Where is Shangri-La?
Dumbo, yeah so. He'll be honest. Yeah. We gonna. Do. It Jambo, yang got. All of it but. That has got to be careful as they. Do. It just took my breath away too little skill to. 36:38. That's. Not a blue plaque that's an alarm. Beach. Security, 41. Shangri-la. A word people know but can't define is an earthly paradise a hotel, chain a Chinese city 41. In the street ends a. Tibetan. Utopia. If this, is your local garden this is okay otherwise it's been knocked down. The, word first appears in the 1934. Fictional, book Lost Horizon written, by James Hilton. James hylton they. Go look james hylton 90, 1902. 1954. Novelists, and scriptwriter, lived. Here and. As. A skeleton, in the, front window. And. An exercise bike. Lost. Horizon was a sensation. In this day a best-seller that became the first book to be mass-produced in, paperback, soon, after the story made it onto the silver screen with Frank Capra directing, in Hollywood's most bankable, actor, Ronald, Colman in the lead role amidst. Tensions of world war lost horizons appeal was this idea of sanctuary, a utopian. Valley free from conflict where war disease and even aging, were virtually unknown in. The. Story starring, miss diplomat, Robert Conway and three others are kidnapped, in a high jet aeroplane which crash lands amongst snowy mountaintop some way in the Tibetan region but. James Hilton never actually went to Tibet all, of the ideas of shangri-la, were conceived, on paper in one of the rooms in this house in in woodford in London soon. After the book became a sensation would-be, shangri-la, seekers, started, their quest to find the mythical Valley even, Adolf Hitler center crack Nazi unit in 1938, to go look explore, as authors and filmmakers in, the years that followed all made claim defining, it here here, here. My. Name is Sammy Chapman my to write fictional stories are places I've never been and. I'm going on a journey to try and figure out if any of the geographical, descriptions, in the book Lost Horizon are, based on an actual place I start. Right here. Some, people say that James. Hilton was escapist, but that's not something he never denied, in, an, article it was in the New York Times shortly, after the filming of Lost, Horizon he. Talks about the European, situation because, you've got to remember this is between the two world wars but, his idea of the geography of shangri-la. Was spot-on he, did Muslim research in the British Museum which, is where we are now and in particular he he refers to one book that he used which is the, travels. Into artery Tibet and China by, Abbey hook, our. Hook was a French priest who spent three years which in 1844. And 1846. Traveling, an anticlockwise circuit. From Peking, that took in Inner Mongolia Tibetan. Situa, along. The way he wrote a detailed diary of his adventures, while. The book explains, some of the ideological themes, in Lost Horizon it. Is not explained all the detailed geographical. Descriptions, could. These have come from a more recent source. In. The book the planes path takes it from Kobol past, k2 in the Karakoram, range to, crash landing around here in the kernel or the, water. Hits the ground Conway. And his three companions emerge. Into a place that seems to be somewhere else entirely. Most, experts now agree kingi shangri-la, Wario in English is a moody. Sound. As the newly. Yeah, ding where, are they I set. Off to China to find out. If. You asked Chinese people where shangri-la, they won't point to the kernel mountains but, more, likely to northern you now 2,000, kilometers away and that's, because of Joseph Rock who, was a plant explorer, who was based here, in this actual set of buildings in the 1920s. And 1930s. Rock. Was a botanist, Explorer, and accomplished, photographer working. For the US Department of Agriculture, from, his base in Li Chang he, ventured out on expeditions, into northern, Yunnan and Sichuan, publishing. Stories of his travels in National Geographic magazine. Experts. Contend, it is these articles, that James Hills had borrowed from to describe the geography shangri-la. Security. Fund the initial ship out to get even cheer song Kayla she. Fancies you know, somewhat rip the tongue go to. Quit. Idly father demands a two-party, jutsu dollar so, it's almost you know you tell me if he ever send me that so many things she I'm.
