SiHD Proudly Presents
Eternal snow covers this sacred mountain in China
An exquisite landscape lies at the foot of the mountain
This place is called "Shangri-La"
The name conjures up thoughts of some far-away fairyland
The name is steeped in myth
However, there actually exists on earth a beautiful place that has been named Shangri-La
It lies in a mystical landscape
The people living here have a reverence for nature
and they look upon the mountain as a source of protection
China's Shangri-La join as we visit this utopia on earth over the course of a year
Shangri-La
The novel "Lost Horizon" was published in England in 1933
This book gained international recognition
The novel describes the experiences of several Westerners in an imaginary place called Shangri-La
where people dwell in harmony with nature and live to be hundreds of years old
The story was made into a movie
and the name Shangri-La gained widespread recognition
The world was on the brink of World War II
and in the midst of this dark atmosphere
many people were easily enchanted by the story of a make-believe fairyland
This special place was said to be located "somewhere in Tibet"
"Far away, at the very limit of distance
lay range upon range of snow-peaks festooned with glaciers
and floating, in appearance upon vast levels of clouds"
Several different areas of China wished to take on the name Shangri-La
In 2002, the Chinese government declared that
Zhong Dian County lying in the northwest part of Yun Nan Province
was most similar to the mythical land
The county was renamed and the real-life Shangri-La was born
This's a highland area, even at its lowest point the land here lies at an altitude of more than 6500 feet
In 2003, the area was declared a World Natural Heritage Site
"For the mountain wall continued to drop, nearly perpendicularly
into a cleft that could only have been the result of some cataclysm in the far past
The floor of the valley, hazily distant welcomed the eye with greenness"
Buddhist towers made in the shapes of the sun and moon are found along the path
The predominant faith here is Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is strongly tied to nature worship
and majestic mountains are of
There is one mountain in particular thought to be most beautiful
that holds special spiritual importance
We first visited area surrounding it in February during the winter
Winter
On this day the temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit
We head off to the sacred area lying at an altitude of 11,000 feet
When we arrive, we find the area is blanketed in snow
The area surrounding the sacred mountain is cloudy year round
so the mountain is rarely visible in its entirety
We come upon Tibetan prayer flags called tarcho
the flags contain sutras written in Tibetan
They also contain prayers for family fortune and other bounties
Even when the mountain is hidden from view people here face toward it and offer their prayers
One rest area directly faces the mountain
Here we met a photographer named Mr. Zheng Yi
His photos of Shangri-La are said to be the best in all of China
Originally, he worked as a photographer in Shanghai
Four years ago, he first visited the area of Shangri-La
and immediately fell in love with the area's beauty
It is the sacred mountain that most attracts him
Sitting in the snow, he waits for a small window of clear sky so he can view the mountain
I've been to mountains al I across China
but the instant I saw this one I knew it was the best
For the first time in my life
I was actually moved to kneel down before something sacred
I waited here once before hoping for a momentary glimpse of the mountain
and that brief glimpse moved me in a way I cannot describe in words
It was just too amazing
On the 4th night of his wait, the moon finally pokes its way through the clouds
Before dawn he sets out to get a good view of the rising sun
Just before the sun rises a strong wind moves the clouds away
and gradually everything becomes brighter
"the mountain showed again
gray at first
then silver
then pink as the earliest sun rays caught the summit"
This is precisely the type of beautiful dawn described in the novel
The mountain composed of 13 peaks is called Mei Li Xue Mountain
One of the peaks, Shen Nu Peak possesses a special grace
Nearby, sits Wu Guan Peak laid out in the shape of a crown
According to legend, these secondary mountain peaks are family members
and followers of the main mountain peak
These majestic peaks are around 19,500 feet tall
The main mountain peak is called Kawagebo
in the Tibetan language
a name which means white, snowy mountain with a deep canyon
The peak is 22,100 feet tall
Its Chinese name is Tai Zi Peak
Climbing this sacred mountain is forbidden
so no human has journeyed to its peak
Tibetan Buddhism, Kawagebo is thought to be the
incarnation of Kagebo, a god who rides a white
He once was a rough, villainous character
However, a Buddhist priest helped him reach enlightenment, and become a god
He is now loved as the god of peace
and as the god who receives the souls of those who have died
Mr.Zheng Yi says that even if he spent a lifetime photographing the beauty of this mountain
he would not exhaust the subject
Depending upon the winds, the lighting and even my state of mind
every time I take pictures, here it's different
He's already taken some 20 or 30 thousand pictures of these mountains
However, there's a specific type of picture that he has not yet managed to take
