Sunyata Hotel Shaxi (Jixiashan)
沙溪寂下山虚谷酒店
Shaxi's Friday market and its Ming-era theatre on Sideng Square are a short walk away, and almost nobody is there.
- Indicative nightly rate
- ¥800-1,600 a night
- The collection
- Sunyata
- Setting
- Dali · 20 rooms
Sunyata Shaxi courtyard at night
Why stay here
A 20-room boutique hotel just outside Shaxi old town, in Jianchuan County within Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Bai design worked into a modern Chinese garden layout, rooms in warm wood and natural tones, soundproofed, with minibars. Breakfast is served in a small book bar looking at the snow peaks.
Shaxi is the best-preserved town on the old tea-horse road and the one place in the Dali region that has not been turned into a shopping street. This is the serious place to stay in it. Twenty rooms means you are not sharing the town with a coach party.
Shaxi's Friday market and its Ming-era theatre on Sideng Square are a short walk away, and almost nobody is there. It is what Lijiang and Dali old town were before 2005.
Rooms worth asking for
Not established.
Note the exact room or suite name before opening the booking provider, along with any connecting-room, step-free access or celebration requests.
Dining & the evening ahead
Breakfast in the book bar; I could not establish a full restaurant offer. Confirm dinner arrangements before arriving, as Shaxi closes early.
Request restaurant availability alongside your stay. Tasting menus, private dining and dietary arrangements should be confirmed separately.
Photos & films
Videos open on their publisher’s site. YouTube is unavailable in mainland China; watch before travelling.
Dali, at your pace
Destination photography · explore the surrounding city.
Dali Travel Guide: Erhai Lake, Xizhou Village, The Three Pagodas, Dali Ancient Town and moreVince Travel · A practical walkthrough of Dali's main sights, covering the ancient town, Erhai Lake, Xizhou village and the Three Pagodas.Watch on YouTube ↗The Most Beautiful City in China | 3 Days in Dali, YunnanJHMedium · A three-day stay in Dali filmed on the ground, moving between the old town, the lakeshore and nearby villages.Watch on YouTube ↗Videos open on their publisher’s site. YouTube is unavailable in mainland China; watch before travelling.
Before you decide
Scott Dunn rates this mid-range, not luxury, and that is the right call — 20 rooms, no spa, no confirmed dining programme and no lift. Shaxi is two and a half to three hours from Dali on mountain roads, so it is a stop on a drive rather than a base. Note also that Songtsam, which has lodges all over northern Yunnan, does not have one in Shaxi: I could find no evidence of a Songtsam Shaxi property, open or announced, despite it being widely assumed.
Location. Jixiashan, just outside Shaxi old town, Jianchuan County — roughly 2.5 to 3 hours by road from Dali city and a similar distance from Lijiang.
Prices are indicative, not live availability. Confirm the total including taxes, meals, transfers and cancellation terms on the provider’s checkout before committing.