In Tibetan language, "Dukezong" means blue moonlight city. Located in Shangri-La County of Yunnan Province, Dukezong is the best-preserved old town in Tibetan areas.

Streets and folk dwellings here are surrounded by mountains. What makes the old town different from others is its Tibetan-style Tuzhang house (土掌房), an earth-based house. Most of the Tuzhang house are bungalow with only one story and flat top. People often use stones to build foundations and earth to build wall. There are 33 alleys in the town. Twenty-three ethnic groups are living together here, including the Lisu, the Pumi, the Bai, and the Naxi. Each has its own religious faith, custom and culture. To some extent, Dukezong is regarded as a multi-ethnic museum.

How to get there:

Bus: tourists can take a bus from Kunming to Shangri-La at the Kunming Bus Passenger Terminal. It takes one about 12 hours and the ticket price is 171 per person. Departure time : 08:20 a.m.

Plane: you can take a plane from Kunming to Shangri-La firstly. And then take a bus from Shangri-La to Dukezong.

Self-driving: starting from Shangri-La county town, drive along Changzheng Road for about 2 kilometers.

(Editor:Hyesung)