1. Shangri La: Charm of a Dreamland
Shangri La is located in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in the northwest of Yunnan Province and the hinterland of the Hengduan Mountains on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. It is the border between Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet provinces. In Tibetan, it means' the sun and moon in the heart ', full of mysterious and unique charm
Shangri La has rich and diverse natural scenery, and is the location of the World Natural Heritage "Three Parallel Rivers" scenic spot. The Jinsha River, Lancang River, and Nu River flow parallel here, forming a spectacular natural landscape. The "First Bay of the Yangtze River" is even more stunning. The Yangtze River has made a sharp turn of over 100 degrees here, turning northeast like a gently fluttering ribbon drifting down from the blue mountains. The Napahai Nature Reserve is rich in water and grass, with cattle and sheep everywhere. The snow capped peaks are reflected in the lake, creating a paradise like beauty. It is also a habitat for the rare national first-class protected animal, the black necked crane. The Grand Bend of Jinsha River is like an impromptu painting of nature, with a graceful "Ω" - shaped turn drawn around the pyramid like Sun Cone PeakIn the tourism industry, Shangri La holds an important position. It is a dream place in the hearts of many people, attracting countless tourists to explore. Not only does this place have stunning natural scenery, but it also has a profound historical and cultural heritage. The Dukezong Ancient City is the best preserved and largest Tibetan residential complex in China. Although it has experienced fires, the traditional Tibetan painting and wood carving by craftsmen, as well as the Nisi black pottery and Dongba paper-making in the intangible cultural heritage experience center, still exude unique charm. As one of the four sacred mountains in Tibet, Meili Snow Mountain has attracted numerous hiking enthusiasts and tourists. Although it is forbidden to climb, its magnificence is always fascinating. Shangri La, this dreamlike place, is waiting for every tourist's arrival with its unique charm2. Recommended must visit attractions
(1)Pudacuo National Park
Pudacuo National Park is like a fairyland on earth, with peaceful mountain lakes, vast grasslands, and dense forests. The clear water of the Zhudu Lake is surrounded by vast grasslands, where cattle and sheep graze leisurely, like a beautiful pastoral painting. Bitahai is like a brilliant sapphire embedded in the mountains, surrounded by lush forests and continuous snow peaks. During the season when azaleas bloom every year, the spectacle of "azaleas drunk on fish" is breathtaking. Petals fall into the lake, and fish become intoxicated after accidentally eating them, forming a unique landscape. The original ecological environment in the park is well preserved, with rare animals and plants such as Yunnan snub nosed monkeys and red ducks, allowing people to fully experience the magic and beauty of nature
(II)Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge is famous for its steepness and huge drop. The canyon is over 20 kilometers long and is divided into upper, middle, and lower tiger jumps. Shanghu Tiao is a popular check-in spot for ordinary tourists, with elevators and artificial sedan chairs to choose from, as well as hiking to experience its steepness. Zhonghu Jump is a paradise for hiking enthusiasts and has been rated as one of the "Top Ten Classic Hiking Routes in the World". The route is simple and the scenery along the way is magnificent. The jumping of tigers is relatively less popular among tourists, but it also has its unique scenery of rising from a high gorge to a flat lake. Here, the Jinsha River surges and roars, and the sound of waves echoes through the valley, allowing people to fully appreciate the majestic power of nature
(III)Songzanlin Monastery
Songzanlin Monastery is known as the "Little Potala Palace" and is one of the largest Tibetan monasteries in Yunnan Province. Its architectural style is unique, consisting of a five story Tibetan style watchtower. The upper level of the main hall is adorned with gold-plated copper tiles, and the corners of the hall have flying eaves with animal kisses, combining the architectural style of a Han style temple. The temple has a profound cultural heritage and a collection of numerous precious cultural relics, such as the eight golden Buddha statues of Shakyamuni Buddha from the reigns of the Fifth and Seventh Dalai Lamas, the Lotus Sutra, and the colorful gold juice painted thangka. Songzanlin Monastery holds an important religious position in Tibetan culture, serving as a popular destination for religious believers and a great place for tourists to experience Tibetan culture
(IV)Dukezong Ancient City
Dukezong Ancient City has a history of more than 1300 years and is the best preserved and largest Tibetan residential complex in China. The ancient city was built along the mountain terrain, with a layout resembling eight petal lotus flowers and paved with stone slabs. Here is the world's largest prayer wheel, standing 21 meters tall and weighing over 60 tons. It is a holy land where Tibetans pray for peace and happiness. The unique Tibetan architectural style within the ancient city showcases the wisdom and artistic talent of the Tibetan people. In addition, the ancient city is also an important hub of the Tea Horse Ancient Road, witnessing the prosperity and changes in history