Good To follow one of the expeditions to see for myself I'm, meeting with Jack Yao a Chinese, journalist, who's going to help me with my quest. We're. Gonna take a day on. The car to go to muli there another day to go to the standing point of our track which we're gonna do a days. In the mountain where. As jazz. Rock took about ten days just by horse, and by walking just to get to the start point so. What. About the bandits. He had to contend with you know are we gonna face any of those don't worry about them, it's a torso group you're. Worried more. Before. We started Jay Jack wants to meet a man who can help explain the link between jay-z's Roc of shangri-la, this. Is 91, year old Zhu MK son, of Jersey rock secretary. Yeah. Tamio. Him didn't even. Let. Me on camera. -. You're me and Emma, Morley. -, I. Mean they're. Soo. Inkay organized the translation, of Lost Horizon into, Chinese in the late 1970s. And soon, after the name shangri-la, entered into the Chinese imagination. Cities. In the area competed. To change their name, signature. Was an Italian girl she, and zeg night you see the amended something here teaching, so that's only insane come in jangling, hey Lynn. Wagoner Sue's Honda, Kansas order to, get out an agenda it's, a girl Jasha, to. Come in with saengil Eliza it's, only a Harlan engineer, Canada. The, erogenous. Ireland. In Ireland Canada, but. Technology, crime. In the pee hole so we are saluting the, fatherly. Which into the sheer, rock. Did not write about Chong Deanne until, after Lost Horizon was published making, real the gateway to yeah ding and muli to have the only credible claim although. Jun K was the first to see the link between Lost Horizon and. The travels the jerseys were. It. Was an American Lawyer an amateur Mountaineer, Ted Vale who, first narrowed the focus to, one specific area. He sourced. Shangri-la. Mainly. On the. Movie monastery, as. Depicted. By Joseph. Rock in a series of articles in the late 1920s, and, early 1930s. About. That area. Of the numerous articles the Joseph Rock wrote about, this region is the 1931. Article, the Ted Vale picks up on as having the most similarities. To Lost Horizon. We're. Doing part of the trip now which is to drive from, lijiang - Mooly and then, from Uli Joseph Rock went up, the valley and, round. A tour of jam by Aetna the. Similarities, we're looking for with, Lost Horizon are the valley itself and its similarities, shangri-la, the, muli monastery, and then, the peak of jam by yung yourself we. Start at the ministry. It's. Amazing how it's opened up. This. Is the new movie monastery isn't it. It's. Covered somewhere. So. From what I could see the similar shangri-la, similarities, that we got incredibly. Closed. In Valley which is all but inaccessible. This. Many be gold down there somewhere. And. The king of muli wouldn't. Let anyone out, Josef. Rock first went to the kingdom newly as it was then in 1924.
He, Struck up a friendship with the king securing. For himself a base for subsequent expeditions, in. 1928, he persuaded, the newly came to introduce him to trash her song pen she for the outlaws of Konkani, the. Chief had declared conquer leaned off the limits for normal travel and that incomers would be killed but, with the Moody Kings influenced Russia's song pen agreed to leave rocks expedition, on harm and this, open up a new mountain range for him to explore the, movie monastery, was the center of the old kingdom of muli and the place Vale believes, is the inspiration, for the shangri-la lamasery, hilton, describes the scene as conway first comes across it an. Austere, emotion, carry the eye upwards, from milk blue roofs to the gray rock Bastian, above well. Disguised blue tile roofs in Lully and the great Maxim itsuka, behind the monastery, but, other descriptions, of the place were far from the utopian, community, there was tension here the king was somewhat of a despot he wasn't the father that Poirot of Lost, Horizon, there. Was the ever-present danger of bandits, who didn't, raid the valley but they were certainly round the edges. King would execute prisoners, this. Certainly was not the the idol. Of peace and tranquility, of James Hilton's Lost Horizon the blue tile since gone and the crowds behind a coveting cloud would, perform as the. Road gets narrower and the valleys steeper we pass watch towers erected to protect gold, mines that use the line the valley almost. A six hour drive from the monastery the landscape, starts, to feel closer to the valley of shangri-la, as described, in Lausanne rise but. The Silla lack of high mountains, and rather, a lot of electric pylons. We. Finally reached guru village and stay, overnight in one of the homes depicted, in the 1931, article, early. The next day we start a hike into the handle our mountains. Here. We hire a team of four horses to carry our expedition, gear a mule, a tear and his 21 year old niece Ghassan, the, tourism, student in chengdu who will be our guide, over. The next eight days we plan to climb up the valley and over several passes up to 4800. Meters to, loop around the snow mountains, following the same route the joys of rock describes, in his 1931. Article on. The. Trek we'll be looking for similarities between rocks descriptions, in the article and the geographical, clues mentioning, Lost Horizon Ted.
Vail Has played 22 points of similarity, we, are here to check the folks on the ground. People. Here still remember, Jay Z from znk. Who, was old enough to vaguely remember, the explorer and it turns out that sooo long amulet, ear also knows him through, his grandfather's, stories. Sure. What oh we're. Going, Taj, o, YT. O ng. Passion. Look, at a shoulder tap. Little charm, her. Teacher, tau I heard. The girl trying to live its sound, Rama you. Looking at soda juice. Any, other Allah and this year to be ours my signature looks for you at all now hygiene later saw you move on drama mmm, pythons, jondura Hadji any girl who, soon under my power you Papio Jana now Gina Gershon would you Toboso Hungama you, truth high a girl before Justin, and Hawk in the world look gonna go find you nigga go to put a lot. We. Shall su long the clothing worn in the film version of Lost Horizon and, he, confirms it it's the same his grandfather, wore this, is different from the clothing worn by people in the Cullens at the time after, climbing for two days we get our first glimpse of, one of three holy Peaks, Sena. Doji well Chanin doji is rock called it we. Have one final push to get over, 4,700. Meters sabola, pass and in the Moxley mountains. I. Notice. In the in the book laws horison james, hylton wrote he, twisted quite a few names, in in different places why. Why would he do that well, I write fiction books and when. I'm writing about faraway places I changed, the names, deliberately. And the reason is because you want to cut a sense of the area but if you have the exact place this is fiction remember, people will look at it and say well why is that place in it next to the other place we're really there thousands of miles apart. At. A next camp we woke up to our first view of Yama Yama or, Jambo yeah as ROC calls it this, is the pyramid mountain of Bayeux believes to be identical, to caracal the snow mountain of shangri-la but. We're on the wrong side and we'll have to wait a few days to reach the other side of the mountain to get a view of the snow cone that rock describes. Soon. After the clouds roll in and we're left in mist and rain to. Traverse higher passes and cross boulder fields on the slopes of the holy mountain, with. The weather closing, our activity, down I used to spare time to focus on the similarities, between Joseph rocks 1931. Article and the book Lost Horizon this. Area is certainly an accessible, and it would be in snow time just. Over there there's a pyramid mountain, of of jam, by angle which is very much like the caracal and in the book there are gold deposits, in the, Moody, Valley just like they've gone deposits, within shangri-la, in. The film for which James Olsen was a consultant, on the, clothing, worn, by the citizens, when they rescued the party after the air crash he's very much the clothing from this area, it's. Also the fact that once you're in shangri-la you can't leave the. Same way that the king of Mali forbade his subjects, to leave the Moon Valley but. There are also geographical. Inconsistencies, in lhasa, Rison the blank crashes in the Cunha long range and this is where a friend of Conway's called Rutherford go searching for home at the end of the book but, when Conway comes out heroes in can ding just north of newly and then enters back through northern Thailand again much, closer to muli than the Canucks in the.
Epilogue. Rutherford. Comes across an explorer, from the American. Geographical Society. Who's exploring an illusion is this a hidden acknowledgement, of Joseph Rock at. This point like veil we are slowly ticking off geographical, descriptions, from rocks 1931 article against similar descriptions, in Lost Horizon but. There were a few niggling inconsistencies. That are stopping me from declaring, that I've found shangri-la. So. Salmon used. You still think the. Shangri-la, a, lot. Of points that say it is but I still got a couple of misgivings one, of the things is when James Hilton actually specifically, talks about his sources, he. Talks about the, missionaries. That that, went up into the Himalayas in the 16th century century. But in no way does he mention of Joseph Rock I mean, we've said that he's been to the British Library and, Jesus, rocks articles for there nothing but there is no mention, of any of the modern-day ocean, we. Take one day to stop the March take our day packs and go discover the adding park just over the final pass here. We start to run into floods of tourists, who pay fifty, dollars to be bused into the valley and made the climb up to the 100. The range or, a clear day you can view all three holy mountains, in. The, valley below avid single, gone B monastery, where rock Trek refuge, from heavy rain Jack, pulls me aside to address the elephant of the room an, ancient Buddhist mythical kingdom that has a striking resemblance to, shangri-la, his, name. So. Basically ASA is a kingdom. North. Of India. I think. Across, the Himalaya. Mountains so. The kingdom, is surrounded, by, snow mountains, this is not. Accessible, for people from, outside and also the people from inside cannot get out. Basically. People living, there with. Long life and there's no hunger, no poverty. Furthermore. It's, a place collecting, all the knowledge when. The people in the world these terms themselves you know with war with all the sudden bad stuff and they. Will appear again like. A new world to pass on the knowledge, so. I wonder. If this. Is a heavily, impact, to to James Hilton snow well I think I mean further Peru in Lost, Horizon sense, that this. Is a repository, of knowledge and, when, the people outside had Wars is.
