The Chinese government renamed the city to Shangri-La (Xiānggélǐlā, 香格里拉) in 2001 in a effort to boost tourism, which is originally known as Zhongdian (Zhōngdiàn Xiàn, 中甸县). A gateway for travelers into Tibet, the cobblestone-lined old town offers a charming look into Tibetan life without having to jump through all of the hoops required to enter the Tibetan Autononomous Region (TAR) itself. It's a beautiful ride from Zhongdian through the mountains to Deqin to the northeast, and beyond that, the massive range of snow-and-ice-capped mountains on the border with Tibet proper known as Meili Xue Shan. It is also possible to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, Pudacuo National Park, Napa Lake (Nàpà Hǎi, 纳帕海), Xiagei Hot Springs (Xià Gěi, 下给) and Haba Snow Mountain (Hǎba Xuě Shān, 哈巴雪山) from Zhongdian/Shangri-La by bus, motorcycle or hired car.

It might look like a mere four-hour drive from Lijiang and six from Dali on the map, but the road to Shangri-La is long and hard. When you get there though, it will be worth it. One of the major sites in the area is the 300 year-old Songzanlin Monastery, located on the other side of a sloping hill on the outskirts of town. Random trails through the wide open grasslands around Shangri-La are a chance to meet monks and horsemen and also to climb hills and look out across the plateau. You can (and should) marvel at the bright blue, cloud-rich Tibetan sky from any vantage point in the area.

Despite the rustic, mountain-town atmosphere, Shangri-La has a small (but growing)number of cafes and bars that cater to foreign visitors.

History

Archaeological evidence dates human existence in this area back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 771 BC). For hundreds of years the area was home to several nomadic Tibetan tribes living a pastoral life, wandering the plateau with vast yak herds.

During the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220AD) Shangri-La made tentative contact with the Chinese heartland. The relationship grew to a height in the late Tang and Song dynasties when caravans of silver, tea and horses for wars traveled through Zhongdian on the Horse and Tea Trade Route, also known as the Southern Silk Road.

In the years following the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Zhongdian was left to its own devices until the Red Army marched through Tibet, liberating as it went.

Today, the town is more Tibetan than Han Chinese with most houses outside of the small city center displaying bright, smiling Tibetan architecture and customs. Most of the 130,000 population celebrate New Year according to the Tibetan calendar.

Big changes in the city center brought an influx of carpetbagging Han who built massive hotels in a small boom—but the boom quickly turned bust when the expected numbers of tourists never truly materialized. Sure, Zhongdian is much more crowded than it was 10 years ago, but most of the travelers are backpackers in groups of two to five and the plateau is so wide and expansive that you could enjoy your own quasi-nomadic experience with little interference from the modern world.

Climate

Shangri-La is about 3,300 meters above the sea level. The weather is dry and crisp, with temperatures varying both at night and during the four seasons. Winters are cold with lots of snow and summers are bright and quite warm—the sun seems a lot closer in Tibet...

The best seasons to go are spring and autumn, specifically May to July and September to October. Visits during Spring Festival are not really recommended as temperatures are generally quite low and indoor heating is still somewhat hard to find in Shangri-La.

Hotels and guest houses are shooting up all over town like crocuses in springtime, so by the time you read this, there will be half a dozen new ones competing with the old favorites. Shangri-La hotels offer everything from budget hotels and youth hostels to family owned guesthouses to upmarket luxury resorts like the Banyan Tree Ringha. Most accommodation is cluttered in one area in the south of town. For budget accommodations, you will pay around RMB 25 for a dorm bed at: Rockside Hostel, YHA, Dukezong, Dragon Cloud Inn, Khampa Caravan Eco Lodge or Shangri-La Traveller Club.

Shangri-La has a fair selection of cozy places to relax and grab a bite to eat, like the Potala Café, Stupa Book Café and the Tibet Café, which serves an excellent breakfast. Most food in town is staple Chinese cusine with the exception of yak meat, which is definitely worth a try... it doesn't taste like chicken.

Be sure to try a Tibetan meal if you can. Some people outside of the main center strip in town will invite you in for a meal of traditional Tibetan sampas (barley flour, yak butter and tea, rolled into a delicious ball) or even better, fresh yogurt. Tibetan dishes revolve around the yak: yak tea butter (salty and hearty), yak meat (yummy!) and yogurt with sampas. Good plateau food.

Keywords:
中甸县Zhōngdiàn Xiàn: Zhongdian
香格里拉Xiānggélǐlā: Shangri-La
虎跳峡Hǔ tiào xiá: Tiger Leaping Gorge
纳帕海Nàpà Hǎi: Napa Lake
哈巴雪山Hǎba Xuě Shān: Haba Snow Mountain
香格里拉旅游俱乐部Xiānɡɡélǐlā Lǚyóujùlèbù: Shangri-La Traveller Club