Shangri-La, Zhongdian

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.