Shangri-la, Yunnan Tour

Shangri-La - Could British writer James Hilton’s imaginary paradise really exist? According to people of Zhongdian, Yuannan Province, the answer is YES. Shangri-La, a land of eternal youth in Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon, has fascinated people around the world with its picturesque natural scenery and harmonious living environment. It is a place surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, gorges, and lakes. It is a place where many religions co-exist, and people of various ethnic backgrounds get along in harmony. It is a paradise sought by men of all colors and beliefs, a paradise that doesn’t really exist, or so have people believed.
However, since the mid-1990’s, more and more people have come to believe that there is indeed a place that resembles Shangri-La. Zhongdian County, a small township in Yunnan Province, looks so much like Shangri-La that in the summer of 2002, the Chinese government approved its request for a name change, from Zhongdian to Shangri-La.
Our Shangri-La Hiking tour will take you to places that resemble in many details James Hilton’s exotic Utopia. You will experience snow-capped mountains, green lakes, flowers and friendly local residents. Shangri-La’s many attractions include Bita Lake Nature Preserve, Napa Lake Baishui Terrace, Haba Snow Mountain, and Meli Snow Mountain.
China's First National Park Unveiled in Shangri-La
Shangri-La, famed as one of China's most naturally beautiful areas, now has the added honor of holding China's first national park, the 2,000-square-km Potatso National Park which was inaugurated on Thursday in Yunnan Province.

The national park takes up 17 percent of Diqing, an autonomous prefecture of Yunnan principally inhabited by Tibetans. Its diverse sceneries include crystal-clear lakes, undulating mountains and gurgling streams, making it a clear choice to become the country's first national park.

Local government efforts to map the park began in early 2006 since which time over 200 million yuan (US$26.3 million) have been spent on strengthening the park's preservation and eco-tourism appeal.

"By establishing the Potatso national park, China has taken the first step towards blending tourism development with natural protection," said Song Yinxiu, head of the park's administrative bureau.

Currently, around 69 km of roads have been constructed around two of Potatso's major scenic spots, the Shudu and Bita Lakes. The lakesides have also been protected by the laying down of 10km plank roads along their edges. The focus on environmental protection stretches all the way to the park's facilities with solar-powered public toilets and buses using clean energy used to minimize pollution.

During the park's ten-month trial operation run, it received 600,000 visitors with half the revenues from ticket sales being reconverted to environmental protection.

Although this is China's first national park, over 9,800 exist worldwide with the Yellowstone National Park in the US being the first one to be established in 1872. (Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2007)

Yunnan-The Convivial Torch Festival

On the night of 29th July, the torch Day of Sani people is in two days. However, when we were on the way to Mlile, we saw that in almost one-kilometer way there are young guys dancing and singing in a circle. The sound of flute and great three strings spread over hill surroundings.
Secondly, we headed for Nuyi County. There is a canyon called as bullfighting. It is said that former young boys and girls herded bulls and have a bullfighting match. Then, it has become a place where the Torch Festival is hold on as a custom through long time usage. In the depth of mountain, suddenly we saw a splendid situation as a group of camps. Fire lights the whole dark sky. Sheep and cattle appear all over the mountain and plain. The great three strings hang on the trees. In canyon, Sani girl made up towards mirror under a pine tree. Their embroider head wrappers is colorful like clouds floating in the sky.
We heard a sound of copper horn as soon as we got there hastily. The ceremony is beginning. The local leader told us that it was the collective torch festival of Yi people from 4 counties and 11 villages all together. Some advanced producers were commanded on the stage this time. These presents with smile wearing red strip took in honors. At this moment, claps and singing echoed over the hill. Successively, wrestling and bullfighting as traditional programs commenced. A cattle named “shilin” defeated 10 competitors at one blow. It was wrapped strip as a hero. Girls and boys danced and sang ardently. They looked after the true love. It is towards evening, and mist was uprising in the forest. Bifenghua who was the chairman of Youth League of Nuyi county and a beautiful girl named Liuguiying were hand in hand and sang a sing wisperly:
If you agree with pleasure, let’s go a way. We are living altogether, as Zizilaguzha grass intertwist each other.
They looked like bold and unrestrained. As a matter of fact, they poured out their true love by graceful language. The derivation of the torch festival has a lots. It is no doubt that the torch day is a true holiday for expression of labor and loving. Wrestling and bullfighting game all were over. Brains of people and healthy of livestock were proven to be well. The young fell into love. At the last night, fire lights blazing around the forest and villages. Around a pile of flopping flame, evocation ritual began according to the ancient tradition. The young called for loving rather than they beckoned their ancestors. After that, laboring stared once again.

