The Three-River Scenic
Region
The Jinsha River、The Lancang River 、The Nujiang River
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Lijiang |
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Your
Country
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Kunming
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Diqing |
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Linku |
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Situated
in the northwest Yunnan Hengduan Mountains
on
the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Shangri-La Scenic
Region co-nsists of Diqing Prefecture, Nujiang Prefecture,
and some areas of Lijiang and Dali Prefectures, and covers
a total area of over 3,500 square kilometres. It is the
largest and the most promising scenic region in Yunnan in
the 21st century, with the most wond-erful
sights and the most mysterious and the richest ethnic
cultures. Within the scenic region
there
are magnificent sights such as three parallelly flowing
rivers, the world-famous gorge, the highest peak in Yunnan,
Buddhist temples and lamaseries, the birthplace of Dongba
Culture, and many other wonderful scenes. There are also a
national nature reserve, three provincial reserves, and a
historic and cultural relic under national protection.
"Shangri-La", which people have sought for tens of years
(more than half a
century), is located right here. At present most sights open
to
tourists
are: mainly within Diqing Prefecture, which is composed of
three counties Zhongdian (Shangri-La), Weixi and Deqin, with
its capital in Zhongxin Town in Zhongdian County. Zhongdian
County,709 kilometres away from Kunming, is located in the
place bordering three provinces (Yunnan, Tibet and
Sichuan), and is the political, economic and cultural centre
of Diqing Tibet Autonomous Prefecture. (Now there is air
service between Zhongdian and Kunming). The Shangri-La
Airport is now open to air traffic, and a jet plane can
cover the distance within 50 minutes. The opening of the air
service is agreat help to the local tourism.
The concurrent Flow (Area) of Three Rivers
These rivers are the Jinsha River, the Lancang River and the
Nujiang River, all 0ngnnatmg in the Qinghai- Tibet Plateau.
They each run through the valleys of the Yunling Mountains,
Nushan Mountains and Gaoligong Mountains in Nujiang
Autonomous Prefecture, Diqing Autonomous Prefecture and
Lijiang Autonomous Prefecture. They run southward for
nearly 400 kilometres, the shortest
distance between them
being 76km near 27.5 degrees north latitude.
The distance between them widens in Shigu and Bijiang, and
then the three rivers separate and flow in different
directions. At the points where they empty into the seas,
the distance between them is more than 3,000km, thus forming
a "broom shape" water system. There is also an extraordinary
natural sight near 27.5 degrees north latitude. The
water level of the three rivers drops from the east to the
west, with the Jinsha River at an elevation of 2,100 metres,
the Lancang River 1,900 metres, and the Nujiang River 1,600
metres, forming the shape of a high and
precipitous ladder.
This magnificent sight was made public in 1988 by the State
as a state scenic resort, and since then it has attracted
much interest from home and abroad.

To
visit this scenic region, 'A Tour to
Yunnan'
is recommended.
Service
charge: $150/day.person
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