Live Your Best Lives
We departed Lijiang by bus around 2:30 PM and arrived in Shangri-La around 5 PM.
Unlike the typical Yunnan style of Dali and Lijiang, once entering the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the surrounding architecture became heavily Tibetan.
Shangri-La means "the sun and moon in one's heart" in Tibetan. To inspire his own music, singer Wang traveled to Yunnan to collect folk songs. He learned about the legend of Shangri-La and eventually composed the song "The Sun and Moon in One's Heart."
Now, having finally arrived in person at this pure land of Shangri-La, this ancient legend has gradually unveiled its mystery.
The hotel we stayed at in Shangri-La this time is called Zun Shang Tibetan Charm Manor, located in the Dukezong Ancient Town of Shangri-La City.
As the name suggests, the moment you step through the door, you can feel a strong sense of Tibetan style.
If you don't notice the roof above your head, this is an outdoor manor.
The decoration in the hotel lobby is very detailed.
The hotel rooms are also full of Tibetan style.
Walking out of the hotel, it was already getting dark.
After dinner, we strolled through Dukezong Ancient Town as night fell.
In the Sifang Street of Dukezong Ancient Town, people are enthusiastically dancing in the square.
Inside Dukezong Ancient Town, there is a Guishan Park.
The park is free of charge and is the highest point in the entire Dukezong Ancient Town.
Night view of Guishan Park
Back to the hotel, the night view is a different feeling
In Nixi Township, northwest of Shangri-La, lies a paradise nestled amidst canyons, rivers, craggy rocks, snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and lakes. It's called Bala Gezong.
Sina Dingzhu, the Tibetan Yugong (Foolish Old Man) who lived under the "Heavenly Road," hailed from the ancient village of Bala. His most moving story is how, after amassing considerable wealth, he resolutely returned to his impoverished hometown, willingly risking everything to aid his village. Overcoming numerous obstacles and hardships, he carved a road beneath the cliffs to connect Bala, a village closed off for millennia, to the outside world.
Without Sina Dingzhu's unwavering efforts, this outdoor paradise might never have been discovered, and the magnificent scenery that followed would have been impossible.
You can purchase tickets and direct buses to the scenic area on a certain platform. A scenic area staff member will contact you the night before departure to confirm your boarding time and location for the next day's bus.
It takes about an hour and a half to reach the Balagzong Scenic Area from Dukezong Ancient Town.
Arriving at the gate of the scenic area, the four large characters "Balagzong" standing tall in the canyon are very majestic.
The sacred mountain of Bandan Ramda is the first stop of the entire journey.
The sunlight shines through the sacred mountain of Bandan Ramda in front of us, creating a holy light between the mountaintops.
We arrived at the second stop of our trip: the Baladayong Pagoda. The white pagodas under the sunlight, against the backdrop of the blue sky and the valley, were magnificent.
The snow-capped mountain behind the White Pagoda is the Gezong Snow Mountain.
Behind the Baladayong Pagoda, there is a Tibetan Cultural Expo Center: Bala Zhuoma Lhakhang. "Zhuoma" means "Tara" in Tibetan, and "Lhakhang" means "Scripture Hall" in Tibetan.
Entering Bala Zhuoma Lhakhang, you will find scriptures hidden all around the room under the colorful ribbons.
Next to Bala Drolma Lhakhang, the five-colored prayer flags are dazzling in the sun.
Overall view of the Baladayong Pagoda
The third stop on the journey: the Echo Wall.
The long plank road ahead.
Ropeway through the valley, you can slide back on the return trip
Sunshine all the way
The large platform next to the plank road is the starting point of the cable car.
The end of the plank road is the glass plank road platform with the highest vertical altitude in China.
The glass plank road and the Gezong Snow Mountain behind it.
Walking on the glass plank road requires great courage, because there are cliffs under your feet.
Therefore, admitting defeat is also an attitude worth encouraging.
However, the two boys in the same car chose to give it a try bravely.
