Lijiang Ancient Town, also known as Dayan Town, is located in Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction and a World Cultural Heritage site. It is also one of the two ancient towns in China that successfully applied for World Cultural Heritage status as an entire town.

Covering a total area of 7.28 square kilometers, the ancient town consists of three parts: Dayan Ancient Town (including Heilongtan Scenic Area), Baisha Residential Complex, and Shuhe Residential Complex, with an altitude of 2,416 meters. Its main part, Dayan Ancient Town, covers 5.39 square kilometers. First built at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, it flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties and has a history of nearly 800 years. It got the name "Dayan" (meaning "a large ink slab") because the town’s shape resembles a piece of green jade ink slab.