Dream back to Shangri-La

Author: Zhao Xinsan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-11-01
Features: There is a beautiful land, like a fairy tale, as dreamlike and pure as a dream. It has snow-capped mountains, glaciers, canyons, forests, meadows, lakes, and pure air. There is no hatred, war, suspicion, or bloodthirsty desires. It is a place of beauty, brightness, tranquility, serenity, contentment, and harmony, where gods and humans coexist in Shangri-La. The book in the hands of the reader is a faithful record of the author's feelings and reflections, which may touch readers in the 21st century. It contains the author's thoughts on the rugged high mountains and snow-covered peaks alternating with deep and perilous canyons, as well as the author's poignant reflections on the quiet three-village entrances and the lone wooden bridges with paths leading through. The book is also filled with numerous authentic photographs.
The English term "Shangri-La" originates from the Tibetan dialect of Zhongdian and first appeared in the novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Its meaning is a paradise isolated from the world, where there is no hatred, no war, only tolerance, peace, and harmony—a pure land of magic, possessing unparalleled original and natural beauty. Life there is transparent and clear, far from the self-destructive modern mechanical civilization of the West. However, in today's world, there is no absolute, isolated paradise. Since the 1980s, human consumption of natural resources has exceeded the Earth's regenerative capacity. Pollution of the atmosphere and rivers, lakes, and seas has worsened globally, the ozone layer is expanding, large areas of land are desertifying, and forest areas are rapidly decreasing, leading to a shortage of fresh water. The greenhouse effect has caused global warming, with a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, and many human diseases are directly related to environmental degradation. Faced with the crisis, saving the Earth is also saving humanity. Shangri-La adheres to a moderate, steady, and gentle "philosophy of the mean," where humans, themselves, and nature all follow the virtue of "moderation," striving to preserve a small piece of this rare "pure land" for humanity.
In Dreaming Back to Shangri-La, the author adopts a diary format and writes, "It is a long report literature about my prepared mind, combined with my lifelong internal and external accumulations, encountering and colliding with this land, producing thoughts and emotions 'stream of consciousness.'" Readers will follow the author to Shangri-La to experience it passionately and think calmly about its mysterious light and shadow, peaks and canyons, lakes and grasslands, temples and churches, people and people, and people and nature, as well as the past, present, and future.
Kunming is the main gateway to Shangri-La in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. With 99% of its new buildings, except for its pleasant summer climate, it left the author with few positive impressions. The reason is likely that the city is too "new."
The ancient city of Lijiang is truly a historical and cultural city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It satisfies the nostalgia of countless domestic and international tourists, and it does so so well that it is widely praised. The ancient city of Lijiang does not have imposing, towering, and heavy walls or castles that inspire awe, nor does it have magnificent palaces, grand churches, or monasteries. Instead, it only has the Naxi people's vernacular architecture—simple, quiet, and elegant. For thousands of years, the Naxi people have followed the original religion of Bon, worshipping nature, believing that humans, mountains, rivers, lakes, birds, animals, insects, and air are brothers of the same father and different mothers. Brothers must live in harmony to coexist and thrive.
Where exactly is Shangri-La? Is it a village, a township, or a county? What are its east longitude and north latitude? The author answers that it is both a geographical concept and not just a geographical concept. Essentially, Shangri-La is a product of the collision and convergence of Eastern and Western philosophical civilizations; it is a concept of global civilization philosophy; it is a set of guidelines for how humans and nature should coexist. In today's human development, this guideline is crucial.
There is a beautiful land, like a fairy tale, as dreamlike and pure as a dream. It has snow-capped mountains, glaciers, canyons, forests, meadows, lakes, and pure air; there is no hatred, war, suspicion, or bloodthirsty desires; it is a place of beauty, brightness, tranquility, serenity, contentment, and harmony; it is Shangri-La where gods and humans coexist.