Shaxi is a historical market town in Jianchuan County, Dali
Prefecture, Yunnan province. The town is located roughly in between Dali and
Lijiang. The Sideng market square of the town of Shaxi was added to the World
Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2001.Shaxi started as a
trading point for tea and horses during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). The
prosperity of the town was at its height during the Ming and Qing dynasties
(1368–1912). Nearby Shibao mountain contains Buddhist rock carvings and temples
of over 1300 years old with, amongst others, images of the bodhisattva Guanyin.
The two main ethnic groups of Shaxi are the Bai and Yi people.
