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| Shangri-La
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| .Shangri-La. This is a beautiful land known as "Shangri-La" with snow capped mountains, wide meadows and rivers.It is the home of many ethnic minorities, who all have their own colourful and fascinating cultures, Going north along the Chongjiang River ,you'll come to the sacred peaks of the Balagengzong, Haba and Langdu snow mountains which stand aloof above the rest of the mountains with their tops in the clouds, This area is the joining of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet. Living here are 13 ethnic minorities including the Tibetan, the |  | |
| Lisu,the Naxi,the Yi, the Bai and the Hui. Historically, it has been a vital transportation pivot among Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet, as well as a trading center for merchants from the three regions for hundreds of years. Zhongdian is called "Jiantang" in Tibetan language, which means "broad flatland". Surrounded by mountains, the vast flat meadows are watered by the Longtan and Naizi rivers which wind across the flatlands. It is the capital of Diqing Tibetan Ethnic Minority Autonomous Prefecture. At 3,300 meters of elevation and it covers over 11,600 square kilometers. TYQ. The Central Town of Zhongdian City is called "Dukezong"by Tibetans, which means a castle on stone mountains. |
 | Gedan
Songzanlin Lamasery. The Gedan Songzanlin Lamasery is four kilometres north of the county and has a long history. The architecture is magnificent, it faces north and is built along the mountains. At first sight, it appears to be just in 1681 (the Year of the Iron Cock in the Tibetan calendar). It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama chose it as the site of the lamasery through divination and named it "Gedan Songzanlin". In the 2nd year of Emperor Yongzheng's rule(1724) in the Qing Dynasty, | |
| Deqing was brought under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province, and the lamasery was renamed the "Guihua Lamasery". Occupying an area of over 500 mu, it has strong walls and five gates. The two main lamaseries Zhacang, and Jikang command the highest position in the architectural complex. They are both Tibetan style watchtowers and are surrounded by eight sub-lamaseries and the dormitories or the lamas. In the distance, one can see the gilded copper stupa at the top of the main lamasery. The gilded copper tiles shine eternally in the plateau sunlight. The auspicious animal decorations and flying buttresses show all elements of the Han's temple styles. The main scripture hall lying in the center of the compound is supported by 108 giant pillars. Brightened with numerous butter oil lamps, the hall can hold 1,600 lamas sitting in meditation or chanting the Buddhist scriptures. The 16 colourful pictures hanging high in the lamasery are said to have been painted by renowned lamas with the golden liquid given by the Fifth Dalai Lama. The lamasery has many treasures. The most famous ones are the eight gold-covered sculptures of Sakyamuni, fashioned between the time of the Fifth and Seventh Dalai Lamas. In the early Qing Dynasty, the rulers of Lijiang, the Mu Family,presented the lamasery with dozens of bronze sculptures, the "Ganzur" scriptures hand-written in liquid gold,scriptures written on pattra leaves, gold lamps, and many exquisite gilded silver incense burners. Every morning, noon and eve, the solemn toll of the bells and the sound of the drums from the bell and drum towers can be heard several kilometers away. During its prime time,the Songzanlin Lamasery was home to 1,000 lamas. In 1985, the tenth Panchen Lama paid a special visit to the Lamasery. |
| The
Bitahai Lake. Yunnan people often call lakes "seas" (pronounced "Hai"). The Bitahai Lake is 32 kilometers to the east of Zhongdian County. At Shuangqiao Bridge, visitors get off the bus and then walk or go on horseback for the final seven kilometers across meadows and seas of flowers. The 840 square kilometer area surrounding the lake is the Bitahai Nature Preserve of the Diqing Tibetan Ethnic Minority Autonomous Prefecture. In Tibetan, Bita means a place with a dense oak forest. The Bitahai Lake is a fault lake, which lies in the |  | |