A Survey of the Stone Forest

The Stone Forest lies in the hinterland of the Middle Yunnan Plateau, 103°11″—103°29″ east longitude and 24°40″—24°56″ north latitude. Located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, it’s over 70 kilometers away from Kunming. The climate belongs to the subtropical low latitude monsoon climate, with an average temperature of 16℃. It’s a large-scale comprehensive tourism area incorporating natural scenery, national customs, leisure and holiday, and scientific research. As the essence of the world’s karst, the Stone Forest is well-known for “grandness, rarity, danger, elegance, quietness and vastness”. It is dubbed as “the first wonder of the world” and “a natural museum of physiognomy” and enjoys a good reputation in geology circles for its remote history, wide variety, and large scale. It took shape 270 million years ago, experienced long geological evolution and complex geographical change and became the precious geological relic it is today. It includes numerous physiognomy types of the world such as the stone forest of Malaysia, America and Africa. It seems that the stone forests of all the world assemble here. With well-structured stone teeth, peak clusters, water-eroded caves, karst lakes, waterfalls and underground rivers, it’s a typical plateau karst ecological system and a solid panoramic picture. Covering an area of 1100 square kilometers and having a protection area of 350 square kilometer, there are all kinds of unique natural sceneries. According to the lay-out and features of the scenery, the scenic area is divided into eight sub areas: the Stone Forest Scenic Area, Heisongyan (Naigu) Stone Forest, Zhiyundong Cave, Changhu Lake, Feilong Waterfall (Dadieshui) Scenic Area, Kuishan National Forest Park, Yuehu Lake, and Qifengdong Cave. Among these, the Stone Forest Scenic Area (the key scenic area), Heisongyan Scenic Area, Feilong Waterfall Scenic Area and Changhu Lake Scenic Area have been developed and opened to tourists. In the Stone Forest Scenic Area, the key area, over 100 scenic spots familiar to tourists such as “Shilinshengjing (the highlight of the Stone Forest)”, “Qianjunyifa (in a most dangerous condition)”, “Phoenix Combing Wings” and Ashima are all here. Entering the scenic area is like entering the tunnel of time. You can feel the great works of Nature. Traveling in the maze below the sea, you can see barranca and stone peaks, just like a lively and grand natural painting. In addition, there are many peripheral sights and potential scenic areas to be developed gradually for the people. The charm of the Stone Forest lies not only in the natural sights but also in the customs of the Sani people of Shilin County, for it is “the hometown of Ashima”. In the endless stone peaks and red earth of Shilin, there are also precious national and historical culture resources. Sani People, a branch of Yi, have lived here for over 2000 years and are famous for their diligence, bravery and warmth. Yi culture typical of Ashima has rich connotations and great influence. What Ashima represents is not only the image of Shilin, but also that of Yunnan tourism. In Ashima culture, the most influential are “one poem”, “one film”, “one song” and “one festival”. The ancient narrative poem Ashima written in Yi characters has been translated into over 20 languages; adapted from this poem is China’s first stereo film Ashima which enjoys a great reputation in the world; the Sani song Please Stay here, You Guest from afar is famous in the world; and the Torch Festival of Yi, which falls on the 24th of the 6th month of the lunar year and incorporates wrestling and bullfighting, is dubbed as the “Oriental Carnival”.
The Stone Forest Scenic Area has the following titles approved by relevant international and national departments ▲China Key Scenic Area (State Council, 1982) ▲Demonstration Site of Chinese Civilized Scenic Areas (Central Office of Civilization, the Ministry of Construction and National Tourism Administration, 1999) ▲State AAAA Scenic Area (National Tourism Administration, 2001) ▲Chinese Geological Park (the Ministry of Land Resources, 2001) ▲Demonstration Unit of Chinese Protection of the Legal Rights and Interests of Tourism Consumers (Consumer Protection Fund of China, Scenic Area Association of China, 2001) ▲Quality Management System Authentication ISO 9001:2000, Environment Management System Authentication ISO14001：1996, Professional Health and Safety Management System Authentication GB/T28001：2001 ▲Famous Tourism Brand of China (China Tourism Newspaper) ▲The First World Geological Park (UNESCO, 2004)

