Stone Drum Village

Stone Drum Village On the mountain at the river's bend stands Stone Drum (Shigu) Town. This ancient town is named after a drum-shaped marble plaque. Built during the Jiaqing era (1548-1561) of the Ming Dynasty, the stone drum is a monument commemorating the victory of Lijiang's Naxi ruler over an invading Tibetan army. The stone drum has an obvious vestige of what appears to be a "rip" in it. It is said that the stone drum would rupture prior to any war and then fold when peace returned. The First Bend of the Yangtze River About 70 km . from Lijiang Town, it is located on the north side of the highway leading from Dali to Lijiang. The Jinshajiang River in olden times flowed southward along the Hengduan Mountain Ranges and was later forced to the turn to north as a result of alpine movements which caused changes in the earth’s physiognomy. When the river reaches Shigu Township it makes an abrupt turn and flows further northward, forming the marvelous view reputed as the First Bend of the Yangtze River.