Shangri-la

Yunnan Town Razed in Fire

The fire that broke out early Saturday morning in Dukezong, Yunnan, has destroyed much of the...

Rational Patriotism in the (Canned) Air

Recycling tycoon Chen Guangbiao leapt into action after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, travelling to Japan to distribute food, blankets and good wishes from China, and personally—according to one Chinese newspaper—pulling three...

Woeser: Who Are the Real “Orientalists”?

In a blog post translated at High Peaks Pure Earth, Woeser takes Chinese scholars’ criticism of an orientalist Western “Shangri-La complex” regarding Tibet, and turns it around to face them. It is really...

Fading Shangri-La: Melting on the Sacred Mountain

Asia Society’s China Green project has produced a new video about the melting glaciers on one of Tibet’s holiest sites: Mt Khawa Karpo, known by Chinese as Meili Snow Mountain, is among the most sacred mountains in...

It’s Paradise Lost as Tourists Flock to Shangri-La – Peter Ford

The Christian Science Monitor looks at how the government’s efforts to promote the town of Zhongdian as the original Shangri-La have backfired, as the area is getting overwhelmed by tourists and redevelopment: That approach has transformed a small village of wooden homes tucked along muddy lanes into a town covering 12 square miles and boasting […]

You’re kidding? Chen Kaige nominated for “Green Chinese” – Chinaview

From Chinaview via Xinhua News Agency: Chinese director Chen Kaige, whose movie “The Promise” allegedly caused environmental damage to a pristine Shangri-la lakeside during shooting, has been nominated for the country’s “Green Chinese” award. Many described it as an outrageous irony in China’s efforts to protect the environment. “How can Chen be nominated? If a […]

No room for Shangri-la in China – Willam M. Reilly

From UPI: What one generally regards as modern China and its pollution-belching factories dotting the landscape hardly seems to have room for the nostalgic notion of a Shangri-la. Do not forget the ancient and the future reside side-by-side in China. In Beijing and eastern China in general it is not uncommon to go for days […]

Concrete paves peasants’ long road from poverty – Jonathan Watts

From The Observer: China’s economic boom is starting to reach the most remote corners of western China, giving millions of the world’s poorest people a chance to think about something other than where their next meal is coming from. But from the mountains of the Himalayas to the scrubland of Inner Mongolia, the quest for […]

China fines film producers for causing environmental damage – Hindu News

From The Hindu News: China has fined the producers of a hit movie for damaging a historic site in Shangrila in the northern part of Yunnan Province. The Ministry of Construction, which launched a probe into the environmental damage inflicted by the producers of the movie ‘The Promise’, during its production and imposed a fine […]

(UPDATE) Makers of ‘The Promise’ to be fined for damage to Shangri-la — Reuters

A new development in the Shangri-la Promise Pollution story from Reuters (link): China will fine the crew of the country’s most expensive movie, “The Promise” by Oscar-nominated director Chen Kaige, for damaging the environment in an area of outstanding natural beauty, state media said on Wednesday. The producers neglected to carry out an environmental impact […]

Film producers make green pledge after Promise incident – Xinhua News Agency

From Xinhua News Agency (link): Leading Chinese producers and directors are supporting a “green production code” and would make every effort to protect the environment during filming. The initiative was put forward Thursday after media reports and government officials criticized producers of “The Promise” over damage caused during filming. “China’s beautiful scenery must be preserved […]

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