September 7, 2003, Eastern Airlines flight traveling from Kunming to Diqing. The same plane were: more than 50 passengers, two flight attendants, "Lost Horizon", Yunnan map, Rhodiola ... ...
雨. Moderate rain. Zhongdian rain to hear the news, I was reading, "Lost Horizon" in this paragraph, "At the moment, the sun bright, but hunger and thirst are also followed. But the air very dirty, as if from the another planet ... ... ", it was broadcast, the aircraft is flying in real meters altitude, the window air-conditioning flow mortal rather than with the machines of people drowsy.
Lonely. Loss. Frustration. Slanting rain. A cold rain. Diqing airport.
Rain ran over a Tibetan girl, "told me to Dolma, I am your tour guide at the Shangri-La", and when I Dousuo a height of 3,000 meters above sea level to withstand the cold, she came up to me, the girl is healthy, 2 Mission Gaoyuanhong in some Yinhui warm weather people.
This day and age, the majority of travel actually has nothing to do, we have been accustomed to people familiar with in accordance with, and even secular way into the once fascinated for many years. Shangri-La is no exception.
A pragmatic manner and step on the streets of Zhongdian, I note that this is one of any county in China, to be able to see the concrete, durable, solid, of course, has its own characteristics, for example, because it is the edge of the hotel , it is relatively clean, there are coaches of the Western blot above. Time too early, few pedestrians, and even some deserted, but This is one, and in 2003 the autumn of Zhongdian compatible.
Shuo Du Lake! Eating breakfast. The first destination Shuo Du Lake.
Dolma is Deqin people, Meili Snow Mountain in her hometown. A reservoir called the sauna, a car lay some messing around, the Droma easily began her tour guides. Rhododendron, she said, she said that the Tibetan polyandry, she said that her Tibetan burial ... ... even with a car that she could not utter the name of the person talking about her fleeing forced marriages, she is playing a small engagement with the cousin, After fleeing forced marriages to Zhongdian, in the region's tourism school, for several years did not dare to go home ... ... accompanied by her guide way to make us come from Kunming tour guides once could not stand, but the car is quite a warm atmosphere. Finally, the tour guide Kunming, also joined to the Dolma concerns wonder about her things.
In this way into the Shangri-Las? Milk toward the big red grass, golden barley fields, and large tracts of potatoes, the tall wheat frame, and the waving streamer sixth Shingon, Mani Dui, wind horse flag, Baita ... ... ignore the coaches Speed-ri. Grown in a clean water willow valley running inside the pig, they do not care about these non-native access. Only some of the Old Boys of a yak, standing on the roadside, looking sluggish waited around after the coach from it as if it with my eyes, as the moment, cold and moody.
Shuo are fairly large lake, was Dai black. Suddenly see such a lake, and along the valley inside a clean contrast is too great, better people just simply photographed Zhang phase. Scenic area, there are a shop selling baked at Ciba, which has attracted many young people down will be the owner of the Ciba roasted his shirt.
Tibetans to go home at night. The edge of the town, which is very rich people. Since the host was very warm welcome to put us into, and of course warm welcome guide. Yak butter tea, highland barley wine, Xian Zi dance, pot-chong, popular songs, dazzling.
The next day Tour Napa lake, no water, became a meadow, horse riding, some scenes抢拍visitors, tourists came out, print photos make money, and a 10 yuan. You Songzanlinsi, purchase open light items around in circles through the tube, see Lama. Temple outside the door, a dirty child dancing Tibetan dance, money, giving 10 per hour.
Bita Lake did not go, the Grand Canyon did not go, baishuitai did not go, go then?
Another day, visit Tiger Leaping Gorge. Dolma is gone, we went to Lijiang. Shangri-La as thrown into the rapids in the Tiger Leaping Gorge, without a trace.
Mystery? Pure? Holiness?
Shangri-La tour. Adjective blank. No few words. That since the last century, around the world since the thirties fascinating Uncharted, though have never been to.
I have been to Shangri-la do? Sat Qu Wang Lijiang car, accompanied by mild altitude sickness, I repeatedly think. Three days later, the sun resplendent, Kunming airport, I left depressed.
In 1914, Austrian Korea Dyer come, with the "plant hunters in China - China and the Tibetan side of the history of plant exploration."
In 1923, the British Peart and Tom Thomson came and photographed the area in Yunnan and Sichuan-Tibet thousands of photos.
Since the early 1920s, Americans Locke visited the area in northwest Yunnan 20 years, leaving a "Naxi ancient kingdom in western China."
In 1921, a French woman named David Daniels has come, and wrote "a woman in Lhasa Adventures in Paris."
... ...
In 2003, a young man from the Guizhou Plateau, he came to begin? Why does he never get anything? What is taken away? Oasa milk grass, Mani Dui, buttered tea, highland barley wine, Guozhuang dance, Do the images of those messy?
Blunt, diaphragm, or even secular.
This night, away from the Shangri-La, in Guiyang flowers in a mountain house, looking back to Shangri-La, I am more and more scared. Mani Dui, wind horse flag, buttered tea, highland barley wine, these shallow images have lost their Mody? Tickets, rebates, and burning Ciba, tour guides, coaches,抢拍photos businessman, perhaps only to leave them?
In 1994 the first reading of "Lost Horizon" scenario: a high sun in the sky. Holy snow-capped mountains. Beautiful and secluded valley length. Sacred and quiet temples.
Shangri-La, this in mind a decade-long construction of the country is necessary to passing away? I regret that impulse to travel incessantly.
