Two Shangrilas
Shangri-La came into English vocabulary after the publication of Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton and it has become synonymous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia¡ªa permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world., which is believed to exist by Tibetan Buddhists. In Tibetan it is pronounced as Shambhala. Tourismwise, there are two Shangrilas. Both are attractive.Shangrila in SichuanIn the far southeast of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, under the administration of Sichuan Province, Daocheng is a Kham county blessed with a varied and beautiful landscape. From the northern glacial-erosion highland where thousands of lakes and ponds are scattered and crowds of wild animals are inhabited, the topography descends through the rolling hills of Daoba River Valleys where there is a lot of farming, pasturing and pilgrimaging, across the comparatively flat heartland, up to the soaring heights of the mountainous south where stands a vast mountain consisting of three isolated peaks known as Khongga(snow-capped) Reesum(3 moutains) Gombo(religious protector).Daocheng is quite a Khamba land
¡°Kham¡± means ¡°eastern¡± while ¡°Ba¡± is for ¡°person¡± in Tibetan. Khambas are the people inhabited in the east of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They are tall, well-built, fearless and open of countenance. And they are gifted for business. Joseph F Rock , a famous American explorer, said they resembled Apache Indians.Dacheng is the poetry of all great outdoors...snow-clad mountains and thick, virgin forests...tranquil lakes, crashing white water rivers and deep gorges...untouched wildness, oderless hot springs and natural steam ...multi-coloured alpine meadows and huge-bouldered tableland...for hunting, fishing, hiking, hang gliding£¬horseback riding, canoeing, camping, climbing, cycling, spelunking and whatever you think suitable to.Of course, the best way to experience Daocheng¡®s unbeatable combinations of natural beauty and cultural riches is the walk through them. If you are a camper, Daocheng is your delight. No matter where you are in Daocheng, you are under the stars in splendid isolation. Yes, you might be disturbed by a few safe animals passing by.£¬such as pheasants, antelopes and so on.Daocheng is the paradise of the wild
long-tailed leaf monkeys, Dian golden monkeys, white-lipped deer, red deer, water deer, hair-crowned deer, musk deer, goral, argali, antelope and lesser panda...zibet, civet ,golden cat, lynx, snow leopard, cloud leopard...etc. Daocheng is a pilgrim must for a Buddhist in his lifetime.Three snow-capped Mounts called Khongga Resum Gombo in Daocheng is one of the 24 Holy Lands in Tibetan tradition.In 8th century Guru Rimpoche Padema Sambhava came to Daocheng. To overcome the powerful adversaries of Bonism (local religion) there he inaugrated a great many of peaks and lakes in the light of Buddhist figures. Of all the bodhisattivas, yidams, dakas and dakinis, Khangga Reesum Gombo is the most sacred. It is the pious wish of every Tibetan to make a pilgrimage at least once a life to the Holy Trinity. They are:Mt. Chenrezigs (19,769feet), Avolokitisvara in Sanskrit, Budhisattiva of Mercy. The one here is White Avolokitisvara, or Four-armed Avolokitisvara, serving as the Protctor of Tibet and Speech.Mt. Jampeyon (19,555feet), Manjushri in Sanskrit, Budhisattiva of Wisdom. The one here is Red Manjushri, serving as Protector of MindMt. Changna Dorjee (19,555feet),Vajrapani in Sanskrit, known as Thunderbolt Holder. The name is given to all the bodhisattivas holding vajra (thunderbolt, also known as Diamond) in their wrathful appearances to be in charge of Religious Protection. The one here is black, or blue in high-rank lamas¡® eyes, serving as Protector of Body.In Tibetan Buddhism the Trinity symbolizes Three Emptiness (Body, Speech and Mind)theoretically and functions in subduing evil spirits practically. The mountains have been inspiring awe all the time and preserved so well that one may find what it was here hundreds of years ago. True, it is home to some 100 species of animals among its spurs, cliffs, galciers, lakes, streams, valleys, gorges, flowering alpine meadows and majestic virgin forests.Joseph F. Rock,a famous American botanist and explorer, described in the National Geographic Magazine his two visits to these peaks in 1928.To quote a few lines of the description from a National Geographic Magazine in July 1931 is:Shenrizig(another spelling of Chengrezigs) resembles a huge white throne, such as Living Buddhas use when meditating---a worthy seat for a Tibetan deity!...In a cloudless sky before me rose the peerless pyramid of Jambeyang(another spelling of Jampeyon),the finest mountain my eyes ever beheld....It also prevented me from securing better photographs of Mount Chanadorje(another spelling of Changna Dorjee),for it persistently refused to unveil its hoaring head...Some one thousand years ago, Dusum Kyenpa(1110-1193),the First Karmapa wrote:Of all the Tibetan regions,Where I have already been,Never have I seen a prospect
Which is finer than that I find here. Shangrila in YunnanBorder to border, Shangrila in Yunnan refers to the Deqen Tibentan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Visitors to the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture are sure to find themselves in a land where mysterious tranquility pervades every inch of the ever-changing scenery. Zhongdian County remains an untainted natural paradise which retains a mysterious and bewitching quality.¡@¡@Three snow-capped mountains, Meili, Baimang and Haba, tower magnificently over the landscape. The region is crisscrossed by the Golden Sand, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers. These snowy peaks form a beautiful backdrop whose beauty is a feast to behold. Mirror-like lakes, scattered across the vast expanse of grassland, look like rich jewels inlaid on a beautiful tapestry. Cattle graze leisurely in the meadows, where exotic flowers and luxuriant grass wave at the request of the gentle breeze. In the depths of the surrounding forests is an exotic world of rare birds and animals.Mother Nature has endowed Shangri-la with bountiful natural wealth, making the land a happy home for the 100,000 Tibetans, Lisus, Naxis and Yis who call the area their home. As is this pristine natural environment, these nationalities are all kind, honest, extremely hospitable to outsiders. The lamasery of "Shangri-la" is Guihua Temple, or Songzanlinbu Monastery in Tibet. The monastery, with 800 lamas, resembles Potala Palace of Lasha in its layout. The five-story Tibetan style building is covered with wooden carvings and gold-plated copper tiles. You may have a look at the Gallery of Tibetan Religion and Culture in Deqen.A highway links Zhongdian to Kunming by a distance of 700 kilometres, and by 1999 an airline route will have been commissioned between the two places. Now, it is possible to book either a seater bus or sleeper bus from any large bus station in Kunming
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