Moving scenes in NW Yunnan’s Lijiang, Shangri-La

t was in midsummer. We drove into Shangri-La city in northwest Yunnan’s Diqing prefecture. The name Shangri-La first appeared in The Lost Horizon, a novel by British writer James Hilton. There, I personally saw the sharp weather difference in a single mountain or small area. Starting from the sunny Napahai wetland scenic area full of blooming wild flowers, we were heading for Dongwang township, which is located at the top of the mountains at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan and Xizang/Tibet.

The instant we got to Benzilan town near the Jinsha River, upper reach of the Yangtze River, a cold front came. Halfway up to the mountain top, we were caught in icy rain, and roadside rocks were falling down from time to time. The U-turns were infinite. The narrow country road seemed to be a rainbow that hovers between cliffs, stretches into distance and looms on the horizon. At the end of the road, a patrol post was standing upright, half hidden in the clouds, and a bright five-star red flag was fluttering in strong wind and biting cold, giving rise to a sense of desolation and majesty.

At an altitude of more than 5,000 meters, we were suddenly encountered tough weather conditions. With heavy snow, rain and fog going on, we came across a Tibetan woman and her daughter who were bowing before a police patrol team and giving thanks to them. Trace of tears could still be seen in the eyes of the little Tibetan girl. It turned out that the girl was frightened by the sudden rain and snow falls, and they happened to meet the patrol team on the way back. The patrol team offered dry food and raincoats to the mother and daughter in time, escorting them down to the mountain foot before nightfall.

What a moving scene!

In the evening, the sun gradually retreated after a day's hard work, the tired birds returned to their nests, and the rings of returning yaks gave off natural sounds... The curling smoke from kitchens and peaceful streams near sleepy villages made us comforted and relieved.

On the horizon, a bright moon rose slowly with the fragrance of butter tea, enlightening the Meili Snow Mountain, as well as the villages lying cozily at the mountain foot. Indoors, buttered tea on the stove was sizzling, and the Tibetan villagers and their guests gathered around the stove to make tea, chatting and laughing.

"The railway has finally reached Shangri-La." "The price of Cordyceps has gone up..." The more they talked, the better they got to know each other and the happier they were. The merry talks were just like cups of long-preserved Pu'er tea whose fragrance permeated into the cells and blood vessels of those involved. They hearty talks broke down the “magnetic field” on their minds, giving them an unforgettable sense of beauty.

Chilly was outdoors, but warm was indoors.

Looking through the window, the Meili Snow Mountain in distance was bathed in the golden afterglow of sunset. Embedded in the dusk between heaven and earth, the lofty peaks presented varied postures. Some looked as thin as a cicada's wing, dancing, wandering and whistling, while others were majestic, vigorous and magnificent, giving off a sense of enlightenment and reincarnation. The night kindles burnt out, the dawn took over, and the snowy peaks would soon usher in a sunrise.

The township is named Dongwang, literally meaning prosperity in the east. Those who had worked and lived in the township witnessed the sunrise and sunset of China, an ancient oriental civilization visited by global friends. The magical and beautiful Shangri-La city is like a blooming snow lotus welcoming guests from afar with open arms. Tourists from Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and other countries were fascinated by the blue sky and white clouds over the wonderland.

During our stay in Shangri-La’s Dongwang, we stood on the mountain tops watching the waves of the parallel rivers. The sun was scorching, the air was thin, and the mountain wind was strong, but I was relieved. The cliffs looked all-embracing, as if they were towering walls that have been piercing into the clouds and sun glows. The grasses thrived and withered annually, and in silence and loneliness they showed us the essence of life. The pines seemed to be sages full of wisdom, defying thunder, decoding secrets and giving off fragrance.

Though in a fairyland, I was still a dusty being. Shangri-La instilled in me a churning power and a long-forgotten passion. Here, the Jinsha River, the Lancang River and the Nujiang River are running in parallel in order, without cutting through each other. The rivers all originate in the Qinghai-Xizang/Tibet Plateau, and before the parallel flow, they rush through hundreds of turns that add up to thousands of miles. During the parallel show, they continue rushing down the canyons, crossing the dangerous shoals and presenting a spectacular sight to the world.

"The provinces in southeast China are abundant in water bodies, while the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces are occupied by mountains. Hundred of years later, Yunnan and Guizhou will outgrow their peers in southeast China," predicted Liu Ji, a statesman and prose writer in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Standing at the first bay of the Yangtze River in Shigu town, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city, I was impressed by the majestic river surface where the turbid waves were rolling on and on.

The waves reminded me of the Long March by the Red Army in the 1930s, when they manoeuvred in the Wumeng mountains in northeast Yunnan and skillfully crossed the Jinsha/Yangtze river here. Shigu used to be a key stop on the ancient Tea-Horse Road, and now the riverside town is accessed by the Lijiang-Shangri-La Railway, fusing its trade tradition into modernity for a new harmony.

"Those who are willing to work together can not be stopped by mountains and seas." Yunnan, with a long border of 4,000 kilometers, was once hidden deep in the mountains, but now the province is well-connected with the Belt and Road countries. Thanks to the China-Laos Railway, the Lancang-Mekong express trains, the China-Europe freight trains, the Shanghai-Kunming-Vientiane freight service and the traffic links to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao greater bay area, it is stepping up building itself into a Chinese pivot of opening-up to south and southeast Asia.

The Belt and Road Initiative underpins the idea of “a community of shared future for all humankind". According to Martin Jacques, a professor at Cambridge University, China has provided a new possibility by abandoning the law of the jungle, hegemonism, power politics and the zero-sum game, and replacing them with win-win cooperation, co-construction and sharing. This pioneering work has great potential to change the world.

In my tour in Lijiang and Shangri-La, I didn’t find the exact inner peace this time. Instead, I was constantly enchanted by the glows of the heavenly bodies and moved by the harmonious scenes in the ethnic areas. I have got more confidence in the China-proposed initiatives and the growth momentum of Yunnan province.

Source: Lijiang Daily on WeChat; Photos by Yunnan Daily reporters; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue