Shangri-La Appointment: Touring Dukezong Ancient Town

Back to Yunnan again, this time specifically for Shangri-La. In May 2012, I drove to Yunnan, planning to go from Lijiang to Shangri-La. However, due to road construction, I had to turn back halfway, and Shangri-La was thus postponed. It wasn't until twelve years later that I visited again. This was also my first time in Shangri-La. In the last week of August, eight of us flew from Chengdu, Luzhou, and Guangzhou to Lijiang and Shangri-La. We checked into the Z Hotel in Shangri-La on the 24th, beginning our four-day, three-night Shangri-La appointment. The first meal in Shangri-La was Tibetan cuisine. For me, it was just a taste to experience it. I had already tried butter tea before; it's salty but acceptable. The barley cakes and barley fried minced meat were fine. I didn't eat the lamb chops, but the yak meat dumplings must be eaten hot, or they have a gamey taste. There was also cheese mushrooms, and various cakes that could be dipped in cheese. Fortunately, I bought some pickles and cold-eaten rabbit before leaving. It can be said that the most popular dish at lunch that day was the cold-eaten rabbit. Tibetan cuisine is good to experience once. The sunshine was great. After lunch, I went back to the hotel to handle some work, while the others went to learn Thangka painting, an intangible cultural heritage project. Judging by the Thangkas they brought back, they did quite well. Then, we strolled around the ancient town, taking some photos. I feel that Tibetans especially love rich colors. From Tibetan houses in western Sichuan to the ancient town buildings in Shangri-La, everything is colorful. Every household has flowers in front of their doors. The ancient town is filled with various Tibetan restaurants, coffee shops, and Tibetan costume rental photo studios. You can always see people dressed in Tibetan clothes. Visiting Shangri-La without wearing Tibetan clothes seems incomplete. Six out of the eight of us rented Tibetan clothes and became 'Zhuoma' for a day. This summer, there were also many tourists in Shangri-La. Walking through the ancient town, I couldn't help but think of the big fire in the winter of 2014, which reportedly destroyed Dukezong Ancient Town. I wonder if the ancient town we see now is the same as before? At the end of the ancient town is Moonlight Square. From here, you can climb Turtle Mountain, the highest point in Shangri-La. At the Chaoyang Pavilion on the mountain top, you can overlook the entire city. There is also the world's largest prayer wheel, which requires the collective effort of many people to turn. Turning it three times brings disaster relief, blessings, and good fortune. At night, Sifang Street is very lively. Locals dance Guozhuang here every night, and many tourists join in. After watching the excitement, we returned to the hotel to rest. Early the next morning, some of them went to rent Tibetan clothes to take photos at Songzanlin Monastery. 📝Note tips: Shangri-La's plateau weather has very strong ultraviolet rays, so bring sunscreen. The temperature difference between day and night is large. Even in summer, you need to bring a thick coat or a windbreaker. As long as it doesn't rain, you can wear a dress for photos during the day. During our four days in Shangri-La, it was sunny and not cold at all.