Jade Dragon Mountain

For many, Shangri-La is an unobtainable place, a mythical realm. For others, it's within your own heart - "follow your dreams" they will say, "and you will discover your own Shangri-La". Others will point in directions on a map.

In this article we outline the Chinese version of events, and take you on a trip through Yunnan, and up to Zhongdian, the "official" Shangri-La.

LIJIANG

Beautiful Lijiang. Nestled in the foothills of the Yulong Mountain range - part of the Himala­yas that sort of forgetfully rumbles on down into South-West China - this historic town is now a combination of world heritage site, tourist trap and sheer idyll. Getting here is easy - flights connect several times a day from Yunnan. Lijiang, beauti­ful as it is, suffers enormously from over-exposure from travel groups, so base yourselves here for a day or two only. The home of the minority Naxi people, stay at one of the guest houses in the main village - RMB100 will get you a room for two in a traditional courtyard house, and they'll even ar­range to pick you up from the airport too. Our fa­vourite belongs to our good friend Kathleen , call the Wang Cheng Ge guest house on (0888) 515311 to make arrangements. Alternatively, turn up and walk into the old town and find somewhere yourselves.

Lijiang is an old village, cobbled streets, no cars and bisected by streams that flow through from the melt water streaming down from the permanently snow-covered - and as yet un­conquered - Jade Dragon Mountain that looms over the val­ley, a guardian of both East & West. Indeed, Cathay Pacific airlines were born from here - during WW2 allied forces flew over the Himalayan ‘hump' to the West, from India and Burma, to drop supplies to allied and Chinese troops fighting in the region. Many brave pilots perished in that awkward ­airspace, between high peaks, turbulent winds and winding valleys, before landing at Lijiang - which in those days was used as a supply and distribution dump to feed the war effort. Then back to Burma and India for more supplies. Two of those planes, post war, were recruited to form the embryonic Cathay Pacific fleet.

Lijiang itself is full of cafes, coffee shops and local restaurants, just wandering around is a delight. Trips to the mountain are easy to arrange locally - but wrap up warm - the peak you can get to is at close to 4,000 metres. Horseriding, local sightseeing and a gentle immersion into the rhythm of the mountains will get you in the right frame of mind for your journey.

Lijiang Village

TIGER LEAPING GORGE & THE YULONG VALLEY

You'll need to hire a car and driver for this, easy to find in Lijiang but you will need some Chinese language skills to be able to get around and tell your driver where to stop for photos etc. Rates are from about RMB400 a day, inclusive.

This route will take you North to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, a well known local landmark where the river, slowly meandering, and a limpid, lazy green, picks up speed and ends up crashing through one of the deepest gorges in the world over 3,000 me­tres from summit to river - and is so named because legend has it a Tiger, persued by hunters, leapt across from rock to rock across the thundering river in order to escape. A large bronze statue of the tiger still stands at one of the curves in the gorge. This is part of the Yulong Gorge range, that still crumbles into the river and creates new diversions as thousands of tonnes of decomposing rock break off sporadically from the cliffs and hurtle in the abyss. The Tiger Leap­ing Gorge is a great diversion for a couple of hours, but head on, and take the mountain road the other side of the Gorge and through the main valley. Your destination is the Hutiao Gorge a further three hours drive further north. Located here, amongst the spec­tacular rugged peaks towering over the Jingshajiang River are a va­riety of small guest houses to stay. The route is rocky on occasions, landslides are not uncommon and waterfalls can crash down onto the main roads during melt water sea­son so make sure your driver has a decent car ! But here, as you wend slowly further North, the scent of Shangri-La starts to permu­tate through the air. Stop off here for a 2-3 day walk about. This is the land of the Eagle, the RedStart and the seasonal waterfalls that tumble down the mountains from heights never explored by man. Relax, and search for Shangri-la - remem­bering to look very hard for it - in a morning cup of fresh roasted Yunnan coffee.

Freshly Caught Lunch

Hutiao Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge

BAISHUITAN

Your route takes you still further North, up and out of the Gorge, and into forest, pines, and the far off peaks of the Tibetan Himalayas in the distance. Baishuitan is sit­ed deep in one of Yunnan's valleys and is named after the thousands of years of lime and calcite deposits that have formed white rock pools on the lower surfaces of one of the hills. Minerals, flowing over the rocks, are deposited here and have been lain down forming these limpid pools for thousands of years. There are no hotels, but a bargain with one of the locals will allow you access to one of the charming ethnic homes further down in the village, for about RMB50 a night per person. It's worth the stay over. As the tour­ist buses leave, the village once more transcends into it's historic rhythm, the fields of barley being tended, the cattle, ponies, pigs and chickens all fed and the stars start to weave their magic in the night sky. Dinner will be prepared for you, and be respectful and mindful of your hosts home and belongings. You are their guest, and this is their home. Asking around though as to ages will reveal some clues as to where you are - close to Shangri-La. The locals still smoke their pipes and their local tobacco and tell stories of the old days when they are now in their nineties if you make friends with them over the evening fire and the now inevitable bamboo tube of yak butter tea.

Evening Light at Baishuitan

Young Monks enjoying roast potato with chilli

Baishuitan Village House

ZHONGDIAN

And so on to Zhongdian, again, driving up through the valley, leaving the villages far below, and partially driving around the Snow Mountain, en route to Zhongdian - the town now officially recognized as "Shangri-La". This is actually the old Ti­betan Province of Kham and was used as a winter grazing area for the livestock. Annexed into China in the 1950's, however the surrounding countryside is much as it always has been, pine forests, silver pheasant, and golden monkeys. Eventually one arrives at Zhongdian, known as gyeltang in Tibetan. Basically, it's a shabby, white-tiled dusty and uninspiring place. So why is this Shangri-La?

Firstly, it's the home of the Songzhangling Monastery, founded by the 5th Dali Lama some 300 years ago. Rare Yellow-Billed Coughs circle overhead, their plain­tive caws echoing amongst the demon painted walls. Songzhangling is a working monastery, and is getting back to the numbers of monks it enjoyed in it's heyday. And the Monastery prayer wheels ? Always remember to turn them clockwise, be­cause time cannot be turned backwards.

Secondly, just a little further north, lies the winter lake that is home to the rare Blacked Necked Crane, and various Tibetan communities, that again, if asked po­litely, will take you in as lodgers for the evening.

Thirdly, Yaks abound here, the land, frozen during the winter, produces barley, wheat and millet - all staples of the Tibetan diet. This is subsistence farming - some logging also, and the people take what they need from the land and no more. Spring here is late - end May - and Zhongdian is carpeted for a few weeks with the alpine flowers of the Tibetan himalaya - eagles, black vultures and the occasional wolf stray into the area during the racing cloud nights. Zhongdian,and especially Shan­gri-La, isn't about the town at all, no matter how many "Tibet Local Dancing" joints the immigrant Chinese try and put up to attract the tourist dollar. But if wandering about looking at wintering Cranes, magical disappearing lakes, and the monks of the yellow hat sect make this your Shangri-La, then this is where you should come to visit. And if it's not ? Well the road to Lhasa, via Deqin and Kangding lie further to the North, and are yours to explore.

CE

Songzhangling Monastery