His next chance to capture this image will be in the fall when the skies are clear
He's already begun to search for the best camera angle
Here before the mountain is an area where incense is burned
Many people come here everyday to pay their respect to the mountain's deity
Fragrant tree branches are burned as a form of offering
The beauty of Mei Li Xue Mountain
is one of the reasons this place attained the coveted name of Shangri-La
In the novel describing a mythical Shangri-La
there was also a sacred mountain of great importance
"Shangri-La was lovely then
touched with the mystery that lies at the core of all loveliness
The air was cold and still
it was so brittle-clear against the blue immensity beyond
in bright moonlight
it seemed as if a hand reached high might just touch it
The mountains gleamed around in a hedge of inaccessible purity
from which his eyes fell dazzled to the green depths of the valley
the whole picture was incomparable"
Summer
During the summer, Shangri-La experiences its rainy season
With the rains comes a change in the appearance of the land
This marsh is called Napahai and it sits at an altitude of 10,800 feet
Its name means "lake behind the forest" in the Tibetan language
There are some 16 villages located in this area
The people here earn their living by raising livestock
Tsuanpa is one of the Tibetans who lives off the natural richness of the area
Napahai is like a mother for the cows and horses; it's a paradise
Without this marsh we wouldn't be able to raise animals
When the rains cease the marsh has been transformed
A huge watery mirror has appeared
3 large rivers flow through Shangri-La here in the SanJiang BingLiu region
The Jin Sha River constitutes the upper reaches of the Yang Tze Riven
Waters flowing from the far reaches of the northern Tibet highlands
carve a dramatic arc into the land
The curving river is a prominent feature on this area and symbolic of Shangri-La
Land terraces are found near the river
The flatland now used for villages and farming was once river bottomland
The area once experienced a rapid upsurge and shaped the current landscape
People worship the unique natural landscape here
At the foot of the green mountain lies a white gleaming hill
This sacred land is called Bai Shui Tai
The Naxi tribe living here have long revered this area
The water flowing here is rich in calcium
which it picks up from the mountain's limestone deposits
Through slow accumulation of calcium
and repeated upward movement of the earth
this interesting staircase-shaped landscape was formed
It's believed this formation took between 200 and 300 thousand years
An altar has been built here and every day without fail people come to pray
It is said that Bai Shui Tai drew the Naxi people to this area
and that they began living here over 3,000 years ago
Long, long ago, our people did not know how to farm
However, we imitated Bai Shui Tai which had been created by the gods
And we gradually developed fields for our crops
The Naxi tribe call Bai Shui Tai a rice field left behind by a hermit
They have passed from generation to generation a song
which praises the area's beauty
The sight of Bai Shui Tai is grand
Its beauty is even known in the far-off heavens
Its valley has a river like a belt made of cotton
Bai Shui Tai is our pride
The fields reflect the blue sky
People gather at Bai Shui Tai to sing, dance and enjoy life
The unique topography of Shangri-La was formed
by the same tectonic movements that created the Himalayan Mountains
It is believed that approximately 70 million years ago
the land mass of India was sitting upon the ocean far from its present-day location
The Indian Plate, a tectonic plate underlying this land mass slowly moved northward
and ran into the continental land mass approximately 45 million years ago
As a result, he Himalayan Mountains were formed
The area surrounding one corner of the Indian Plate was greatly changed
a varied topographical region was born
Due to a combination of the tall mountains created here
and the low latitude at which the region lies
Shangri-La possesses a varied climate containing both subtropical and frigid zones
Even though the area lies in the south
Mei Li Xue Mountain contains a glacier
This glacier lies farther south than any other glacier found in the Northern Hemisphere
It provides the villages at the foot of the mountain with a steady supply of water
During the summer months
the people of the village live on pasture land located near the Mei Li Xue
Medicinal herbs said to be very effective in promoting health
among animals and humans alike grow abundantly in the area surrounding the pasture land
The local people believe that cows eating these plants in the summer
become robust and capable of remaining free of sickness during the winter months
Daily chores here include milking the cows in the morning
and again at night and making butter with the fresh milk
The workers sing a special counting song
to keep track of how many times they've churned the milk
They churn 700 times slowly and then they are done
The yellowish fatty part of the milk separates and floats to the surface
Butter made in this way provides the village's greatest source of income
1 pound sells for about 1.70 dollars
This is a very important place
Butter is a precious source of income
Our butter has a very good reputation
Aren't you lonely when you leave the village?
