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The Ancient Tea-horse Road

• Overview
• Introduction
• History
• Culture
• Sights
• Xishaungbanna
• Dali
• Lijiang
• Deqin
• Kangding
• Chamdo
• Lhasa
• More Sights
• Tea-horse Road Tours
• Tea-Horse Road Map

The name Shangri-la was made famous by the English author James Hilton in his legendary novel "Lost Horizon" where he described a fictitious paradise. However, there is a real Shangri-la in China's southwest Yunnan Province. It is a beautiful land characterized by snow-capped mountains, vast grasslands, idyllic lakes and religious culture. It is a "Utopia" free from stress, pollution and turmoil that plagues most of the cities where we live.

Shangri-la, at the far north of Yunan province bordering Sichuan and Tibet province was a crucial staging point on the ancient Tea-horse Road. The region first became a trade town during the Qing Dynasty and gradually rose as one prosperous business center on the Tibet-Yunnan trading passage. Caravans from South Asia carried horses, carpets, herbs etc through Lhasa, Tibet to Shangri-la to exchange tea and other local products to return. The trade continued to the 1950s when a highway connecting Yunnan with Tibet was completed. The tea trade in Shangri-la since ever waned.

Shangri-la Attractions

Songzan Lin Temple

Songzan Lin Temple was founded in the 17th century during the reign of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama , when the yellow Hat school came to full ascendancy in Tibet . it lies a few kilometers beyond the north end of town and welcomes visitors who behave respectfully.

Bitahai Lake

Bitahai Lake is regarded as a pearl of the Plateau, the most charming view is the tower-like hill and this clear, peaceful water. Such the particular water, flowers and animals form two peculiar wonders of the Bitahai Lake: Fish Drunk by Azalea and An Old Bear Catches Fish.

Baishui Terrace

Snugly situated on a mountain slope 2,380 meters (about 7,806 feet) above sea level, Baishui Terrace, 140 meters (about 459 feet) in length and 160 meters (about 525 feet) in width, is one of the biggest such terraces in China. The spring water runs down from the top row by row to the bottom, like a white terraced field.

Napahai Lake

Napahai Lake is in a valley ringed by mountains on three sides. It's a lake in rainy season while a vibrant grassland in dry seasons when the water retreats.

More Shangri-la Sights

Transportation to Shangri-la

Air

Shangri-la Airport: (add:Diqing city Yunnnan province) There are flights to Kunming, Chengdu, Lhasa, Guangzhou.

Diqing Civil Airport：Located in Gezanba, it is one of the biggest airports in the northwest of the Yunnan Province. Flights to Lhasa, Chengdu, Beijing(via Kunming), Shanghai, Shenzhen(via Guiyang), Guangzhou, Kunming.

Highway

Departures from destionations including Kunming, Dali, Lijiang to Shangri-la are frequent.

Accommodation in Shangri-la

Accommodation in Zhongdian: Zhongdian has many hotels providing different levels of comfort. Among the best is the Shangri-la Hotel, Paradise Hotel(Changzheng Road(Long March Road), Zhongdian) and Bita Hotel. Some small hotels housed in the Tibet-style buildings have a distinctive feel despite of its size.

Accommodation in Deqin:Like Zhongdian, Deqin offer a wide range of hotel choices. The Taizifeng Hotel and Meili Hotel are among the best. At the Feilaisi, a viewing area for the Meili Snow Mountain, there are Meili Villa and Meili Hostel. Meili Villa is better euipped but a bit expensive.

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