Shangri-la

Attractions in Shangri-la Overview

Shangri-La City, formerly known as Zhongdian, is located in the northern edge of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, China. It is the capital of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and was renamed from Zhongdian County to Shangri-La on 17 December 2001. The name change was an effort to promote tourism in the area, as it was named after the fictional land of Shangri-La in the 1933 James Hilton novel "Lost Horizon". The city was upgraded into a county-level city on 16 December 2014.

Shangri-La City is renowned for its spectacular natural scenery and unique Tibetan-style architecture. Its major tourist attractions include the Shangri-La Grand Canyon, Meili Snow Mountain National Park, Baishuitai National Forest Park, and the Pudacuo National Park. The Shangri-La Grand Canyon is a breathtakingly beautiful tourist site with stunning canyon views and immersive hiking trails.

In addition to its natural beauty, Shangri-La City is also an important cultural center for Tibetan Buddhism. There are numerous temples and Buddhist cultural relics in the city, with the most famous being Songzanlin Monastery. It is one of the largest Tibetan Yellow Sect monasteries in the world, known for its grand architecture and rich collection of art.

In summary, Shangri-La City, also known as Zhongdian, offers visitors a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage, making it a must-visit destination in Yunnan Province, China.

Pudacuo National Park

Songzanlin Monastery

Napa Lake

Pudacuo National Park

Pudacuo National Park is located about 25km east of Shangri-La County. Asthe first national park on the Chinese mainland, Pudacuo was open to visitorsin 2007. It incorporates the Bita Lake Nature Reserve and the Duhu Scenic Areain the Hongshan region. As such they are part of the Three Parallel Rivers ofYunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site.Pudacuo qualifies as a natural wonderland. It containsendemic species of fish found nowhere else in the world, rare and beautifulorchids, black-necked cranes and taxus, a yew whose extract are indispensableto the creation of many cancer drugs.

Songzanlin Monastery

Songzanlin Monastery is a typical Lama monastery. Located at the foot ofMt. Foping, 4 kilometers north of Zhongdian County, a monastery was first builthere in 1679 and has been rebuilt many times. The architectural style of thebuilding is a faithful imitation of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.
The two main halls here are surrounded byhundreds of rooms for monks. In the main halls, three bronze statues andbeautiful color murals decorate the walls relating to historical Buddhistevents.

Napa Lake

Napa Lake is 3270 meters above sea level and covers660 square kilometers; it is approximately 8 kilometers northwest of Shangri-laCounty.
Napa Lake Nature Reserve is both an idealgrazing field for herdsmen and a paradise for many species of birds. This is,in the true sense, a seasonal lake. When summer comes, snow on the adjacentmountains melts and flows down into about ten rivers forming a vast lake. Inthe dry season, Napa Lake becomes boundless green grassland--the best time forherding sheep or cattle. Every September, the lake turns into a temporaryhabitat for migratory birds, such as bar-headed geese, wild ducks andblack-necked cranes (one of the 12 rarest bird species in the world).