(V)Napa Sea
Napa Sea is a plateau seasonal lake with unique seasonal characteristics. In late summer and early autumn, frequent rainfall forms a large area of lake surface, with the lake on the grassland and the grassland in the lake, presenting a unique beauty. In winter, it becomes a vast swamp. Napahai is still a habitat for migratory birds, attracting numerous rare birds to come for winter every year, such as black necked cranes. The Napa Sea has different beautiful scenery in different seasons, making people linger and forget to leave
(VI)Balagezong Grand Canyon
Balagezong Grand Canyon has beautiful natural scenery, with towering snow capped mountains, deep canyons, and clear streams. There are also ancient Tibetan villages here that preserve traditional Tibetan culture and way of life. There are rare natural wonders in the Grand Canyon, such as natural pagodas. Legend has it that this is a place where immortals reside, full of mysterious colors. Tourists can appreciate the magnificence of nature and feel the unique charm of Tibetan culture here
III. Other Exciting Scenic Spots
(1)Baishuitai
Baishuitai is located in Sanba Township, Shangri La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, with an altitude of 2380 meters and an area of about 3 square kilometers. This is a masterpiece of nature, with layers of calcareous terraces resembling white terraced fields, known as the 'place where white clouds fall on earth'. In March, under the lens of Xinhua News Agency reporters, Baishuitai displayed a dreamlike beauty. From the perspective of a drone, the white plateau and the surrounding green mountains and waters complement each other beautifully. Baishuitai is a natural wonder formed by the dissolution of calcium carbonate in spring water. The pool water in Taichung is clear to the bottom, presenting a fantastic blue color, crystal clear like jade and blue like gemstones. With the changing sky and clouds, the landscape changes rapidly. Baishuitai is about 100 kilometers away from the downtown area of Shangri La and is a must pass point on the Huxiang Highway of the Shangri La Tourism East Ring Road. Its beautiful scenery has attracted many tourists who come from afar. Not only does this place have unique natural scenery, but it also carries rich historical and cultural heritage. The nearby ancient villages inherit excellent ethnic and folk cultures such as Dongba paper-making, Akbala song and dance, Dongba drum, and handmade spinning skills. Tourists can immerse themselves in the surrounding ancient villages to experience the unique charm of Naxi culture. Every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, the Naxi and Tibetan, Lisu, Yi, Bai and other ethnic groups from Siliba Township gather by the Baishuitai to sing and dance freely, expressing their songs and wishes for a better life
(II)Qianhushan
Qianhushan, also known as "Ramdongcuo" in Tibetan, means "Goddess Qianhu" or "Fairy Qianhu". It is located in the middle of Shangri La, Yunnan, at an altitude of about 3900 meters. This place is composed of numerous high mountains, lakes, primitive forests, and snow capped mountains and glaciers, creating a stunning picture. Qianhu Mountain is surrounded by primitive forests, mostly tall and straight fir and spruce trees. The lakeside is covered with rhododendron forests, with May and June being the enchanting scenery of the rhododendron flower sea, and September and October being the colorful forests. The lakes of Qianhu Mountain are diverse, some round like mirrors, some curved like crescent moons, some long like swimming fish, and some like strings of pearls and jade. Numerous lakes are hidden in the depths of the snow capped mountains and forests, deep and peaceful. This is a paradise for hiking enthusiasts, with a hiking route of about 9 kilometers and a climb of only 400 meters. As an entry-level hiking route, it is not a problem to travel back and forth in a day. It only takes about 5 hours to climb up and down the mountain, and the road has been carefully repaired by the villagers, making it easy for both novices and their children to navigate. During the hiking process, starting from the bamboo forest at an altitude of 3600 meters, passing through dense primitive forests, and reaching the high mountain lake at an altitude of 3900 meters, one can feel the subtle changes in altitude and appreciate the amazing craftsmanship of nature. You can also see various lingzhi and large mushrooms, as well as a burnt dry forest, as if it is a unique imprint left by nature. In addition, activities such as the first Shangri La Baishuitai Dongba Cultural Tourism Festival in 2024 and the third Diqing Red Army Long March Hiking Competition over Yaha Snow Mountain (Qianhu Mountain) have added more charm and vitality to Qianhu Mountain
(III)Shika Snow Mountain
