A China Travel

"Shangri-la" is a name that has worked its way into the English language. Synonymous with "utopia"，the word was first used in 1933, coined by the English author James Hilton in his novel "Lost Horizon."
Shangri-la was a fictitious paradise, characterized by towering snow-capped mountains, lush forests, vast gorges and idyllic lakes. The beautiful scenery described by Hilton makes the name stick in popular memory and arouses a certain curiosity and mystery whenever it is heard.
Bearing the longing to the “Utopia” portrayed in the “Lost Horizon”, I came to the Shangri-la County located in the Diqing prefecture in Yunnan Province, in hope of finding the fairyland I dreamed. The unique scenery and traditions in the splendid Shangri-la indeed brought me extremely great spiritual enjoyment.
Shangri-la's peaceful atmosphere could be described as spiritual, and with the amount of religious heritage, that seems quite a fitting description. Only about three kilometers from the downtown area, Songzanlin Monastery, or "Little Potala" as it is affectionately known, is a spiritual hub for people to discover the mystery and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Though it can’t match the resplendent and magnificent of the Potala Palace, I was still shocked by its grandeur and solemnness.
Being a mountain resort, Songzanlin Monastery is the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhism complex in Yunnan. It is said that with the approval of Kangxi emperor, the Fifth Dalai Lama divined and chose the place in body to build it, which gave the Songzanlin Monastery a special mystery. Imaging what a resplendence scenery when the first wave bundle of sunshine converging on it, and who will doubt that it is a place congregated with thearchy? No wonder there is always a dense peace and serenity.
Bitahai Lake, which is also close to Shangri-la, is regarded as a "holy lake". In Tibetan, "bita" means "piece of land as soft as cattle hair" and the locals often call the lake "hai", or "sea" in Chinese. I was endlessly marveled at the unexpected view on small meadow on the way from Shangri-la County to the Bitahai Lake. On the vast grass carpet, diverse nameless small yellow flowers were blooming, flocks and herds were lowering their heads and browsing. Besides, there were streamlets flowing gently on hills, golden rape blooming, and smoke from kitchen chimneys wreathing. Among the farmhouses, I was totally fascinated by the wonderful view before I reached the Bitahai Lake. I was on the scoop by the lush forests around the Bitahai Lake and the bright-colored floweret spread all over the lakefront. With leisureliness and serenity there, people all believed that it was the best place that jinn inhabit.
It was a bright day, the lake was surrounded by spruce-covered mountains, and the water was tranquil and clear. Schools of fish were swimming deeply below the surface. The surrounding mountains are also spotted with fields of azaleas. Each year, in late spring and early summer, the flowers bloom. The wind carries the petals down into the lake and the fish rise to the top, vying with each other to eat them. These petals are slightly poisonous and fish become lethargic and slothfully, intoxicated by the flower's chemicals. It was really an enchanting scene, from the guide we learned it is known as "fish drunk by azalea."
The live beauty in Shangri-la is much more unforgettable. The fetching dance, loud and clear singing voice of the native people of Zang nationality, together with the ghee tea and qingke spirit(spirit made from highland barley)brought to the table by the beauties with graceful dance, overflowed the unique rhythm and flame on the highland. Our complicated love and hate, unhappiness and irritancy completely vanished. No wonder people love to come and stay here, cure and purify their hurt in the long land of living as well as their hearts that have changed knowing and cold, till they’ve been in harmony with the beautiful scenery here.
Facing this piece of tranquil, free and human-nature harmonious Holy Land, we hold many sighs of emotion. It is a helpless reality that we only can temporarily be intoxicated with the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains, but we are not able to leave this chaotic and complicated reality, no matter how reluctant to depart from Shangri-la. People living in this world are always in such a hurry to set out. Occasionally, they find a “Shangri-la” to have a rest, but just like an injured lamb licking its wound in the secluded corner, after that, they must set out again and fight back into the fiercely competing life. However, we have the reason to believe that once we hold a belief, guard our innermost “Shangri-la”, desert the inordinate ambitious, ceaselessly improve oneself and don’t go swim with the tide. We can equally find the life oasis that belongs to us and achieve the highest state of life.
“Zha-xi-de-le”( Good luck ), Shangri-la！

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