Zhiziluo: A Cup of Coffee Awakens a Forgotten City
The car climbs higher and higher along the winding mountain road. The mist thickens. In just a few dozen kilometers from the bottom of the Nujiang Gorge, it feels like passing through two different worlds.
Zhiziluo. In the Lisu language, it means “a good place.”
Today, that name has a new meaning – not only a good place, but also the home of good coffee.
A City Abandoned by Time
Zhiziluo’s story is rather absurd. It was once the old capital of the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture and the seat of Bijiang County – the most prosperous political and cultural center in this gorge.
But in the 1970s, geologists predicted a massive landslide that could bury the entire town. So a hasty evacuation began. The prefecture government moved to Lushui, Bijiang County was abolished. Government offices, schools, shops – all emptied overnight.
That landslide never happened. Zhiziluo has remained “empty” ever since.
Walking down the old street, you can still see faded slogans like “Develop the Economy, Ensure Supply” on the walls of the former supply and marketing cooperative. The post office sign is still there, its wooden window frames mottled with age.
The octagonal tower – once a library – is now Zhiziluo’s landmark. From the top, the whole town unfolds beneath you: a single main street, a few dozen buildings, with clouds drifting around Biluo Snow Mountain and Gaoligong Mountain.
This abandoned little town, frozen in its 1980s appearance, is like a memory sealed in amber – quietly telling the story of a bygone era.
The Scent of Coffee Rises, Starting from a Single Bean
In recent years, a new fragrance has arrived in Zhiziluo – the aroma of coffee.
Zhiziluo sits at the very start – and the highest point – of the Gaoligong Mountain coffee belt. At nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, with a vertical climate and volcanic ash soil, it has been recognized as a world-class premium coffee growing zone.
The volcanic soil, rich in minerals, gives the beans a distinctive citrus and chocolate flavor. High-altitude, slow ripening brings more sweetness and softer acidity. Pesticide-free farming keeps every bean pure and natural.
With support from the Shanghai-Yunnan cooperation program, Baoshan Biten Coffee took the lead in settling in Zhiziluo, launching the “Zhiziluo” sub-brand. The brand focuses on specialty varieties like Geisha, Typica, and Yirgacheffe.
As Biten Coffee’s general manager Fang Mingfeng once said, “World-famous coffee beans like Blue Mountain and Geisha are named after their origins. I hope that one day, Zhiziluo will also become a synonym for world-class coffee.”
From bean to cup, Zhiziluo is making solid progress. By the end of 2025, the coffee planting area across Nujiang Prefecture had exceeded 60,000 mu (about 10,000 acres), with improved varieties covering 83%.
In Lushui City alone, comprehensive coffee output value reached 360 million yuan, a 252% surge. Over 10,000 coffee-growing families earned an average of nearly 26,000 yuan more.
A Cup of Coffee, Slow Time in an Old Building
The biggest surprise for me in Zhiziluo was the coffee estate tucked inside an old building.
Moss-covered old walls, traces of the former supply and marketing cooperative, rustic wooden beams, vintage enamel cups quietly displayed – the rich aroma of coffee mingling with the scent of old timber.
Sitting by the window, sipping a freshly brewed cup, the slightly bitter yet sweet taste dances on your tongue as you gaze at the magnificent gorge outside. Time seems to slow down.
Interestingly, the roasted coffee beans here are named after Nujiang’s iconic scenic spots – “Stone Moon,” “Crown Mountain.” You can get both whole beans and drip bags, each telling a story of this land.
In nearby Laomudeng Village, there’s a coffee shop run by a young post-90s entrepreneur from Hebei Province, who was drawn to the area by its honest people and rich ethnic culture.
Sitting there with a cup of coffee, you look out at Crown Mountain, with clouds swirling around the Nujiang Grand Canyon.
Some say Zhiziluo is a forgotten city. But today, the scent of coffee is slowly waking up the memory of this town.
Where Memory and Future Meet
Standing in front of the octagonal tower, a question came to mind: What happened to all those people who moved away? Do they ever think of this little town on the ridge? The landslide never came – do they regret leaving?
The answer no longer matters. History has no “what ifs,” only outcomes.
What makes Zhiziluo special is this: it was abandoned because of a disaster that never happened. And that very absence of disaster has turned it into a time capsule – a perfectly preserved small town from the 1980s, alongside a brand-new industry growing vigorously.
Today, Zhiziluo’s old street is still quiet, the moss still green. But the air carries a new note – the aroma of coffee.
Old buildings house coffee shops. On vintage shelves, beautifully packaged specialty coffee beans are displayed. Travelers and villagers sit together under the same roof, sharing the same cup of coffee.
Departure
As I left Zhiziluo, the mist slowly lifted. Sunlight broke through the clouds, lighting up the Nujiang Gorge below. Looking back, the town on the ridge had disappeared behind the mist.
But I know it’s no longer a forgotten city. Every cup of coffee that leaves this place tells Zhiziluo’s story. In the Lisu language, “Zhiziluo” means “a good place.” A good place with good coffee – what could be more inviting?
If you ever find yourself traveling through the Nujiang Grand Canyon, make a stop at Zhiziluo. Step into that moss-covered old building. Order a cup of Zhiziluo coffee.
Sit by the window, watch the clouds come and go, listen to the wind in the valley. Let a cup of coffee take you on a journey through time.
