My Shangri-La Ancient Town

Author: Le'an Wangdui, Li Gang, Liu Zan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: It is still difficult to see an authoritative explanation of the ancient city at this moment. Because the history of this ancient city has already become like a moon in the water and a flower in the mirror. Many stories are deeply hidden in the hearts of the people of the ancient city, and many mysteries related to time are hidden underground. In my hometown, the golden and brilliant temples stand in stark contrast to the simple folk houses. In my understanding, it is the influence of religion that has nurtured the people, and the spirit of introspection plays a role. They consciously keep a distance from the temples and regard them as natural guides. Therefore, both the worship in the heart and the physical form of worship have a geographical location and a direction: go to the temple. Religious reverence and butter tea are all essential in life. Walking into Shangri-La Ancient Town, the simplicity of the folk houses and streets immediately strikes you. A winding stone path is full of potholes. If you look closely, the flagstones on the ground still bear the marks of horse hooves. These are the works of the horse caravans on the ancient tea horse road. They never expected that the extremely natural hardships and labor would, in a new era of civilization, create the charm of tourism. Some people say that Shangri-La Ancient Town was built according to the ideal land of Shangri-La in Buddhist scriptures, but in fact, it is difficult to correspond completely. A more realistic statement should be that our ancestors tried to build their homeland according to the ideal kingdom in Buddhist scriptures, but the actual embodiment is only the traces of the influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the local folk culture. The ideal is the ideal, and life is life. Although they are mutually infiltrated, they each have distinct domains. To outsiders in this region, it seems quite unique, as if it has prematurely embraced some current popular terms, like cool, Yin, and the like. In fact, everything is the work of nature: altitude, snow-capped mountains, grasslands, big rivers, high mountain lakes, ethnic groups, religion, and yaks. There are also the survival needs shared by all regions. Here, it is very close to the sky; to those from lower altitudes, the people here live as if they are halfway between the earth and the clouds every day. This is the heart of the world's strange Three Parallel Rivers region, where the terrain rises and falls dramatically. The vegetation is abundant, and the products are unique. The people here write both pain and joy on their faces, and songs and dances are everywhere. These winding roads, these ruins, they preserve history and tell stories of joy and sorrow. They whisper to you with a melancholic and graceful tone that there are three points you must understand: the old appearance of the thousand-year-old city remains, the past of the Tibetan people is before your eyes, the uniqueness of the ancient city stems from its wetland ecosystem and ancient grassland civilization, and it is the need of the ancient tea horse road that has transformed the city into what you see today. Thus, the harmonious notes of all ethnic groups flow everywhere in the ancient city. Those who come here, you have traveled a long way, and you share a bond with us. Tashi delek, tashi delek!