There is no Shangri-Las? This problem is many people aspire to the impossible text opposite the Hilton. India, Nepal, the Pamirs, western Siberia, Diqing, Inagi, Nu River, Lijiang, Tarim and Turpan ... ... makes the Shangri-La bewildering myriad of textual research. This and all, was actually a point of reference is called "Lost Horizon" novels.
Drink highland barley wine when the woman sitting next to a Shanghai asked me, "You say there really Shangri it?", I did not answer. I asked her this question, she also did not answer. Our answer is to invite each other to drink a cup of highland barley wine. And that moment, she and I are now being lodged in a small town called Shangri-La, Zhongdian, in a generation after generation of Tibetans living in the home.
A Tibetan friend told me that he is very accustomed to call Shangri-La, more willing to say Shambhala. He is a good reason. 1775, VI, on the Panchen Lama Lobsang Dan Hua Xi Yi wrote a "Guide to the Kingdom of Shambhala." That kingdom, there are beautiful gardens, stately castles, rich people, people have access to Buddha's wisdom and kindness, the city, the same as the lotus in full bloom. It is said that travels in the Tibetan areas in many storytellers, often put a picture of the Kingdom of Shambhala, described his arrival to the listener feel the beauty of Shambhala. For the Shambhala's fascinating, can still be found in Zhongdian, in the Tibetan at home, a Tibetan girl singing pop songs for us, "Shambhala is not far away," I saw her pupil of the eye, the flashing forward to an oasis look forward to.
In fact, available at the Hilton before the novel, there are many people who came to Diqing. I would prefer to believe that some traveled the text. To Zhongdian, the first night, I read in a book, a Republican woman named Liu Manqing words, she is said to enter Tibet, Zhongdian is the way to passing the time around in 1930, she travels " Kozo light carriage sign "in such a narrative" ... ... Suddenly Daguangba boundless, Fengqing On Long, groaning Grass, full decorated yellow flowers, cattle and sheep flocks, the curtain 4 supports, again the city is like, smoke, such as strand, reminding us of scenes Wuling Fisherman, strayed into fairy Taoyuan. of this where, tonight's? and health at the junction of Yunnan, Zhongdian County, also. " I do not know whether or when the woman arrived in Diqing heard the legend of Shambhala, such as listening, how can one say Shambhala this analogy?
Shangri-La in the Diqing was announced in 1997, said that was the world's sensation, BBC, "The Times", "New York Times" and other media have broadcast the message. In fact, before precedents. In 1957, India's National Tourism Administration announced that the Indian side of Kashmir in the Himalayas, the town is the Hilton Balthus under the pen of the Shangri-La. In 1992, Nepal's tourism sector has also announced that Nepal's border town of Mustang for the Shangri-La. The Shangri-La's public for the world, could there in order to travel, to call this version of the Shangri-La Bar of wealth, which the Buddha and the Shambhala Sacred is a far cry from the. However, such a handwriting can not help but admire. To say that wealth, Shangri-La, Malaysia, Kuok Chinese entrepreneurs is greater when the handwriting, 1971, he named his hotel Shangri-La, Shangri-La hotel chain now is Asia's hotel industry's dominant, but a major feature of Shangri-La Hotel, Nai Shi " Lost Horizon, "a book of hotel rooms has become an essential product.
Zhongdian locals told me that Diqing was declared a Shangri-La is located, should be grateful to a young man named Sun Jiong. He is the staff of a travel company in Yunnan, Shangri-La in 1995 chance that the word actually originates from the English vocabulary Tibetan areas in Yunnan, he, together with his colleagues, with "Lost Horizon" in the vicinity cf Diqing book plot, and found landscape scenery and the stories depicted are strikingly similar. After so have many experts in research, the final location of Diqing named Shangri-La, while the town of Zhongdian, renamed Shangri-La County is also a.
Buddhists are looking for is the Pure Land of Maitreya.
Of fortune seekers to find a way of making money.
Was confirmed when the hermit scholar looking for silent recitation of "Land of Peach Blossoms."
Western visitors who do, I believe that most of them are in accordance with the standards to find the Garden of Eden, and certainly paddled cross talk over the Bible. Because Natiao snakes reasons, starting from Adam and Eve, Westerners have lost their park, the East as their only sustenance and hope.
For the average person, his Shangri-La where? I believe in his heart. Even if Sun Jiong, he is also looking for Shangri-La Shangri-La in mind when he did not support the belief that he would not do this at the time seemed almost impossible to find. I also prefer to believe that the search in the Sun Jiong year journey, the mind is not repeated surging gold tourist routes, but a pure heart from the persistent belief.
Last year I went to Zhongdian go, what they are doing. Why do so many people standing on an identity for the Shangri-la land, I went so far as there is a strong strangeness? Because I have not experienced look. I'm just a journey of faith who do not Bale. Walking in someone else's Shangri-La, like walking in the neighbor's garden, despite the beauty of a garden, and finally the non-effort of feeding, thus inevitably feel, lonely.
I will go to Diqing Mody? Of course. And will often go. Lijiang, Nujiang, Inagi ... ... If possible, I will go to more distant places. I was looking for Shangri-La, but I will not deliberately, just as those from the East and West, hiking, who is close to Tibetan areas of the plants, creatures, sunshine, air, or even every inch of land. Even if the poor I life, can not find my Shangri-La, but I will certainly have their own kingdoms and castles, there is no territory, no subjects, only one freedom of the soul.