And this fellow traveler, dancing in the sunlight
Next to the glass plank road, there is also a hollow plank road, welcome brave people to challenge themselves
On the way back, weaving through the woods
The mountain scenery outside the plank road
We are not far from the starting point, and the Gezong Snow Mountain ahead seems to be getting closer.
The fourth stop on the journey is the thousand-year-old village of Bala Village.
Bala Village was once a remote and isolated place. Today, all the buildings have been demolished and rebuilt, becoming a Tibetan-style experience center.
In Bala Village, the only old building preserved is the home of Sina Dingzhu.
Today, this old building has been transformed into a butter tea house.
Come to the platform below the village, where there are three pyramid-like buildings called Mani Pagodas.
Look up at the blue sky from the top of the tower.
In front of the village, there is a high ground surrounded by prayer flags.
The colorful prayer flags are very beautiful under the sunlight.
At the top of the central plateau is the White Pagoda, a representative building of the Tibetan people.
In the Balagezong Scenic Area, there is also an unconventional route, which is the Shambhala Pagoda.
As the fifth stop of this journey, thanks to the beautiful weather, the road would have been forced to be closed if the weather was bad.
The scenic area's eco-friendly bus set out from Bala Village and drove through one sharp turn after another in the mountains. Here, we can't help but sigh again at the hardships of Sina Dingzhu's road construction.
As the altitude continued to rise, the surrounding road surface gradually turned white, and finally presented to us was such a spectacular snowy scene.
Coming to the stone tablet of the Shambhala Pagoda, the mountain behind the stone tablet is the Shambhala Pagoda, named after its pagoda-like shape.
With the blessing of blue sky and white clouds, such a beautiful scenery perfectly makes up for the regret I had on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain before.
The sky here is so blue and deep.
As we drove along the road, the beautiful scenery before our eyes continued to shock our souls.
The snow on both sides of the road is very deep and thick.
The scenery in the valley next to it is also great.
A lone pine tree stands quietly in the snow.
Here, the prayer flags in the snow are another beautiful landscape.
The friends in the car saw such a beautiful view and began to climb to the top of the mountain.
After successfully reaching the summit, the two companions happily slid down the slope.
A lone figure walked along the snowy road.
Another traveler from the next group is enjoying a wonderful photo moment with the stone tablet.
Below the Shambhala Pagoda, there is another viewing point with a great view.
However, this viewing platform has been covered with thick snow.
The snow is very deep, and it takes a lot of effort to walk into it, but this does not affect the children's happy playing in the snow at all.
Standing on the observation deck, you can see such a shocking scenery.
At your feet, there is a pine forest covered in snow.
After descending the mountain from the Shambhala Pagoda, we were supposed to head to the sixth stop of this trip, the Shangri-La Grand Canyon.
However, due to a last-minute inclusion in our itinerary for a visit to the Shambhala Pagoda, we had to hurriedly return home after taking only one souvenir photo. This was the only and biggest regret of the entire trip.
On the way back, we passed the beautiful Bala Village again.
The sun set, and our wonderful trip to Bala Gezong came to an end.
Although Napa Lake was a last-minute destination, it also has its own unique charm in winter
Next to Napa Lake, there is a wetland. When the rainy season ends and the lake water recedes, it becomes Yila Grassland
The scene of horses drinking water on the golden grassland is quite poetic
The misty weather, the reflection on the water, and the faint sight of snow on the distant mountaintops
This is the boundary between the lake and the grassland.
Leave Yila Grassland and start a journey around the "sea".
Napahai Lake has a hint of Erhai Lake, and is jokingly called the low-profile version of Erhai Lake.
On the other side of the blue sky lies a winter landscape shrouded by a solar halo.
One of Shangri-La’s most popular attractions is the Songzanlin Monastery, known as the Little Potala Palace and the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province.
As you arrive at the entrance of the temple, you will be greeted by a strong Tibetan atmosphere.
To reach the main hall of Songzanlin Monastery, you must walk up these 143 steps.
Due to the altitude of Shangri-La, you must walk slowly to avoid altitude sickness.
Climbing up to the main hall of Songzanlin Temple, the distant view is very broad.
The square in front of the main hall.
The main hall of the temple
What attracted me most about Songzanlin Temple was its unique appearance.
