A collective gasp

Media blogger Luo Xi chose to visit Lijiang during the Geminid meteor shower and stayed at the Pureal hotel in 2025. Now 38, his last visit to the city was two decades ago. But this time brought a very different experience.

Luo filled his days and nights watching meteors, eating yak hotpot, painting thangka artworks, and photographing the golden sunrise on the peaks.

"This was my first time seeing a meteor shower in person. When the first meteor appeared, everyone let out a collective gasp," he says."When a meteor with a long tail streaks across the sky, it's incredibly thrilling and joyful."

Although he attended the hotel's astronomy briefing, Luo says he hopes to deepen his knowledge, believing it will make the experience even more immersive.

"I'd consider bringing my family or friends back to Lijiang to watch meteors again," he says. "I hope next time to be better prepared knowledge-wise, and to see even more meteors."