Shangri-La County

cctv.com 12-17-2003 11:00

Not everybody has read the book - lost horizon (1933), but few would not recognize the name of Shangri-La, a heaven away from the turbulent mundane world.

Not surprisingly, since the book came out in 1933, many efforts were launched to seek out the mysterious land described by James Hilton. And over time, more and more evidence supports the belief that Shangri-La is hidden away somewhere in the southeast tip of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

Finally, Yunnan province declared that Shangri-La was discovered in Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture located on the northwest tip of Yunnan province.

The Diqing prefecture covers a total area of roughly 23,000 square kilometers and consists of three counties, Shangri-La, previously known as Zhongdian, Deqin, and Weixi.

No one would argue that the great Nature is generous to Deqen: hundreds of snow-capped peaks, numerous rivers and lakes, boundless rich grassland with grazing cattle and horses under deep blue sky. In this movie-like setting, people of different ethnic groups such as Tibetan, Naxi, Lisu and Yi have been leading a peaceful and religious life for thousands of years.

Editor:Han Ling  Source:CCTV.com