A close-up of a group of temple buildings
Although it is not the peak tourist season in Shangri-La, there are still many tourists who come here.
Songzanlin Temple is also a very suitable place for taking Tibetan costume photos.
After visiting Songzanlin Monastery, we returned to the place where we started.
A flock of white pigeons flew by under the blue sky and white clouds.
The lake opposite Songzanlin Monastery is called Lhamoyangcuo Lake, which means Holy Mother Soul in Tibetan.
Many birds are nesting on the shores of Lhamoyangcuo Lake.
On the hillside beside the lake, a little donkey is leisurely foraging.
You can walk around the lake along the plank road.
A plank road leading to Ramyangcuo Lake, with golden grasslands on both sides.
It was almost five in the afternoon, and the sunlight had already taken on a faint golden hue.
On the way, I encountered a group of black cattle and subconsciously hid the red scarf around my neck.
Ahead of the golden grassland is the magnificent Songzanlin Temple.
The most beautiful scenery in the Songzanlin Temple scenic area is undoubtedly the picture of the Songzanlin Temple and its reflection on the lake under the blue sky and white clouds.
On the last day of the trip, I was lucky enough to see the ancient city of Dukezong after the snow.
When I left the house, the diligent sanitation workers had already cleared most of the snow.
Dukezong Ancient Town, known as the Moonlight City, unfortunately suffered a fire in 2014. After the trauma, the ancient town was quickly repaired and rebuilt, and regained its vitality.
Unlike the spacious and unique Dali Ancient Town and the quaint Lijiang Ancient Town, Dukezong Ancient Town also has its own unique style.
This white tower in the ancient city is full of traces of time.
Passing by a shop, the punk-style giraffe at the door is quite interesting.
Once again at Guishan Park in Dukezong Ancient Town
There's still quite a bit of snow at the park entrance
Through the gate of Guishan Park
Walk up a long flight of stairs
The temple inside the park
There is also a lot of snow on the roof of the temple.
Climbing up to a large hall, there is an observation deck around it.
This is the commanding height of Dukezong Ancient City, where you can see the whole picture of the city.
The roofs of the ancient city are all covered in white.
A corner of Guishan Park
This decoration, tying straw and colorful flags together, is probably a Tibetan specialty. I don't have a name for it yet.
Colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind under the sunlight
src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/01057120009b79tbi1432_R_800_10000_Q90.png?proc=autoorient" /> In Guishan Park, there is the world's largest prayer wheel.
To turn such a huge prayer wheel, it takes the concerted efforts of many people.
So, I became the one being called upon by other tourists.
However, in the end, I chose to be the photographer who documented their concerted efforts.
With everyone's joint efforts, the prayer wheel slowly rotated in response to the one, two, three commands.
Next to Guishan Park is the famous Moonlight Square in the ancient city.
From here, you can overlook the entire Guishan Park.
Moonlight Square is also where the pigeons hang out in the ancient city.
A monk feeding pigeons is surrounded by a large group of pigeons.
A gentle breeze blew, and the pigeons began to dance, flying over Moonlight Square…
After completing our tour of Dukezong Ancient Town, our journey to Shangri-La also came to an end.
In the evening, we returned to Lijiang and flew back to Shanghai.
Sitting on the bus and looking out the window, the sunset shines on the earth, and the golden color is very beautiful
Looking at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain under the blue sky and white clouds in the distance, the trip to Lijiang a few days ago is still vivid in my mind
At this point, the 11-day trip to Yunnan, Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La has come to a perfect end.
Farewell is for the next reunion,
Next time, next stop, next article
Beautiful Lugu Lake, see you at the end of April~
Finally, a summary of Shangri-La’s food
Tibetan-flavor-eight-treasures
Stand-Star-Tibet-Meal
Shun-Shun-xiao-eat
Jing-Jing-'s-Well
Xin-Qiao-xiao-eat
silver-tong-convenient-min-small-eat
Shooting equipment: Nikon D850 + NIKKOR AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED & NIKKOR AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR
Post-processing: Adobe Lightroom
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