Spend a night in Shaxi, a Tea Horse Road market town, ideally on a Friday
Shaxi, Jianchuan county, about 2–2.5 hours' drive north of Dali
Sideng Street is often called the only market square left on the old Tea Horse Road, with the Ming-dynasty Xingjiao Temple on one side and an old opera stage facing it. Most visitors stop for a few hours between Dali and Lijiang; stay the night and you get the square after dark and the Qing-era Yujin Bridge in the early-morning mist. On Fridays a big market fills the street by the township offices, just outside the old town, as farmers come in from the surrounding villages.
What locals sayRepeat visitors say Shaxi only works slowly: stay the night, and time it for a Friday if you can.
- Cost
- Shared car from Dali about ¥100–120 a seat (2025)
- Time
- 1 night · Arrive Thursday for the Friday market
- In Chinese
- 沙溪古镇 寺登街
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Based on what locals and regular visitors share, checked against current sources · Updated September 2026. Details change — check opening times locally.