| heart of the nature preserve surrounded by mountains covered with ancient pines, oaks and rhododendrons. The lake surface is 3,539 meters above sea level, and the deepest point is 40 meters. The lake has a surface area of 160 hectares. A small wooded island in the center of the lake is home to many rare species of birds. Whenever the rain stops, the gently moving rosy clouds, the snow mountains and the nearby forests are all mirrored in the lake. The wild ducks and cormorants swim on the lake, flocks of birds glide high in the sky, and their echoing songs enrich the sounds in this fairy tale land. The Bitahai Lake has abundant fish resources. The precious "Bita Double-Lip Fish" is an ancient species left from the Fourth Glacial Age. The small streams beside the lake are home to the precious amphibious "Codfish" ,which also called the mountain stream salamander, and it is a valuable medicine. Rowing a boat on the lake, one can see shoals of double-lip fish swimming back and forth about 10 meters beneath the lake's surface. Every year, in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the rhododendrons all over the mountains bloom. After a sudden shower, the wind blows the rhododendron petals into the lake and creates another beautiful scene. It is said that as soon as the petals fly to the lake's surface, all of the fish vie with each other to eat them. They eat so many that they seem drunk and float on the surface. This is a famous sight of the Bita Lake: "Fish Drunk on Rhododenron Petals". Around the Bita Lake are vast meadows and deep forests. Every April when the snow begins to melt, wild flowers bloom profusely in the meadows. The glorious colours shine like twinkle stars in a sky of fresh green grass. Stepping into a meadow at this time, you feel as though you are walking on the softest, foam-rubber carpet. A light breeze bends the grass and huge cattle wander into sight. Tibetans pitch their tents in the pastureland and their loyal dogs round up any of the animals who try to stray. The most breathtaking view of the lake is in the moonlight. When the day draws to a close, a bright full moon arises above the eastern mountains and over the top of the trees. From the small cottage of the forest ranger comes the sound of joyous singing and dancing. Weekend visitors are enjoying the most memorable and grand spectacle in their lives. | ||
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Tiger-Leaping Gorge. Between the Haba Snow Mountain and the Yulong(Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain is the world famous Tiger-Leaping Gorge. The Yulong Snow Mountain to the right of the Jingsha River is like a pillar supporting the sky. The drop from its peak to the bottom of the river valley is over 3,700 metres, which is 1,800 metres more than the drop in the Grand Canyon in Colorado,the United States. The Haba Snow Mountain on the other side of the river is slightly less precipitous. The two mountains run from north to south like chains, the peaks stand erect like walls, and the river rushes mercilessly along the valley,pounding the walls with a sound like thunder. The gorge is 15 kilometres long,and the drop from the beginning to the end is 196 metres. The size of the drop, the depth of the gorge and the narrowness of the river are very rare anywhere in the world. The Tiger-Leaping Gorge consists of upper, middle and lower sections, with | |
| 18 dangerous shoals and rapids. The upper part of the gorge is the narrowest. Nine kilometres away from the Town of Tiger-Leaping Gorge is a giant rock in the center of the river. Called "Tiger-Leaping Rock", it divides the rapid torrent into two. The sound of the silver-white waves hitting the rock is deafening. Legend has it that a fleeing tiger once jumped onto this rock from the Yulong Snow Mountain and then leaped away to the Haba Snow Mountain. That's why the gorge is named the Tiger-Leaping Gorge. Five kilometres from the upper section of the gorge, the |  | |
| middle section is the most dangerous and has the biggest drop. The most hazardous spot is a group of rocks called "Mantianxing"(the Sky full of Stars). Over 100 metres, rocks stand like forests amid the roaring water pulverizing it into a silver mist. Between the middle section and the lower section is another perilous spot called the "Huashiban"(Slippery Rock Face). At the lowest section of the gorge is a huge ravine over a kilometre deep. As this is close to the end of the gorge, it is the best place to get a really good view of the whole of Tiger-Leaping Gorge. Walking along the mountain path, which winds like a sheep's intestines,you cannot help holding your breath at the sight of the Haba and Yulong snow mountains rising straight into the clouds and their cliffs dropping directly into the river. The angry gales and the roaring river are performing an eternal duet, sounding exactly like dragons and tigers. Everything appears to be moving with the rushing torrents. The only immobile object seems to be the little Hetaoyuan(Walnut Garden)Village between the middle and lower sections of the gorge. With few visitors, this village is a real heaven with all the villagers leading the simplest of lives, The houses are built with giant rocks, and there is a small hotel where the few visitors who venture here can find a bed for the night. In ancient times a calligrapher managed to climb the sheer cliffs of the Yulong Snow Mountain and carve the words "Yubi Jinchuan"(Jade Cliffs and Golden River), an apt summary of the scenery here. |
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