Life in Shangri-La

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More than 90 years ago， American explorer and botanist Joseph F. Rock （1884-1962） first set foot in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province， an area enclosed by craggy mountains. The fascination of this journey for the explorer is plain to see from the large quantities of plant specimens and photos he amassed， and the voluminous reports he wrote on the culture of the local Naxi ethnic group.

Now visitors can savor Rock’s photos in the lobby of the Songtsam Benzilan Lodge in Shangri-La City in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. The lodge’s owner Baima Dorji， a Tibetan native of Shangri-La， bought these photos from National Geographic in 2012. Showing people in traditional costumes， buildings and scenes with distinct early 20th century features， the photos recall the Shangri-La of more than 90 years ago.

Shangri-La became a household name， thanks to the 1930s bestseller Lost Horizon by James Hilton. Inspired by Rock’s adventures， Hilton created an idyllic place in his novel， which made the name Shangri-La synonymous with a heavenly utopia.

In the Tibetan language， Shangri-La means the sun and the moon in one’s heart. Shangri-La City is the seat of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， bordering Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region. As the core area of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas， a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site， ShangriLa City lies in the upper reaches of three of the great rivers of Asia， cutting through steep ranges and creating marvelous biogeographic spectacles.

Shangri-La， covering 110，000 sq km， is home to more than 20 ethnic groups including Tibetan， Han， Naxi， Lisu， Yi， and Bai. Of these， Tibetans account for a third of the entire population. Tibetan Buddhism， therefore， is predominant among locals.

The cluster of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries， known as Ganden Sumtseling Monastery， is amid the Foping Mountain， five km north of the city proper. First built in 1679， it is the biggest of its kind in Yunnan Province， and commands high respect among local believers. In each village of Shangri-La one can see objects associated with Tibetan Buddhism C mani stones and prayer wheels， as well as monasteries that still practice traditional religious rituals.

Since the Tang and Song dynasties， ShangriLa has played a pivotal role in the ancient com-mercial route， also known as the Chama Gudao， or Ancient Tea-Horse Trail， that connected Xishuangbanna， Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan all the way to Lhasa in Tibet and then on to India and Nepal. The trail was trodden by merchants traveling back and forth transporting mules， horses， hides， and herbs from Tibet， Sichuan and Yunnan as well as tea， cloth， salt and daily goods produced in Sichuan， Yunnan and other parts of China.

Commerce has promoted the population flow and cultural integration. Therefore， the people of Shangri-La are more sophisticated and hospitable than they at first appear. In villages where people of multi-ethnic groups live， all respect one another’s cultures and conventions. Some traditions are accepted and practiced by all after living side by side， generation after generation. Patrick Druet， a Frenchman who has worked in different countries as well as in Chinese cities， says he likes Shangri-La the most for the way people’s smiles come from their hearts.

Indeed， behind the tranquil life of the shangri-la people are strong aspirations C respecting nature， following their hearts， and protecting the ecology for a better future.