Shaxi is an old market village in western Yunnan Province, set between Dali and Lijiang but calmer than either. Its centre, Sideng, still has Bai courtyard houses, shaded lanes, and a market square that once served the Tea Horse Road.
The village is small enough to walk, and that is the pleasure. Friday market brings in Bai and Yi villagers from the surrounding valley and mountains, while the rest of the week is better for slow wandering, cycling to nearby villages, and hiking towards the old temples and forested slopes of Shibao Shan.
Shaxi works best if you do not rush it. Spend the morning in Sideng, take a bicycle into the valley, then save a half day for Shibao Shan or Pear Orchard Temple. It is a good antidote to the busier old towns elsewhere in Yunnan.