Snow falls in “Lost Horizon” Shangri-La (Yunnan, China)
Shangri-La to me is the image of “lost horizon” in James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. A mysterious valley, containing a secret to becoming happy and embracing the virtues of this world. Shangri-La is a city in the Diqing Tibet Autonomous Region, located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. This city borders three regions: Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Shangri-La serves as the only gateway to Tibet, famous for its three parallel rivers, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
Monks at Songzanlin Monastery, exploring Tibetan Buddhism
Shangri-La in Tibetan means “sun and moon in the heart”. There are two Shangri-La in the world. One Shangri-La is in Yunnan, the other Shangri-La is in Sichuan, also known as Yading. The place we chose to go to is Shangri-La at the very end of Yunnan, also the Shangri-La with Songzanlin Monastery, the first place known as “the land of happiness”.
I came to Shangri-La with a promise of every traveler, to go to the end, to search for a feeling called happiness, when, perhaps, there is nothing important left in the world anymore… Snow falls in Shangri-La and the days embracing the land of happiness are also the days looking up at the towering sky, clear and blue to the end, the sun and the moon reign together, incredibly magical and wonderful.
Songzanlin, the Tibetan Buddhist monastery that originated the “lost horizon”
Amazed by the grandeur and sacredness of Songzanlin Monastery
That year, Conway in the novel Lost Horizon wandered to a mysterious, isolated Tibetan Buddhist monastery — Songzanlin Monastery. In the crisp morning, we arrived at Songzanlin, climbed 146 soaring steps, stood in front of the monastery gate, and stared in awe at the moon and sun appearing together in the same blue sky.
Songzanlin Monastery, also known as “Songzanlin,” is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province, China. Located on a plateau at an altitude of 3,200 meters, Songzanlin is one of the iconic structures of Tibetan Buddhism, designed in the style of the Potala Palace and once home to more than 2,000 monks.
What is unique is that the monastery’s oil lamps are made from yak butter, which has a gentle, airy fragrance. Outside, the lamas are leisurely and peaceful, despite the hustle and bustle of many tourist groups coming and going that can disturb the monastery at any time.
On the opposite side of the monastery, the vast lake reflects the sacred image of the monastery. Our gentle strolls around the lake, away from the crowds of tourists, turned out to be a few moments of feeling our hearts peaceful and unexpectedly happy.
“Moonlight Ancient Town” — the illusory Dukezong Ancient Town
The gate leading to the "Moonlight Citadel"
The ancient town is magical and sparkling.
From its beautiful name, “Moonlight Citadel” suddenly exudes the magical aftertaste of an unreal citadel, the ancient features preserved in the Tibetan residential architecture on the pure white walls, delicately dotted with rustic wooden pillars, or on the solid stone path under each step, weaving into every large and small path.
In the evenings, we leisurely strolled, not forgetting to stop by the hot Yak beef hotpot with full, firm and fragrant meat, sitting at a round table to enjoy a delicious meal. We also couldn’t miss the Yak milk tea shop, ordering a hot cup, or an iced one another day, enjoying the rich flavor of Yak milk… which is not easy to enjoy elsewhere.
Yak beef hotpot "delicious from the meat, sweet from the bones"
We stayed in an old homestay in the citadel, snuggled up on a heated mattress in a stone room, overlooking a corner of the citadel through a romantic glass window. Despite the comforts, when I put my bare feet on the floor, I immediately froze from the cold, penetrating every toe, there were nights when the temperature dropped to -4 degrees Celsius, I slept in altitude sickness.
A brilliant shop in the old town
The Great Buddha Temple on the top of the hill, turning the prayer wheel to pray for peace and happiness
Located in the center of the square, the majestic Big Buddha Temple on the hill shines brightly when night falls. Hundreds of colorful lights illuminate the temple, creating a magical space. Visitors here have the opportunity to admire the unique architecture of Tibetan Buddhism - a distinctive feature different from the solemnity of Songzanlin Monastery.
The giant Great Prayer Wheel between heaven and earth
As we approached the giant Great Prayer Wheel, we suddenly became… tiny. It took 6-8 people to turn the heavy Prayer Wheel clockwise, and whether it was day or night, there was always a stream of devout people. We joined the crowd walking around, muttering prayers for peace and luck, while trying our best to turn the Prayer Wheel. Only when the crowd became one did the Prayer Wheel really turn. It is said that inside the Great Prayer Wheel there are countless secret mantras and mysterious texts.
Napa Lake through four seasons and snowy winter days
What if we went to Shangri-La in the winter and rode motorcycles along the frozen Napa Lake in the bitter cold? We would freeze.
Yes, we were shivering on the tram, passing through the snow-covered roads, gritting our teeth and saying, “Winter is almost over, Spring is coming” because it is said that Napa Lake is so vast that one can go around the lake and experience the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. However, no one said that winter is a bit long, the snow is a bit thick, spring will come but… at the end of the journey.
The electric car runs along the freezing cold Napa Lake.
In Tibetan, Napa Lake means “lake behind the forest”, located 8 km from Shangrila at an altitude of more than 3,200 m and is as large as our Hoi An city. Napa Lake connects with the Yila grassland, creating a peaceful scenic area with flat terrain, surrounded by mountains on three sides and small villages scattered everywhere.
In spring, the lake appears with the lush green of young grass, in summer it is a sea of undulating grass full of vitality, in autumn it is filled with gentle yellow, and in winter it is covered in a white layer of snow. In the distance, the snow-capped mountains stand tall, quiet and proud. The scenery at Napa Lake is always present with rare birds, herds of cattle and sheep grazing leisurely, vast grasslands, and majestic mountains - a beautiful eternal natural picture.
Leaning peacefully over Napa Lake
To conclude our 8-day journey, we experienced the same thing as the character Conway in Lost Horizon who accidentally drifted to Shangri-La in a plane crash, from the first steps of discovery to the peaceful days in the heart of the Blue Moon Valley, healing our souls with music, poetry and deep conversations about life with the Abbot. Opening a new page in life, seeing the world through a deeper and more peaceful lens.
