My Shangri-La

Author: Xiao Mei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: "Where the sun rises earliest is the Jiantang in the east, where the most extraordinary life exists is Shangri-La by the milk river." Here are tranquil and transcendent lakes, stones imbued with spiritual energy, a vast and distant blue sky, boundless mountains and rivers, magnificent and beautiful gorges, grand temples, and wise lamas. The meadows here are covered with wildflowers in full bloom, always filled with a romantic atmosphere of joyful times. The people live in harmony because in their hearts they hold deities, giving them a natural acceptance of fate. There is a beautiful place that people all yearn for, where it is always green, where birds sing and flowers bloom, where there is no pain, where there is no sorrow. Its name is Shangri-La, a place said to be inhabited by immortals. It is now renamed Shangri-La, Zhongdian, perhaps still a real place filled with earthy fragrance and worldly scenery. We are comparing a real place with a myth. Of course, the real is never as alluring as the dream. This is a book where black and white photographs meet Shangri-La. The meeting is not with Shangri-La's dazzling colors and so-called legends, but with spirit and understanding. American photographer Kim Roseberry explores the birth, naming, and meaning of "Shangri-La" as a sacred place and sacred word, as well as the many details behind the "beautiful face" of this magical realm.