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Major city · China

Shaxi沙溪

Give Shaxi 2 nights: one full day for Sideng old town and the Friday market, one for Shibaoshan. Skip it if you only have a Dali–Lijiang transfer day.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jun–Aug (rainy season), Chinese New Year week
Airports
LJG · DLU
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

Shaxi is a small Bai valley town on the old Tea and Horse caravan road, 2 hours by bus from both Dali and Lijiang. The draw is the Friday market and the Sideng square, plus Shibaoshan's grottoes 12 km north. Two nights covers it; the town itself is walkable in an afternoon.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Shaxi, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee¥15–30 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Sit-down mealLocal restaurant meal¥30–50 (≈ US$5–7)
  • Street or quick mealBowl of noodles¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Beerbottle in a café / can at a shop¥15–25 (≈ US$3–4)¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week¥50–150 (≈ US$7–25)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personCN¥60 (≈ US$9)
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomCN¥250 (≈ US$35)
  • High-end bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomCN¥575 (≈ US$85)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥180 (≈ US$30) · Mid CN¥320 (≈ US$45) · High CN¥600 (≈ US$85)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Sideng old town square and theatre stageFriday marketShibaoshan grottoes and Baoxiang TempleTea and Horse caravan road history
Airports
LJG Lijiang Sanyi (About 2 h by road to Shaxi; bus from Lijiang bus terminal, about 2 h) · DLU Dali (About 2 h by road; buses from Dali bus terminal and Dali Old Town bus terminal)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Shaxi: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

14°C

−1°C

3 rd

Feb

16°C

1°C

4 rd

Mar

19°C

4°C

5 rd

Apr

22°C

7°C

6 rd

May

24°C

11°C

9 rd

Jun

25°C

14°C

14 rd

Jul

24°C

14°C

18 rd

Aug

24°C

13°C

17 rd

Sep

23°C

12°C

13 rd

Oct

21°C

9°C

9 rd

Nov

18°C

4°C

4 rd

Dec

15°C

0°C

2 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Sideng is small enough to walk. Bicycles rent near the main square for about ¥20 a day (check). Taxis or a hired driver reach Shibaoshan, 12 km north. Mountain trails east and west of the valley are unmarked: go with a guide or a local who knows them.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Shibaoshan (Stone Treasure Mountain)

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way

Taxi or hired car 12 km north on the Jianchuan road

Entrance about ¥50 (check). Shizhong Temple has the densest stone carvings; Baoxiang Temple is further up. Watch the monkeys.

Jianchuan

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Local bus or taxi north, about 30–40 min

County town known for wood carvings; cheaper than buying the same pieces in Shaxi.

Bailong Tan (White Dragon Pool)

caution

Door to door: About 2 h on foot each way

Walk or cycle about 8 km south of Sideng, uphill

Sacred spring pool that supplies the valley's drinking water; go on a bike.

Mapingguan Village

caution

Door to door: About 1 h by car

Hired car or long hike, 15 km southwest of Sideng

Old salt-tax checkpost on the caravan road; little infrastructure, arrange the return.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Sideng old town

The square and theatre stage; guesthouses in Bai courtyards, walk to everything.

Diantou Village

3 km north of Sideng on the valley road; quieter, near the Pear Orchard Temple.

Duanjiadeng Village

About 3 km north of the old town; rural guesthouses with valley views.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥150–250 (≈ US$25–35) excl. bed
Mid
¥250–450 (≈ US$35–65) excl. bed
High
¥450 (≈ US$65)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Guesthouse double room1 × 2 nights × CN¥250CN¥500
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CN¥320CN¥1,280
Bicycle hire, one day2 × CN¥20 · checkCN¥40
Shibaoshan entrance2 × CN¥50 · checkCN¥100
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥100CN¥200
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥212
Trip total≈ CN¥583 per person per day, bed includedCN¥2,332≈ US$350

2026 estimate in yuan; long-distance transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee¥15–30 (≈ US$3–5)
Bowl of noodles¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
Local restaurant meal¥30–50 (≈ US$5–7)
Beer: bottle in a café / can at a shop¥15–25 (≈ US$3–4) / ¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
Bicycle hire, full day¥20 (≈ US$3) (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week¥50–150 (≈ US$7–25)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Shaxi is a small, low-crime valley town and safe for tourists. The real risks are unmarked mountain trails, aggressive monkeys at Shibaoshan, and altitude on your first day.
  • Shibaoshan has monkeys near Baoxiang Temple that can be aggressive; minor injuries have been reported.
  • Mountain trails are unmarked and easy to lose; hire a guide or ask your guesthouse.
  • Some guesthouse and restaurant websites and phone numbers listed online are out of date; confirm before you rely on them.
  • Altitude is around 2,100 (≈ US$300) m: pace the first day.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Shaxi沙溪

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

No embassies in Shaxi; most are in Beijing with consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Bus Dali → Shaxi: about 2 h; fare check locally
  • Bus Lijiang → Shaxi: about 2 h; fare check locally
  • Shuttle Dali ↔ Shaxi (Landscape Hotel): ¥80 (≈ US$12) each way, 09:00 and 15:00, book a day ahead (check)
  • Horse trek to Shibaoshan: ¥120 (≈ US$17) per person round trip (check)

Say or show

  • 你好 — Hello (nǐ hǎo)
  • 谢谢 — Thank you (xièxie)
  • 多少钱？ — How much is it? (duōshao qián)
  • 不要 — I don't want it (bú yào)
  • 厕所在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ)
  • 可以手机支付吗？ — Can I pay by phone? (kěyǐ shǒujī zhīfù ma)

Download an offline map and set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive: little English is spoken and few places take foreign cards.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Shaxi. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jun–Aug (rainy season), Chinese New Year week · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for LJG and DLU: last bus times, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: Sideng square, the east gate, the valley road north to Diantou.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Shibaoshan, Xingjiao Temple, Pear Orchard Temple) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Friday market and Torch Festival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources