and rural fair would naturally appear in a definite period of agricultural development. Thus, the market towns emerged as an embryonic form of modern cities and towns. The Dayandi of the Yu River Reaches can be regarded as the typical of the market town evolved from the ancient villages.

    The Dayandi occupies the central position of the Lijiang scenic area and locates at bag bottom of upper reaches of Jinsha River, being surrounded by big mountains and Jinsha River as the natural city wall and city moat respectively. It is a place easy to be defended and control the whole area of River reaches. Kublai Khan the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1260-1294 at reign) led the Mongolian troops to cross the Jinsha River. The military headquarters headed by Aliang Ahu, son of Kublai Khan was located at the Dayandi. Aliang Ahu started the construction of the ancient town Dayan through excavation of Jade River and West River, which laid the foundation for developing the town along the Jade River, West River and Middle River. This was the predecessor of the Lijiang Ancient City. Up to the Ming Dynasty at the reign of the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (reign from 1368-1398) the local headman Mu was granted the title of county magistrate of Lijiang area. After headman Mu moved his government from Baisha to Dayan Town, he went in for large-scale construction of the ancient town that had become the hub of communication with the Sifang Street in the center. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the local officials were replaced by the court officials who excavated the East River of the Jade River. Finally the Lijiang Ancient City with the river system of three rivers (West River. Middle River and East River) and the street and lane network was formed, the Sifang Street at the center.