Black Dragon Pool

Black Dragon Pool (Heilongtan) is a spring-fed pool in Jade Spring Park at the northern edge of Lijiang Old Town, famous for providing what is arguably the most photogenic view in Yunnan: the Moon-Embracing Pavilion and the five-arch stone bridge reflected perfectly in the dark water, with the snowy peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rising 5,596 metres in the background. The park was established in the Qing Dynasty and centred on a temple dedicated to the Black Dragon — a deity venerated by the Naxi people as guardian of the water supply. Spring and autumn mornings offer the clearest mountain views; by midday clouds typically gather around the peaks. The park also houses the Dongba Research Institute, which preserves the Naxi Dongba script — the world's only living pictographic writing system — and the Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture.