Bridges, streams and old abodes: Spring scenes of Yunnan bewitch visitors
- By Wu Jin
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 26, 2017
Leg Two: Tiger Leaping Gorge
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A stone tiger sculpture perches above the heavy tidings of Tiger Leap Gorge. [Photo by Vigor Scrofa / China.org.cn] |
Located on the upper reaches of the fast-running Jinsha River, Tiger Leaping Gorge lies in the middle of the road heading from Lijiang to Diqing, and attracts numerous backpackers to spend generally two to three days trekking along the river banks. For those who are unable or unwilling to experience such toil, a sightseeing platform at the upper part of the Gorge gives a good view of the ferocity of the tides slapping on the rocks in the canyon.
Leg Three: Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri-la, Diqing
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The Songzanlin Monastery known as smaller Potala Palace [Photo by Vigor Scrofa/ China.org.cn] |
One may be sanctified when taking a pilgrimage to Songzanlin Monastery, known as the smaller Potala Palace in Shangri-la, Diqing. Established in 1679 by the 5th Dalia Lama, the monastery is a vital religious compound that houses nearly 1,000 lamas. Once being a lama, who enjoys great prestige among Tibetan people, the Buddhist disciple can never resume secular life, nor get married and have children.
According to Tibetan Buddhism, genuine belief never contains secular purposes and desires but only admiration and awe to the rules of nature. Opposite to the monastery is a celestial burial site, where deceased Tibetans make their last contribution by giving their flesh and bones to the swooping hawks, a consecrated ceremony for one to return to nature and await reincarnation.
Lit up by the first rays of morning sun, the monastery is an important landmark that well defines the meaning of Shangri-la—the Sun and the Moon in the heart.
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