I like it here and I like the cows. So it's not so bad
Snowfall can begin here as early as the end of August
Although summers are short
during this time the mountain shares its abundant riches
Autumn
Autumn in Shangri-La is magical
Larch and birch trees enliven the valley's hues as they take on their autumn colors
The marsh of Napahai is now dappled red
This plant symbolizes fall here
when it covers the ground it is time for the harvest
Tsuanpa has begun to harvest his wheat and all his relatives lend a hand
Loving one's land and living in one's hometown is happiness
When we sing we forget all our worries
Working together with everyone is such fun
"they were good humored and mildly inquisitive
courteous and carefree
busy at innumerable jobs but not in any apparent hurry of them
Altogether, it was one of the pleasantest communities he had ever seen"
Around the time the harvest ends
pilgrims begin appearing in Shangri-La
They come here to visit Mei Li Xue Mountain
Pilgrimage is a necessary part of life for Tibetans
People from the villages here also join in
There are several different routes that pilgrims can follow
The shortest route takes 5 days and the longest 2 weeks
The pilgrims recite sutras as they walk around the mountain
Tsuanpa also joins the pilgrimage
They carryover 30 pounds of supplies including their food and cooking utensils
The added weight makes their journey more challenging
The people here believe that the more hardship they experience
the more spiritual cleansing they will receive
Many Tarcho are hung along the pilgrimage route
The colors represent different elements
yellow represents the land
blue the sky
red represents
green the river
and white the clouds
Tsuanpa's family has been on their pilgrimage for 3 days now
For the first time during this pilgrimage they catch a glimpse of Kawagebo
As the mountain is often hidden by clouds
it's believed to be extremely good luck to be able to see it during one's pilgrimage
May god protect us
On the fourth day of their pilgrimage
they arrive at the most important part of their route
This sacred area is called Shen Pu
It sits at an altitude of about 12,000 feet
Pilgrims walk under the falls 3 times in a clockwise direction
It is said that when one is hit by the falling water one receives the god's blessing
No matter how heavy the load one carries and how difficult their journey
one cannot stop walking until pilgrimage is done
People are willing to temporarily give up care of their children
and animals to be able to make a long pilgrimage
and help insure a good life in the next world
I'm very happy, we were able to make a pilgrimage such as this
People here gain spiritual peace by offering prayers to nature
and by entrusting their afterlives to nature as well
The holiday season is in the fall
Tourists and photographers from all over China are drawn to the mountain
During this time of year, the mountain is most beautiful at dusk
30 minutes after the sun falls behind the mountain
the faint amount of remaining sun light is reflected by the clouds
and the sky takes on a reddish tone
This exquisite panorama of sunset-tinged clouds lasts only for a few minutes
A unique beauty pervades the landscape at this time of year
the clear sky is filled with a perfect balance of clouds
This fall there is one picture that Mr. Zheng Yi is anxious to take
Since first visiting Shangri-La
he has taken many, many pictures of the mountain
However, there is one subject he has yet to capture
He's decided that this year will be the year
he finally succeeds in putting this subject on film
He begins searching for the right camera angle
In October, he receives word of a good vantage point for the image he's looking for
I've waited for this opportunity for many years
Finally, I hope to capture the image of the mountain reflected on a lake
The mountain reaches a height of over 19,500 feet
In order to take a picture of the mountain reflected in water
the body of water will have to sit at quite a high elevation
He's heard that there's a site that meets his needs
and he sets out with his assistant
They are headed for the village of Souda
located atop a far off mountain at an altitude of 10,500 feet
Outsiders rarely visit the village
Hearing of Mr. Zheng Yi's arrival everyone has turned out to greet him
There are 10 households in this small village-only 66 people live here
However, the village has a long history
and is said to have been here on this mountain for over 1000 years
Every house of the village commands an excellent view of Kawagebo
It is customary for the people of Tibet to wear ceremonial dress
when welcoming visitors from far away
The villagers sing and dance at their welcoming party for Mr.Zheng Yi
This traditional Tibetan dance is called the Xian Zi Dance
The dancers wave their long sleeves in rhythm to music
from an instrument called a Xian Zi
You crossed mountains and rivers to come here and we are happy
We welcome you and are happy to be able to meet you
by the grace of Kawagebo
Mr.Zheng Yi wonders about the lake he is headed to
He keeps his excitement under wraps as a villager leads him to the site
Ah, those leaves are pretty
Unfortunately, when he reaches his destination
he receives an unpleasant surprise
Although he had been told he would find a lake here
it turns out to be nothing more than a small pond
To be honest, I'm very disappointed
It didn't rain much at all this year
and I guess the lake lost a lot of its water
This wasn't what he had been looking for
However, he doesn't completely give up hope of getting a good picture
and he begins to look for the right camera angle
At 6 am on the following morning
he's ready and waiting to work
When the sun rises it will dye the mountain red
That's the picture I want
In his mind, he visualizes the picture he wants
When the morning sun strikes the mountain
the mountain will take on a rose-colored glow for a brief instant
It is this scene that he's waiting for
At 6:30 the sunlight begins to fall upon the mountain peak
For the first time, he sees on the water's surface
the upside down image of the mountain that he has been hoping to photograph
The reflected image is tinged a darker shade of red than the actual mountain
On clear days, the color of an image reflected in water
is subtly changed by the interaction of water and light
It is this effect that Mr. Zheng Yi seeks
I was able to take a very good picture of the main peak
Each different viewing point brings with it a new type of photograph
No one else has captured this unique view of the mountain
Another photograph joins this photographer's collection of unusual landscape scenes
Once again, the signs of winter visit Shangri
In October, the first snow falls on the mountain
Even cold weather does not stop the incessant flow of people to this sacred land
Believing that the mountain will always protect them
the people of Shangri-La greet the coming of a new season
Over 70 years ago, an English author envisioned a utopia called Shangri-La
We've found an actual place
whose landscape and way of life fittingly conform to his description
Life continues peacefully here in this land protected by a sacred mountain