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Shangri-La
It
was the British writer James Hilton's novel,
The Lost Horizon, some 50 years ago, that
brought fame to an unknown and uncontaminated
place- Shangri-La -and made the area a household
name. The novel describes in great detail
the stunning scenery in the area; the azure
sky, the breathtaking beauty of the landscape
and the hospitality of the honest and unsophisticated
people who welcome weary travelers to their
homeland.
In the Tibetan language, Shangri-
La means a place of good fortune and luck.
Located in the midst of three rivers; the
torrential Jinsha, Langcang and Nujiang,
Shangri-La is a sacred scenic region with
distinguishing features. Scores of years
have witnessed the failure of numerous efforts
to seek out and pinpoint the exact location
of this dreamland. A few years ago, after
years of persistent searching and researching,
the government of Yunnan Province finally
declared the discovery of Shangri-La and
the long lost horizon was recovered in Diqing,
this stunning prefecture in Yunnan Province.
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