Baoshan Stone City, located about 130 kilometers north east of Lijiang in the Jinsha (Upper reach of the Yangtze) River Valley is a unique and stunning ancient village of 100 Naxi families, all of whom live on or around a massive boulder overlooking the Yangtze River. The village is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, and houses, furniture and roadways are built almost entirely by rocks, broken and hauled by hand and mules. Due to the unusual topography, houses appear to be interlocking, creating a stunning vista at sunrise. Due to the lack of accessibility to the village, a traditional ancient dialect of the Naxi is still spoken here and transport within the village is provided by mules and horses, allowing the villagers to carry on a way of life that has persisted for centuries.