The very name Shangri-La means to most of us a mysterious place or a hidden paradise. A place that has nothing to do with reality and that exists nowhere else but in the imagination of James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizons. As far as I know, the name became known through this novel that Hilton wrote in 1933. It is about a plane that crashes in a hidden valley in the Himalayan mountain world. The survivors arrive at a valley with Tibetan temples, which turns out to be a heaven on earth, hidden in a secret place where people hardly age. Since the novel came out, the name Shangri-La seems to have been associated with mystery.
It is not only in the imagination that Shangri-La exists. This place is located is the province of Yunnan in the southern corner of China, bordering Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. If you for some reason can't visit Tibet, then go to Shangri-la. This is probably as close as you can get.
Shangri-La was our last stop on a drive which started in Lijiang. It's situated a little more than 3000 m. above sea level, which makes it nescessary to take it slowly the first day, before starting to explore the surroundings. The highlight of our visit was definitly the Songzanlin Monastery not far from the town itself. It's the largest and most famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. Because it resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet) it's often referred to as «Little Potala Palace».
It was built in the traditional Tibetan style by the 5th Dalai Lama. A process that started in 1679 and was finished in 1681. In its heyday there were over 1.000 monks at the monastery. During all these years there has been many changes. During the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 1976) the whole place was almost destroyed, but it was rebuilt and reopened again.
To get there, we took a local bus, paid our entrance tickets and started to explore. All together the buildings constitute a five-story complex, so when entering, you have to climb the 146 steps leading to the top. It does't sound as if it should be too hard. But doing it at an altitude of 3.300 m. above sea level, it becomes a walk that took our breath away, forcing us to walk slowly.
We didn't go straight to the top either. There are many small rooms where young monks are studying, giving us time to catch our breath and at the same time get an insight into the life of a monastery. Once on the top the view of the surrounding countryside is amazing.
The gilded roof shows the strong connection with Tibetan building style. The whole complex has hundreds of rooms where the monks are living. There are some magnificent, spacious main halls. All richly decorated. The whole place is filled with treasures like the golden Buddhas, frescos, murals etc. You can easily spend hours here.
The Tibetans are very much dedicated to religious life and celebrate the annual Gedong Festival here, just like in Tibet. Pious believers come here to pray. For each step, they knock the ground with knees and forehead.
To get some distance to the whole building, we took the trip around the lake. There are paths that you can follow all the way around. It can be recommended. It's incredibly beautiful to look at Songzandin from a distance. Shangri-La certainly does exist.
Sources:
Information at the monastery
https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-attractions/songzanlin-lamasery.htm
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