To You, know they'll be use so I can't help thinking that's James, has been is heavily influenced but by, reading about Shambala and then, then. Using, that in a more limited senses book the other thing is Russell a super named Shambhala, shangri-la. Mister. Question music yeah. As. The light was falling we hike back over the pass to the solitude of a campsite beyond, the reaches of the adding park as the. Others sleep I take the opportunity for one last read through all the media interviews, where health and discusses, shangri-la. I'd. Miss something. Jack. Jackie are you in there I found. Something that I think is really important, and I think it explains, why. James, Hilton never. Acknowledged, that he took any inspiration from Jersey Rock and. I think it's to do with libel laws. This. Is from a 1936. Newspaper, and somehow, overlooked, this before this. Is to quote somehow. The libel, law crept into the conversation, mr., Hilton told how English authors now had to be careful even about, some of the places - described, as someone, had been successfully. Sued a novelist sceptre recognizing the description, of a cottage the plaintiff owned, yeah. So he would he. Could be worried that if he mentioned Joseph Rock just. Rock was at his Explorer at the same time in the NASA you know under the National Geographic and it could be used wouldn't. Be a problem without using a B hook and he does mention every hook because every hook had done his stuff for 1846, 1847. We. Continue our journey across. 4890. High-pass and round to the south of Yama young to see for ourselves the, view rock describes, in his article, about claims Hilton copied. This. Is what Joseph Rock wrote in, a cloudless sky before, me Rose the peerless pyramid, at jam by an the, finest mountain my eyes ever beheld the sky was greenish black the snowy pyramid, was gray but the apexis of both it and Chenrezig suddenly, turned a golden yellow as a sunrise, kissed. James. Hilson wrote this, they're. Soaring into the gap and magnificent in the LA full shimmer moonlight, appeared, what he took to be the loveliest Mountain earth it. Was almost a perfect cone of snow simple. And outline as if a child had drawn it he was so radiant, so serenely poised that he wandered for a moment if it were real at all. To. Get off the mountain back to civilization, we make a final walk towards, a newly named town of shangri-la a beautiful.
Fertile Valley, ringed, by impenetrable, mountains. With, a lamb mercy sitting beneath a pyramid-shaped mountain, just like the descriptions, of shangri-la and Lost Horizon, Joseph. Rock was here he writes the, monastery was the rendezvous of all the outlaws and bandits and perhaps some occasional, genuine, pilgrim, of the, surrounding, no-man's land it's. A far cry from the harmonious, community of shangri-la, but the geographical, features are all here jack, has one more question so. Sandlin where we are the end of our journey, do you think this is a real some real and partially. Yes I'm gonna give you a considered, answer, the. Sun just came out over jamayang, just then and that that to me was caracal, we've got all the points of similarities. Between joseph rock and the book that we've talked about the gold the inaccessibility, things like that but. As, an author because, I argue I write fiction things you. Never base something, based on just one, place you, take, from different sources so, I still do think that the, Cullens is the bead that acts as the actual location, but I think the underground, detail, the clothing worn by the Tibetan, porters and things like that I think, that i think that is here so, that's literally removed. Thousand kilometers, after, the crash. Yeah. But remember is fiction it's, made up I mean. It, would, be a historical, novel if it wasn't James. Hilton has has read and read and read about Tibet, he's picked, up the the idea of the Christian, and Buddhist tolerance, from out of every hook as some of the ideas of the Lama stories in the, Northeast he's. Picked, various things to location which could be straight out of Joseph Rock so the time and the space moved. Yeah. But that doesn't matter because it because it's a story, so he's synthesized, I think all that all the day various different things and, he's put them together to make that magnificent, novel so salmon, either. Quinlan, or here. Where. Do you think Oh points of contact if you were saying to somebody come, to China go to shangri-la, here. Because. This is got specific places where the Quinlan's is an entire mountain right here you, can come and see the mountains you can come and see the deep valleys that's a thing here. You.
2019-03-09 11:46
