REFUGE FOUND

While Zhongdian in China won the bid to call itself "Shangri-La" in 2001, Lijiang to the south continues to draw stressed out-of-towners with its picturesque scenery, welcoming locals and slow pace of life.

- MAVIS TEQ

A gentle breeze rustles through the Chinese crab apple trees that surround Wenchang Palace in the Old Town of Lijiang, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Dappled sunlight filters through the leaves, casting long shadows around us on the cobblestoned courtyard as we take our time to soak in the architecture of the 18th-century temple.

We're just about finished with a tour of the Amandayan, a five-star luxury hotel tucked in the mountainous city of northwestern Yunnan, China. The historic temple is, in fact, a part of its sprawling grounds, so the hospitality providers now play custodian to the storied building, ensuring its upkeep and preservation even to non-hotel guests. Today, it is free of crowds and utterly peaceful. Up here on Lion Hill, the mount on which Amandayan and Wenchang Palace stand, I feel like I am in a sanctuary in the clouds

It is easy to forget that I am in one of China's most popular tourist destinations between January and July last year, Lijiang received over 44.5 million tourists, most of whom were locals.

At a pavilion overlooking the Old Town, I can imagine witnessing scores of travellers wending their way through cobblestone alleyways beneath riotously coloured sloping tiled roofs. There are quaint bridges - some 300 in all - to carry them across gurgling steams, along with pops of magenta and pink from perennial blooms like bougainvillea and camellia as a result of Lijiang's moderate weather (it only goes as low as 13°C in winter).

The panorama of the 800-year-old Dayan village below is peerless, though almost man-made in its perfection - as many of the buildings were rebuilt after a devasting earthquake in 1996. But to me, and I daresay many a weary soul, it can be - is - home, even if just for a short trip.

SLOW FOOD, LONG LIFE