By Lia Lenggogeni

Hugh Conway, the fictional British diplomat from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon, found inner peace, love and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La.

Would other visitors find the same contentment in such a mythical place? If you've been stuck in traffic jams, steeped in air pollution and your last attempt to unwind involved a shopping mall, then this small piece of heaven on earth really could give your body and mind a much-sought-after respite.

Hilton said his readers would not find Shangri-La on any map, but suggested that Shangri-La was located in a long valley with "rounded, sad-looking hills on either side" and capped by the "loveliest mountain on Earth".

Bita Lake

The Chinese government for its part decided to turn fiction into fact, claiming a small town in Yunnan province near the Tibetan border called Zhongdian to be the real inspiration for Hilton's utopia. In recent years, in an effort to boost tourism, the government renamed Zhongdian Shangri-La.

Located where the Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan borders meet, many travelers use this country town as a gateway into Tibet.

Known as Gyalthang in Tibetan, it does offer a good introduction to Tibetan life and culture. In fact, most storefronts are written in three languages: Mandarin, Tibetan and bizarre English. (Try to parse "The Ambition Soldier Shoes To Do A Store", "Too Clear Race Trading Company" and you just hope to God that the "Money Processing Shop" you just passed was not involved in any laundering schemes.)

This is also the place to sample Tibetan delights such as dumplings with yak meat (yes, it tasted vaguely like beef, but with a stronger aroma) and butter tea (milky tea with a dollop of butter).

Perched on a plateau at an elevation of 3,300 meters, dotted with beautiful hills, flowers and alpine lakes, the temperature is noticeably cooler than in other parts of southern China.

And one of the first things you notice is the sky. It's a deep cornflower blue, with white cotton-candy clouds. After the gray, polluted skies of modern China, the gloriously cerulean skies and fresh air of Zhongdian does feel otherworldly. The relaxed pace of everything helps, too.

Zhongdian is divided into old town and - you guessed it - new town. But even in the new town, traffic is refreshingly sparse. The town can boast only two bus routes and other traffic consists of a blend of cars and roving animals: cows, dogs and pigs.
The old town is a small but confusing network of alleys chock-full of cafes, guesthouses and souvenir shops where every night, right before dusk, townspeople gather in the square to dance.

Prayer Wheels

How charming to see old and young, in modern and traditional garb, male and female, dance for about an hour. Anyone is welcome to join the locals, although most tourists are content with snapping away at this nightly convention.

Because of its cool weather and proximity to natural wonders, Zhongdian is a good place for treks, hikes and walks. Some of the best sights are outside the town itself.

A few kilometers north of town is Songzanlin, the largest Mahayana Buddhist monastery in Yunnan.

Occupying an area of 33.3 hectares, Songzanlin is embraced by solid walls with five gates. Two main lamaseries, Zhacang and Jikang, command the highest positions within the complex.

A five-story Tibetan-style building serves as the main hall in the compound. The 16 colorful paintings which hang aloft in the hall are said to be the work of renowned lamas who painted with a golden liquid given them by the fifth Dalai Lama.

Brightened with numerous butter-oil lamps, the hall can hold 1,600 lamas sitting in meditation or chanting Buddhist scripture.

Built in the style of Potala Palace in Lhasa, the lamasery houses many precious cultural treasures, including an ornate Buddha that fills the room from floor to ceiling. A working lamasery, affable lamas go about their business in their red and yellow habits.

Women guests are forbidden to enter several rooms and buildings, mostly dormitories, as signs posted near the entrances warn.

Songzalin

Further from town is Bita Lake, the highest lake in Yunnan. Passing through serene and stunning landscapes of hills teeming with wild flowers, populated by herders and Naxi women working in the fields in their colorful traditional garb, the lake is located in a beautifully maintained nature reserve. Bita Lake is a clear alpine lake set against a tranquil backdrop of mountains, forests and green plains dotted with grazing yaks.

Legend has it that a goddess dropped her mirror by accident. it fell to earth and the shards became lakes on the plateau. The most beautiful piece, made of green jade, turned into today's Bita Lake, now bestowed with the epithet "a pearl on the plateau".

The gorgeous lake is fringed with lovely and dangerous rhododendrons of various varieties. Every year, around June and July, poisonous petals of the rhododendron plants fall onto the lake surface.

When unwitting fish eat these petals, they end up on their backs with their white bellies exposed as they float upside-down among the petals, as if drunk.

In the past, bears from the nearby mountains purportedly came out in the moonlight to catch these intoxicated fish. It's unclear how the bears' health was affected after feasting on the poisoned fish.

What is sure, however, is that the blissful scenery and rhythm of Shangri-La will both intoxicate and sober you at the same time. Whether Zhongdian is the true inspiration for Shangri-La becomes irrelevant.

When to go

From May or early June until mid-October. Bring a warm jacket for the cold nights.

How to get there

Cathay Pacific flies to Yunnan's capital Kunming via Hong Kong. Although plane rides from Kunming to Zhongdian are plentiful and cheap, it is recommended to at least take half of the journey by land as Yunnan offers fascinating, unforgettable scenery. The bus ride from Lijiang takes about four hours.

Sunset dancing in old town square