Amandayan Opens Above the Old Town of Lijiang
Aman's third property in China opened in early 2015 with 35 suites in Nakhi-style courtyards on Lion Hill, around an 18th-century scholars' pavilion.
Aman opened Amandayan in Lijiang in early 2015. It is the group’s third property in China, after Aman Summer Palace in Beijing and Amanfayun in Hangzhou, and its first in Yunnan. The resort has 35 suites and stands on Lion Hill, the wooded ridge that rises directly above the tiled roofs of the Old Town.
The setting
Lijiang’s Old Town, known as Dayan, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. It was the capital of the Nakhi people and a trading post on the Tea Horse Road between Yunnan and Tibet, and it keeps its plan of cobbled lanes, canals and bridges. It is also one of the most visited places in China, and the lanes are crowded from morning to night.
Amandayan’s answer is height. From the top of Lion Hill, the Old Town appears as a sea of grey roofs, with the snow peak of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 5,596 metres high, behind it to the north. Guests walk down into the town in ten minutes by a stepped path and return to silence.
The design
The resort is built as a group of courtyards in the Nakhi manner, each with between five and eight suites around a paved court. The structures are of Yunnan pine with carved screens, on stone floors that echo the grey of the mountains. Dongba wood carvings and Nakhi embroidery are used throughout the interiors. The plan and the craftsmanship follow local practice closely, and the buildings were made by carpenters from the region.
At the centre stands Wenchang Palace, a pavilion built in 1725 where scholars once studied and honoured the god of literature. It has been preserved and serves as the resort’s cultural centre, with tea, music and calligraphy.
Facilities
Man Yi Xuan, the main restaurant, serves Nakhi and Yunnan dishes along with Cantonese cooking, and has four private rooms. There is a tea house with a terrace, a heated outdoor pool in its own courtyard, a spa, a yoga studio, a library and a small cinema.
Beyond Lijiang
The hotel arranges walks in Tiger Leaping Gorge, visits to the villages of Baisha and Shuhe and to the monasteries of the valley. At 2,400 metres the air is thin and the light is sharp; spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Amandayan gave Aman three very different addresses in China, joined in 2018 by Amanyangyun near Shanghai.
