Shangri-La

Yunnan’s Garden of Eden

James Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon brought the mysterious land of Shangri-La to the curious minds of the West but as it was a fictitious novel, the book made the mystery even more complicated as no one really knows where exactly this ideal land of Shangri-La is.  The utopian land described as Shangri-La was one of longevity and peace and where multiple religions co-existed.  Zhongdian in the northwestern part of China’s Yunnan Province claimed to be this land and officially took on the name of Shangri-La in 2001.  This Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the highlands, with elevations of 3800 metres and above.  Travel by flight is the easiest from nearby cities such as Kunming and Chengdu.  If you enjoy travel by vehicle, Shangri-La is only a four hour drive from Lijiang and scenic spots such as the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the first bend of the Yangtze River can be viewed along the way.  Some visit Shangri-La as a midway stop on the way to Lhasa.

This idealistic land is known to be one where you would regret not visiting for a lifetime but once you’ve been there, you would regret for a lifetime that you’ve been there!  I guess part of the reason could be the romanticizing of the idealistic notions of the land for those who haven’t been.  With the desertification of grasslands from grazing and years and years of lack of rainfall, the green pastures, flowing rivers and snow capped peaks that exist in people’s minds don’t necessarily exist in Shangri-La.  But in parts of Shangri-La, these beautiful features can of course be found and one thing that warms visitors’ hearts is the passionate and welcoming smile of Shangri-La’s Tibetan people!