Yunnan-Kunming

Kunming, which is situated in central Yunnan and north of the Dianchi Basin, is skirted on three sides by mountains, with one side opening onto the Dianchi Lake. The city is nicknamed City of Spring due to the fact that it is covered all the year round with the rich verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the citys 15,000 square kilometres of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers. Kunming is world-famous for its abundance of camellias, orchids, azaleas and Primula malacoides , which can be found in the Kunming Botanical Garden, where 4,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants grow profusely. Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in southwest China.In ancient times it was an important gateway to the celebrated Silk Road which conducted to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India.The citys highland scenery is alluring, its karst landform is bewitching. Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and customs, and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of cultural interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. Among the major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake, the Cuihu Lake, the Village of Ethnic Culture, the Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, the Western Mountain Forest Reserve, the Stone Forest, the Jiuxiang Scenic Belt, the Yuantong Mountain, the Grand View Pavilion, and the Qiongzhu Temple.

Yunnan-Lijiang

The Yangzi River and the Yellow River are well-known as the two longest rivers in China and are noted as Giant Asian Rivers. Situated between 99o 30 E to 100o 50 E and 26o N to 27o 50 N, Lijiang can be easily located by every tourist from abroad when they trace along the Yangzi River from its mouth in Shanghai back toward its source. The ajncient town of Lijiang is a travelers wonderland which has been classified as a World-class Cultural Legacy by UNESCO, Nationallevel Scenic Zone and a National Town of History and Culture.Lijiang is a beautiful shining jewel on the Northwest Yunnan Plateau neighbouring the southeast side of the Tibentan Plateau which is considered to be the Roof of the World . It covers an area of 20,600 square kilometers with a population of 1,030 ,000. The whole district is comprised of four counties: Lijiang, Yongsheng, Huaping and Ninglang. LiJiangs weather is remark-ably pleasant. Spring there lasts as long as 241 days and there is no hots ummer. Lijiang is 603 kilometers away from Kunming and 280 kilometers from the JingJiang Railway Station on the Kunming - Chengdu line. The airport in LiJiang had been opened in 1994.Lijiang boasts of breath - takingly wonderful sights such as Jade DragonSnow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan) and its modern maritime glacier,the only one of its kind in the southern end of the Northern Hemisphere; Tiger Leaping Gorge ( Hutiaoxia ); the world - famous grand canyon; Lugu Lake, the culturalcradle of the Matriarchy of the Yongning Mosuo people in Ninglang; the Old Town of Dayan Lijiang, which is referred to by European and American tourists as the Oriental Venice .All these natural sceneries and these cultural treasures of the minority peoples, such as Dongba Culture, Naxi Classical Music,Baisha Murals and Mosuo Customs, have been continuously drawing tourists from all over the world and have recently vote Lijiang as one of the favorite destinations in China.In 1989, Lijiang was ranked as a Level - 1 Tourisrn Hot Spot of China by the yunnan Tourism Bureau. In 1992, it was rated as one of the four provincial - level travel zones of Yunnan by the provincial government. There is a saying which goes: Visit not Lijiang, visit not Yunnan ! Lijiang is now opening its gate ready to heartily welcome guests from all over the world and show off its exotic and alluring scenery as well as the rich and colourful ethnic customs of its people.

