Shangri-La, capital of the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Diqing in southwest China's Yunnan Province, has long been called "sun and moon in heart" for its snow-capped mountains, luminous lakes, broad pastures and diverse flora and fauna.
In recent years, an increasing number of foreigners have been attracted to Shangri-La and other Tibetan areas in southwest China.
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Firs are seen in the Potatso National Park in Shangri-La, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 13, 2008. Located at the center of the "Three Parallel Rivers" world natural heritage site, the Potatso National Park consists of the Shudu Lake, Niru area and Bitahai Nature Reserve, with a total area of 1,313 square kilometers. (Xinhua Photo) |
"What I saw here is quite different from what the Western media reported," said Mark Hiew, an Australian freelance writer, who visited a number of monasteries in Tibetan regions in 2007.
Hiew visited Labrang Monastery in Gansu, Langmu Monastery in Sichuan and Taer Monastery in Qinghai.
"I watched monks chanting and local people coming to pray. They wore traditional clothes, prayed and visited temples seemingly of their own free will. Although I do not understand their language, I was moved by the atmosphere," he said.
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Tourists entertain themselves in the Potatso National Park in Shangri-La, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 13, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) |
"And some of the younger monks were happy to speak a little English with me. I found them to be nice people. They invited me to their homes for butter tea. I was surprised by how much time they seemed to spend on their mobile phones," he said.
"Naturally, part of the interest as a foreigner is our idealized images of Tibet, but also all that we hear about Chinese government repression of the people," he added.
"When I was there, I was free to visit monasteries and local areas, and it didn't look to me like they were being outwardly oppressed at all. I saw stupas and prayer flags everywhere," he said.
Such a response is common from foreigners who have actually experienced life in the Tibetan areas.
Gavin Maccloskey, from Northern Ireland, has been living in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, which neighbors Tibet, for almost three years.
"The colorful nature of Tibetan life -- the art, especially thangkas and murals -- monasteries and faces of the people attracted me the most," said Maccloskey, who teaches at a language school in Chengdu and plans to start a thangka business with a friend in the United Kingdom.
A thangka is a painted or embroidered Buddhist banner, which is often hung in a monastery or over a family altar. It is occasionally carried by monks in ceremonial processions.
An Australian-born Chinese woman, Sze-en Lau, 23, became a volunteer in the Siguniang Mountain National Forest Park in Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, at the beginning of 2008, right after graduating from the University of New South Wales.
"I teach the villagers environment protection," she said. "And most of time we work together in the wild."
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Tourists visit a monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in the Potatso National Park in Shangri-La, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 13, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) |
She goes to the nearest town, Rilong, once a week to shop. The rest of her time, she lives in the mountain with the local Tibetans, drinks butter tea and eats a Tibetan dish known as tsamba, which is made of barley flour.