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Voykit pocket guide · 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.
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.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 沙溪
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (rainy season), Chinese New Year week
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥150–250 excl. bed · Mid ¥250–450 excl. bed · High ¥450+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥15–30 |
| Bowl of noodles | ¥10–20 |
| Local restaurant meal | ¥30–50 |
| Beer: bottle in a café / can at a shop | ¥15–25 / ¥5–10 |
| Bicycle hire, full day | ¥20 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥50–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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
Typical fares
- Bus Dali → Shaxi
- about 2 h; fare check locally
- Bus Lijiang → Shaxi
- about 2 h; fare check locally
- Shuttle Dali ↔ Shaxi (Landscape Hotel)
- ¥80 each way, 09:00 and 15:00, book a day ahead (check)¥80 each way, 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, book a day ahead (check)
- Horse trek to Shibaoshan
- ¥120 per person round trip (check)
Get 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.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, 7.5 mi north. Mountain trails east and west of the valley are unmarked: go with a guide or a local who knows them.
See and do
Known for
- Sideng old town square and theatre stage
- Friday market
- Shibaoshan grottoes and Baoxiang Temple
- Tea and Horse caravan road history
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shibaoshan (Stone Treasure Mountain) | Taxi or hired car 12 km north on the Jianchuan roadTaxi or hired car 7.5 mi north on the Jianchuan road | About 30 min each way |
| Jianchuan | Local bus or taxi north, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Bailong Tan (White Dragon Pool) | Walk or cycle about 8 km south of Sideng, uphillWalk or cycle about 5 mi south of Sideng, uphill | About 2 h on foot each way |
| Mapingguan Village | Hired car or long hike, 15 km southwest of SidengHired car or long hike, 9.3 mi southwest of Sideng | About 1 h by car |
Sleep
- 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.1.9 mi 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.About 1.9 mi north of the old town; rural guesthouses with valley views.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián |
| I don't want it | 不要bú yào |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ |
| Can I pay by phone? | 可以手机支付吗？kěyǐ shǒujī zhīfù ma |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- 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 m: pace the first day.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Shaxi yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sideng old town square and theatre stage
- Friday market
- Shibaoshan grottoes and Baoxiang Temple
- Tea and Horse caravan road history
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- China National Tourism Office: www.travelchina.org.cn/
- Yunnan Provincial Tourism: www.ynta.gov.cn/
- Wikivoyage: Shaxi, revision 5305109 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5305109
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Shaxi沙溪
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Shaxi; most are in Beijing with consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming (check).
Download an offline map and set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive: little English is spoken and few places take foreign cards.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/shaxi). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.