Yunnan

Yunnan, on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest of China lying just below the Tibetan Plateau and abutting Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, is a mysterious land of great natural beauty. It covers an area of 394,000 square kilometers, and has a population of 40,000,000. Even today many Chinese think of it as a frontier province In few provinces of China is so great a diversity of natural conditions and culture to be found as in Yunnan. Yunnan has an unique array of fascinating ecotourist resources, including mountains and glaciers snow-capped all year round, lakes and hot springs, alpine landscapes, primeval temperate woodland, and tropical rain forests where elephants and monkeys roam . Forests, totaling nearly 10 million hectares, or eight percent of the nations total, cover 24.9 percent of the land of Yunnan, which is Chinas haven for plants and animals. More than half of Chinas 30,000 kinds of high-grade plants can be found in Yunnan, which is also home to 3,000-plus kinds of rare animals (55 percent of the national total), 31 kinds of birds (64 percent of the national total), and 130 kinds of reptiles (42 percent of the national total).Meili Snow Mountain with an elevation of 6740 meters, magnificent and precipitous, has not been conquered by men. The Lunan Karst topography covers an area of 350 square kilometers and forms the first wonder of the world - the Stone Forest. The Tiger Leaping Gorge , 3,200 meters height from the cliffs edge to the water surface of the Golden Sand River, where the massive cliffs overhang swirling rapid currents. More than 40 lakes are scattered around the mountains, which from the air look like they are strewn with pearls. Many rare and endangered species of plants and animals live in Xishuangbanna. The flowers around Kunming, the City of Spring, bloom through all four seasons. Cut off by precipitous mountains from easy communication with the outside world, Shangri-la, referred to in James Miltons Lost Horizon, may be the last virgin land where one can observe cultures whose layers go back for thousands of years into the past. Picturesque Lijiang, listed as a World Cultural Heritage City by UNESCO, is a region of gorges, lakes and active horse breeding. The Naxi people who live here still use hieroglyphic writing and wear sheepskin capes.Yunnan is an area of many different national cultures. 26 ethnic minority groups give a rich patina of diversity and color to the Yunnan scene, contributing with their colorful ethnic costumes, their traditional songs and dances, to the attractive life of the cities, the villages, the fairs and the festivals. The Water Splashing Festival of the Dai people, the March Fair of the Bai people, the Torch Festival of the Yi people, keep the traveler so entranced he never wants to leave.Yunnan is also one of the cradles of human civilization. The bones of a primitive hominid 1.7 million-years-old have been found in Yuanmou, dinosaur fossils in Lufeng County. From Dali, capital of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom to the Golden Temple, Black Dragon Pool and many other ancient temples most of which are amazingly intact, Yunnan is a wonderland, with a long history and a deep culture.Yunnan is a place of neverending fascination. The stone drums, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the worship not of gods but of the sky, the earth, and the mountains; languages whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity; and the Burma Road which once provided a gateway of American supplies and aid to war-time China in World War II.

Yuxi

Yuxi, which means jade stream in Chinese, is well known for the Yuxi tobacco factory, the largest in Asia and the third largest in the world. Yuxi is also the hometown of Nie Er, a musician who composed the National Anthem. Yuxi County is situated in the center of Yunnan Province, only 98 km from Kunming, the capital of the province. The county covers an area of 15,OOO sq.km., with a population of 2.3 million. This number includes several ethnic minority groups such as the Yi, Hani, Dai, Hui, Mongolian, Bai, Miao and Lahu peoples, who together make up one third of the population. The area has a long history rich in civilization and culture. The Seiqiu Ruins in Jiangchuan and the Longshutian Ruins in YuanJiang demonstrate that the area was already home to the ancestors of the various ethnic groups some 3OOO years ago.At Lijiashan in Jiangchang, archaeologists have discovered about 1,OOO relics produced during the Spring and Autumn Periods of the Han Dynasty. Among these is a small and extremely rare bronze table, embellished with oxen and tiger patterns. These objects are integral parts of the cultural legacy of Yunnan. The great Aliao Mountaina is a huge museum devoted to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the different ethnic groups. Each group has their own unique history, culture, language, clothing, festivals and customs.Yuxis lakes are unforgettable. They include Fuxian Lake, the second deepest fresh water lake in China, as well as Xingyun Lake, Qilu Lake, Yangzhong Lake.Yuxi is the home of Hua Deng Opera, which features a humorous local dialect which makes many operagoers laugh to the point of tears.

Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna is the southernmost prefecture of Yunnan Province with the city of Jinghong and the counties of Menghai and Mengla under its jurisdiction. Of Xishuangbannas 19,184.45 square kilometres of territory, tourist and scenic resorts make up 1,202.13 square kilometres, and nature reserves occupy a total of 2,064.6 square kilometres. The prefecture is nicknamed. Aerial Garden for its luxuriant and multi - layered primitive woods and tropical rain forests, which are teeming with animals and plants. Within thick and boundless forests wild elephants and wild oxen ramble about , with peacocks in their pride , gibbons at play , and hornbills whispering .Renowned as a huge natural zoo , Xishuangbannas rain forest and monsoon jungles provide a habitat for more than 500 species of terrestrial vertebrates . over 300 species of birds , over 40 species of amphibious animals and more than 60 species of reptiles,including the boa constrictor. . Among animals for world protection are elephants , white-breasted black woodpeckers , leopards and Bengalese tigers .Thirteen species of wild life enjoy state protection , including loris , the gibbons , the red-necked cranes , the brown-neck horn-bills , and the green peacocks , which to the Dai people are a symbol of peace , happiness and good fortune and whose graceful postures can put professional dancers to shame. The region has 5,000 kinds of plants or about one-sixth of the total in China . This has earned it the renown and sobriquet The moonstone on the Crown of the Kingdom of Plants . Among these are such fascinating ones as the color-changing flower whose colors change three times daily and the dancing herb whose leaves rotate gently . Then there is mysterious fruit which reverse tastes , turning sour to sweet .Species of trees that go back a million years are still propagating themselves . The King of Tea Trees , which authorities say is at least 800 years old , contitues to sprout , adding extraordinary splendor to the homeland of the famous Puer tea . In Xishuangbanna ,there is a saying : even a single tree can make a forest and an old stalk can blossom and beat fruit .It takes twenty or so hours to drive from Kunming to Xishuangbanna, which are 700 kilometres apart. Banna Airport is large enough to accommodate Boeing-737s, and a flight between Kunming and Xishuangbanna takes about 50 minutes. Apart from daily flights to and from Kunming, the airport also operates chartered flights between the prefecture and Chengdu, Chongqing, Bangkok and some other cities.

The Meili Snow Mountain (Prince Snow Mountain)

Visitors to the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture will surely find themselves in a land where mysterious tranquillity is harmoniously blended with the ever-changing scenery.Three snow-capped mountains - Meili, Baimang and Haba - tower magnificently over the landscape, crisscrossed by the Jinsha (Golden Sand) and Lancang (Mekong) rivers which are flanked by overhanging cliffs. Snowy peaks form a huge backdrop whose beauty is a feast to behold. Mirror-like plateau lakes, scattered over the vast expanse of grassland, look like numerous agates inlaid in a huge emerald carpet, their idyllic quietness exuding majestic quality.Cattle graze leisurely in the meadows, where exotic flowers and luxuriant grass wave against the gentle breeze, and in the depth of the virgin forests is a world of rare birds and animals.Mother Nature has endowed Deqen with immeasurable wealth, making the land a happy home for the 100,000 Tibetans, Lisus, Naxis and Yis. Brave and industrious, these Deqen people work and live as one family.Three counties, Zhongdian, Deqin, and Weixi are under the jurisdiction of the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located in a delta where northwest Yunnan borders on Sichuan and Tibet. The prefecture is in the center of a famous scenic area where three mighty rivers converge. Against the majestic backdrop of a blue smudge of snowy mountains, rivers winds their way through meadows, forests extends as wide as an ocean. and there is an abundance of flora and fauna. Poets always liken the prefecture to a paradise under heaven. The mysterious and bewitching Zhongdian County, where the prefecture is headquartered, is the setting for the Shangri-la, a hidden paradise in James Hiltons 1933 novel Lost Horizon. A highway links Zhongdian to Kunming over a distance of 700 kilometres, and by 1999 an airline will have been commissioned between the two places.