Before I left, I telegraphed a friend to say that I was going to Lijiang for a short stay. The friend smiled and asked in an almost ambiguous tone: "Do you want to have a romantic encounter? Lijiang is the breeding ground for romance!" I've been to Lijiang many times, never had any of those encounters or romances they talk about. I always thought I was a pretty self-disciplined woman, and I never believed in those romantic stories of love at first sight. My liking for Lijiang has nothing to do with these but everything to do with its well-crafted classical atmosphere, as well as its restless and restless worldly ways.