Blogs from Zhongdian, Yunnan, China, Asia

A jsem v Yunnanu. Přesněji řečeno na jeho okraji, v městě zvaném tibetsky Gyalthang a čínsky Zhongdian (中甸县). Město je ale od roku 2001 přejmenováno za účelem přilákání turistického ruchu na Shangri-La (香格里拉县), jméno evokující ráj na zemi - snad právě proto člověk musí cestou ze Sečuánu překonat strasti cesty (), aby ráj náležitě ocenil, nebo jde snad jen o ironický výsměch Hana, který coby přistěhovalec do tohoto dříve tibetského sídla změnu názvu prosadil. Samotný název "Šangri-La" pochází snad z tibetštiny, ale do světového kulturního povědomí ho dostal James Hilton románem The Lost Horizon, který zasadil sice do prostředí hor Kunlun, avšak zjevnou inspirací mu byly cestopisné texty Josepha Rocka, velkého znalce prostředí Yunnanu a okolí (ať už flóry, geologie nebo jazyků obyvatel), který zde kolem roku 1930 několik let pobýval a sepsal o tom řadu ... read more

CHINA: Zhongdian...the Road to Shangri-la. We have all been on hairy precipitous roads...one of the best...the road we took from Lijiang to reach the reason for my first trip to China...Shangri-la...brilliant. The road beyond to Tibet...impassible due to heavy snow. First bend of the Yangtze...the river takes a 180 degree turn...then heads deep into China...all the way to Shanghai. Signs warning not to swim across...as if...vendors around small fires...only moving if we approach their tables of wares. Bought a Tibetan mirror and a Tibetan necklace with a pendant of a minature feather one side & a dagger the other...wore it for the rest of the trip...as well as my later trips to China...special piece among the truckloads of souvenirs I have bought to assist the Chinese economy. Into the 8 seater heading into the mountains...STOP...road blocked...Detour ... read more

Shangri La (Zhongdian) maybe Diqing Who knows where we really are. The town’s name was changed to Shangri La in 2001 to try and tap into the tourist trade. Anyway we are a long way from anywhere on a plateau, snuggled between mountains on the border with Tibet. The Tibetan influence is very strong here though it is obvious who is in charge and it stems from Beijing. A massive amount of money is being spent. To increase the Chinese tourist trade and appease the locals. We are staying in the old town which has the echoes of culture and tradition slowly being eroded by modernization. Traditional clothed women walk the streets while sports stores selling Nike overlap. The locals know they need the money but don’t want to lose their roots. Shangri La is unsure ... read more

I listened to classic and hard rock on the way north, staring out and seeing the plentiful hills of the Yunnan countryside progressively turn into bigger and grander mountains. As the bus arrived in Shangri-La, or Zhongdian as it is also known, the transformation was complete as the snow covered mountains could be seen abound. After leaving the station, and noticing the air was quite cool, I wandered through streets (yet again) until I approached the old town. I checked into Kevin's Trekker Inn just outside and then explored. This town is highly Tibetan, as can be seen through architecture, food, and even the people's faces. At one point I had been entertaining the idea of visiting Tibet, but due to the government restrictions in place and the cost just for the permit I said forget ... read more

Zhongdian is a small town high in the mountains just outside of Tibet. The population, architecture, food, etc. are Tibetan. In 2001 the Chinese authorities officially changed the name to Shangri-La (or as the Chinese say "Shangri-Li-La") to capitalize on their claim that Zhongdian is the basis for the fictional city in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. This is purely a marketing strategy to make it the next stop in the popular Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge trail. Knowing this going in made the town an interesting study on how the Chinese economic mega-machine approaches tourism. Having said that, it was actually a nice place to spend a few days. The "old" town, which is partially authentic and partially expansion, was as close to Lhasa (Tibet) as I was going to get this trip. I took ... read more