Dukezong Temple

The temple is beside the Dukezong Old Town on top of a hill. It has a golden giant prayer wheel.

The giant prayer wheel

Turning the prayer wheel

According the Tibetan Buddhist belief, spinning such a wheel is just as effective as reciting the mantra  orally.

So if you can't recite the mantra, spin the prayer wheel instead

Dukezong Old Town

Dukezong Old Town

Shangrila consists of the Tibetan Dukezong Old Town and the modern area. This old town has a history dating back to 1300 years.  

Shangrila

This place was  known as Zhongdian before changing its name to Shangrila in 2001. Shangrila is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton. It is 3,300 m above sea level. Some people may experience altitude sickness here. You should buy some oxygen canister, just in case.

Tsu Gou Grassland

This is one of the many  places  for riding horses.

Tibetan boy

Bitahai

"Bitahai” means “the Lake of Tranquility” in Tibetan language. This lake is situated in the Pudacuo National Park in the Shangrila county.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

This gorge lies between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain. It is the narrowest part of the  Jingsha Jiang (Jingsha River) where (according to legend) a tiger once leaped across the gorge  here.

It is a 3 km walk along the gorge

Walking through a tunnel

The water is calm here

Finally we reached the Tiger Leaping Gorge

at 3900 m below the peak

The water flows thunderously here as the gorge narrows

Then it was a long walk back

White Water River

"Baishuihe" literally means White Water River. The water is clean and unpolluted.

Terraces of  travertine

The cloud covering the mountains

Crystal clear water

Sunflower Seed

Ever wonder where a sunflower seed comes from?

From the sunflower itself

Impression Lijiang

Impression Lijiang shows the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai  people. The show is staged under the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which made it the highest natural outdoor platform in the world at 3,500 m.

The performance was directed by ZhangYimou 

It has a cast of over 500 people

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain can be seen in the background on a clear day

However it does not have a plot

The performers moved around us