The city was originally a county named Zhongdian (中甸县; Zhōngdiàn Xiàn); the Tibetan population referred to the area by its traditional name Gyalthang (Tibetan: རྒྱལ་ཐང་, Wylie: rgyal thang, ZYPY: Gyaitang), meaning "royal plains". On 17 December 2001, the Chinese government renamed the county "Shangri-La", after the fictional land of Shangri-La in the 1933 James Hilton novel Lost Horizon. This renaming, along with the county's upgrade to a county-level city on 16 December 2014, was part of an effort by the Chinese government to promote tourism in the area. The Chinese name of the county seat, Jiantang (建塘; Jiàntáng), reflects a Mandarin transliteration of Gyalthang.
History
In the early morning of 11 January 2014, a fire broke out in the 1,000-year-old Dukezong Tibetan neighborhood. About 242 homes and shops were destroyed and 2,600 residents were displaced.[3]About half of the old town was destroyed by the fire. Afterwards, residents were allowed back to their homes and shops. By the end of 2014 rebuilding had started and tourism started to return. Tourism was generally not affected by the fire, since the main sights in the old town, such as the prayer wheel and temples, were not damaged. Many of the other main sights are located outside of the old town.
The ambiance of the town is distinctly Tibetan with prayer flags fluttering, mountains known by holy names, lamaseries and rocks inscribed in Tibetan language with Buddhistsutras.[4][5][6]
Administrative divisions
Shangri-La city has 4 towns, 6 townships and 1 ethnic township.[7]
Climate
Shangri-La has either a dry-winter, warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dwb) using the isotherm or a dry-winter subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwb) using the −3 °C (26.6 °F) isotherm, both of which are unusually cool by Yunnan standards due to the high elevation, which ranges between 2,700 and 3,500 metres (8,900 and 11,500 ft). Winters are chilly but sunny, with a 24 January-hour average temperature of, while summers are cool, with a 24 July-hour average temperature of 13.9 °C (57.0 °F), and feature frequent rain; more than 70% of the annual precipitation is delivered from June to September. The annual mean is 6.32 °C (43.4 °F). Except during the summer, nights are usually sharply cooler than the days. Despite the dryness of the winter, the small amount of precipitation is generally sufficient to cause major transportation dislocations and isolate the area between November and March.
Shangri-La railway station on Lijiang–Shangri-La railway opened on 26 November 2023.[11] It takes 1h 20min to reach Lijiang by train, and about 5h to the provincial capital Kunming.[12]
Taking a long-distance bus is also a major means to get to Shangri-La. It takes about four hours to get to Shangri-La from Lijiang by bus. Tourists who rent a car for the trip can also visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiaoxia, 虎跳峡) and the First Bend of Yangtze River on the way.[13]
Many travelers use the county town as a gateway into Tibet, either travelling many days overland by jeep to Lhasa, or by flying from the city's airport. However, the town itself is a tourist destination, primarily due to the nearby Gandan Sumtseling Monastery, Ganden Sumtsen Ling, 松赞林寺Sōngzànlín Sì), Pudacuo National Park, and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
^"Shangri-La (Xiānggélǐlā 香格里拉), chef-lieu de la préfecture autonome tibétaine de Diqing, Yunnan (Yúnnán 云南)". channaryetfrancoisashanghai.net (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2015.
^"迪庆州第七次全国人口普查主要数据公报" (in Chinese). Government of Diqing Prefecture. 27 May 2021.
^"Night fire burns for hours, destroys ancient Tibetan town in southwest China's Shangri-La county". Toledo Blade. 11 January 2014.
^Reilly, James O'; Sean O'Reilly; Larry Habegger James (2004). Travelers' Tales China: True Stories. Travelers' Tales. p. 162. ISBN 1-932361-07-3. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
^Mansfield, Stephen; Martin Walters (2007). China: Yunnan Province. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-1-84162-169-2. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
^"Shangri-La, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery". Virtual Tourist. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
^"国家统计局" (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
^1991–2020 normals "Climate averages from 1991 to 2020". China Meteorological Administration. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
^1971–2000 extremes 香格里拉 – 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
^"Shangri-la Transportation" ChinaTour.net Accessed 9 May 2014
Further reading
Forbes, Andrew ; Henley, David (2011). China's Ancient Tea Horse Road. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B005DQV7Q2
Holas, Ashild. "Tourism and Tibetan Culture in Transition: A Place Called Shangrila" (Routledge Contemporary China Series). Routledge, 12 September 2007. ISBN 8173871094, 9788173871092.
External links
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Shangrila.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shangri-La, Yunnan.