Shangri-La

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For other uses, see Shangri-La (disambiguation).
Shangri-La as featured in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
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Shangri-La as featured in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. In the book, "Shangri-La" is a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia — a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world. The word also evokes the imagery of exoticism of the Orient. The story of Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala, a mystical city in Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

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[edit] Real places

Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan
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Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan

Several possible places in the Buddhist Himalaya between northern India and Tibet have claimed to be the basis for Hilton's legend, largely to attract tourism. In China, Tao Qian of the Jin Dynasty described a Shangri-La in his work Story of the Peach Blossom Valley (Chinese: 桃花源記, pinyin: Táohuā Yuán Jì). The legendary Kun Lun Mountains in Tibet offer other possible Shangri-La valleys.

A popularly believed inspiration for Shangri-la is the Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan, close to the Chinese border, which Hilton visited a few years before Lost Horizon was published.[1] Being an isolated green valley surrounded by mountains, enclosed on the western end of the Himalayas, it closely matches the description in the novel. A Shangri-la resort in the nearby Skardu valley is a popular tourist attraction.

There are a number of modern Shangri-La pseudo-legends that have developed since 1933 in the wake of the novel and the film made from it. The Nazis had an enthusiasm for Shangri-La too, where they hoped to find an ancient master race in a remote area similar to the Nordic race "unspoiled" by Buddhism. They sent seven expeditions to Tibet, the most famous one led by Ernst Schäfer in 1938. The experience of Austrian SS member Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter in Tibet are now best known through the biography and film Seven Years in Tibet.

Another pseudo-legend involves the Ojai Valley as the location for the 1937 Frank Capra film Lost Horizon. The outdoor scenes of cavorting "Shangra-Lees" were in fact filmed in nearby Westlake Village and Palm Springs while the grand lamasery set was built and later dismantled in Victorville, CA. No documentation, including the remaining landscape still shot, reputed to be from an outlook on Highway 150, supports the contention that the Ojai Valley was used as a location in the film.

United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, being considerably fond of Hilton's novel, named the presidential retreat now known as Camp David "Shangri-La" in 1942. That April, United States bombers secretly launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet bombed Tokyo in a daring raid led by Colonel "Jimmy" Doolittle. Since Tokyo was far out of range of any American bomber base at the time, there was intense speculation as to where the bombers had come from. President Roosevelt facetiously told a press conference that the bombers had flown from Shangri-La. In line with this pleasantry, one of the aircraft carriers used in the Pacific ocean was subsequently named USS Shangri-La.

Today, various places claim the title, such as parts of southern Kham in northwestern Yunnan province, including the tourist destinations of Lijiang and Zhongdian. Places like Sichuan and Tibet also claim the real Shangri-La was in its territory. In 2001, Tibet Autonomous Region put forward a proposal that the three regions optimise all Shangri-la tourism resources and promote them as one. After failed attempts to establish a China Shangri-la Ecological Tourism Zone in 2002 and 2003, government representatives of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region signed a declaration of cooperation in 2004. Also in 2003, Zhongdian County in northwestern Yunnan officially renamed itself Shangri-La County. Bhutan, which was until now isolated from outside world and with its unique form of Tibetan Buddhism has been hailed as the last Shangri-La. Another place that has been thought to have inspired the concept of Shangri-La is the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon.

[edit] Use as metaphor and figure of speech

Shangri-la is often used in a similar context to which "Garden of Eden" might be used, to represent a perfect paradise that exists hidden from modern man. It can sometimes be used as an analogy for a life-long quest or something elusive that is much sought. For a man who spends his life obsessively looking for a cure to a disease, such a cure could be said to be that man's "Shangri-La". It also might be used to represent perfection that is sought by man in the form of love, happiness, or Utopian ideals. It may be used in this context alongside other mythical and famous examples of somewhat similar metaphors such as The Holy Grail, El Dorado, The Fountain of Youth, and to an extent "white whale" (referring to the white whale chased by the obsessed Captain Ahab in the book Moby-Dick).

[edit] Shangri-La in Popular Culture

Film

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
  • Shangri-La is featured in the movie "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear", where Flynn and Nicole find the third piece of the Spear of Destiny.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in the 2004 movie "Spectres". It is said by actress Marina Sirtis, when describing a summer home she is about to move into with her suicidal daughter.
  • In the cartoon movie Jimmy Neutron, the title characters friends get lost and are rescued by the monks of "Shangri Llama".
  • In 1937, Frank Capra directed Lost Horizon, a film adaptation of Hilton's novel.
  • In the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Joe and Polly discover Shangri-La.
  • Shangri-La is the name of the Casino at the centre of the movie The Cooler, staring Alec Baldwin
  • Shangri-La is the "perfect" time-space (alternate universe) created by Noein in the anime series Noein.
  • In the film A Few Good Men, Col. Jessep references Guantanamo Bay satirically as Shangri-La.

Television

  • The name is said to have inspired Carl Barks when he wrote the Disney cartoon "The Land of Tralla La" published in 1954.
  • Shangri-La is a critical plot theme of the Jem TV series episode Journey to Shangri-La.
  • In the American situation comedy Frasier, Shangri-La is the name of the apartment complex where Niles moved after his divorce from his wealthy wife Maris. This has a huge impact on the class-conscious Niles.
  • The anime series Noein depicts an alternate time-space to ours, in which there is no suffering and known as Shangri-La.
  • Shangri-La was the name given to a space colony in the television series Mobile Suit Gundam
  • In the TV show Boy Meets World Shangri-La is the name of a bar in one of the last episodes, set in a black-and-white 1950s detective parody.
  • Shangri-La is used as a nickname for Los Angeles (L.A.) in the Weetzie Bat series by Francesca Lia Block.
  • In the anime series Outlaw Star the Macdougall's brother's ship real name is the Shangri-la
  • Shangri-La is used as it's very meaning by Gouda in the show Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex when Motoko Kusanagi breaks into the external memory of Gouda with the help of the tachikomas.
  • In Atomic Betty, there is a race of warrior birds who live on clouds called the Shangri-La-Di-Das.

Music

  • Taiwanese singer-songwriter Lee-Hom Wang released an album in December 2004 entitled "Shangri-La".
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in Elton John's song The Trail We Blaze.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir.
  • Shangri-La is also mentioned in Patti Smith's song 1959.
  • The band Mother Love Bone wrote a song titled "This Is Shangri La"
  • There is a song named Shangri-La in Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album.
  • In 2002 Insane Clown Posse released an album entitled The Wraith: Shangri-La one of two albums this one depicting a place meaning heaven for Juggalos.
  • Don Henley recorded a song called Shangri-La as part of his album, The End of the Innocence
  • The Kinks recorded a track titled Shangri-La on the 1969 album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire).
  • In 2004, Mark Knopfler produced an album named Shangri-La
  • Stevie Nicks released an album in 2001 entitled Trouble in Shangri-La.
  • The line "I found a way I could navigate my boat through these troubled waters to the shores of Shangri-la" was used in the song "Eggshells" by Plastic by Nature.
  • There was a 1960s girl group called The Shangri-Las.
  • The alternative rock group Stone Temple Pilots released an album in 2001 entitled "Shangri-La Dee Da"
  • The band Electric Light Orchestra wrote a song titled "Shangri-La," which appeared on their album A New World Record.
  • The Twelve Girls Band has a song called "Shangri-La" on their album Eastern Energy.
  • The Rutles had a song called "Shangri-La" on their album Archaeology.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned on AC/DC's track titled Sin City
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in Neurotic Outsiders's song Story Of My Life
  • Shangri-La is referenced in Ry Cooder's "Poor Man's Shangri-La" (Track 01 off of the album "Chavez Ravine")
  • Shangri-La is the name of the recording studio of the 1960s Americana group The Band.
  • Shangri-La is the name of the opening theme to the anime Soukyuu no Fafner, by the Japanese pop duo Angela.
  • Teena Marie recorded a song named Shangri-La for her 1986 album Emerald City
  • The British rock group Oasis released a B-side called "Idler's Dream" which contains the lines "You're an idler's dream and you're singing Shangri-La."
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in Gerard McManns' Cry Little Sister. The Theme from the film The Lost Boys
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in the Nightwish song and album "Angels Fall First", with the line "Not relieved by thoughts of Shangri-La, nor enlightened by the lessons of Christ."
  • The band Dog Fashion Disco, originated from Baltimore, MD, mentions Shangri-La in their song "Valley Girl Ventriloquist", on the "Anarchists of Good Taste" Album.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in the track "Searching for Atlantis", by British heavy metal legends Saxon on their Lionheart album.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in the song "Gone Fishin'," a duet with Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby.
  • Shangri-La is the title of a song Japanese singer Matsuoka Hideaki (松岡英明) debuted in his 20th anniversary special concert.
  • Shangri-La is the title of an A*Teens single
  • Shangri-La is the title of a Grandaddy track on the Just Like the Fambly Cat album (the track covers the ending of the Electric Light Orchestra song with the same title, but with slightly changed lyrics).
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in Motley Crue's Song. Dr Feelgood
  • Shangri-La was the name of the disaster-ridden Malibu studio where Skinny Puppy recorded The Process.
  • Shangri-La is the title of a single by J-Rock group chatmonchy. It was also used as the ending theme of the 2006 anime, Hataraki-man.
  • Shangri-La is mentioned in the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children's song, The Promised Land

Games

Other

  • "Shangri La" is repeatedly alluded to in the Kurt Vonnegut novel "Deadeye Dick."
  • Shangri La (Doris Duke) is a mansion outside Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • Seth Roberts named his weight loss plan The Shangri-La Diet because the diet seemed to allow weight loss without suffering, and thus was a sort of dieter's paradise
  • Shangrila is the name of a BDSM MUSH on the Internet. [2]
  • Shangri-La is the name of a popular strip club in Tampa, FL, located near the world famous Mons Venus and 2001 Space Odyssey.
  • There is a version of Shangri-La called Nanda Parbat. It that can be found in DC Comics and it was created by a deity called Rama Kushna, who also created Deadman (DC Comics character)
  • Shangri-La is an international chain of luxury hotels.
  • Allan Quatermain and Mina Murray meet Orlando during a visit to Shangri-la in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The New Traveller's Almanac
  • Shangrila Furniture, Inc - Heshan, China based furniture manufacturer selling from warehouses located in Ontario, California and in Prusice, Southern Poland

[edit] External links

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