Shika Snow Mountain is located in the southwest of Shangri La City, Yunnan Province, China. It is a sacred mountain that Tibetan people in Shangri La often go to worship. The highest altitude at the top of the mountain is 4500 meters, from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the eight sacred mountains of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet. Shika Snow Mountain is located at the center of the eight sacred mountains, hence it is known as the "God of Wealth Mountain". The natural landscape of Shika Snow Mountain is rich and diverse, with unique glacial landforms. The diversity of geological landforms is one of its major characteristic landscape resources, located in the Hengduan Mountains and Three Rivers valley area of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The geological structure is complex, with various strata exposed, as well as various angular peaks, U-shaped valleys, impact fans, glacial moraines, and ancient glacial landforms. The rich biodiversity is also a characteristic of Shika Snow Mountain. There are at least 73 families, 203 genera, and 399 species of seed plants in the scenic area, including 12 nationally protected plants. There are 151 rare and precious medicinal herbs, with over 100 species of wild birds and mammals, including 30 species of nationally protected rare and endangered animals. The natural landscape of Shika Snow Mountain is dynamic, with views of green grass in spring, flowers in summer, autumn colors, and snow in winter. The scenery varies in different seasons. Summer is the season of blooming flowers, autumn is the golden world, and winter becomes a dream world after snowfall. The Shika Snow Mountain Scenic Area has two cable cars that can easily reach the summit. If you go up and down the cable car, the scenery along the way is worth seeing. This place has great appeal to mountaineering and photography enthusiasts, as they can not only appreciate the infinite scenery of nature, but also feel the magical charm of mountain top culture and temple outside sacred mountain culture
IV. Featured Scenic Spots
(7)Jiaju Tibetan Village
Jiaju Tibetan Village is located in Danba County, Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province, 7 kilometers north of the county seat. It is known as the "Tibetan Fairy Tale World" and "Jiarong Style Business Card" for its unique Jiarong Tibetan Village residential architectural form. The Tibetan village climbs up layer by layer from the Dajin River Valley, with Tibetan style buildings scattered among the green trees, forming a pastoral painting along with the valley full of vitality, clear streams, and snow capped peaks Here, tourists can experience the unique Tibetan cultural activities, taste delicious food such as fragrant pig legs, old bacon, native chicken, and buy specialties such as snow pear, apples, walnuts, etc. You can also watch Guozhuang dance, Tibetan opera, participate in traditional festivals with ethnic characteristics such as Jiarong Tibetan New Year and Flower Viewing Festival. Jiaju Zangzhai was selected as one of the "Top 100 Summer Resort and Health Preservation Sites in China in 2020" in May 2020, making it a great destination for tourism and vacation Lugu Lake is a plateau freshwater lake located at the border of Yanyuan County in Sichuan Province and Ninglang County in Yunnan Province, China. The lake has an elevation of 2690 meters, an average depth of over 40 meters, and a maximum depth of 93 meters, making it the third deepest freshwater lake in China<145. There are unique aquatic plants such as seagrass flowers and three species of split belly fish growing here Maoya Grassland is located between Litang County and Batang County in Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The 318 National Highway spans the grassland and is a wide grassland in Sichuan Province. This place is known as the "Ruixiang Treasure Land" and the "Bronze Mirror like Grassland", which is said to be related to the love songs of Tsangyang Gyatso is considered to be the longest and deepest canyon in the world, located in Linzhi City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. The canyon is 504.6 kilometers long, with a maximum depth of 6009 meters and an average depth of 2268 meters Daocheng Yading National Nature Reserve is located in Shangri La Town, southeast of Daocheng County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. It is situated in the middle section of the Hengduan Mountains on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, at an altitude of 2900 meters (Gongga River mouth) to 6032 meters (Xiannairi Peak) Hailuogou Scenic Area is located in Moxi Town, Luding County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and is a national 5A level tourist attraction. There are six wonders here: glaciers, hot springs, snow capped mountains, red rocks, clouds and mist, and primitive forests The Nanga Bawa Peak was formed during the Himalayan orogeny, with an angular peak shape and three ridges. The surface rocks are mainly metamorphic rock series. The mountain peak faces the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, influenced by the terrain and the warm and humid Indian Ocean northward(8)Lugu Lake
(9)Maoya Grassland
(10)The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon
(XI)Daocheng Yading
(12)Hailuogou
(XIII)