“In the past, Balagezong is a name for poverty. Life was tough without road and electricity. Now, tourists from around the world come all the way here.”

Located in Nixi Township of Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, Balagezong Shangri-La Grand Canyon National Park perches where the Yangtze River, Mekong River and Salween River traverse. Recently, we had an interview with the initiator of the scenic area, the 53-year-old Tibetan man Sina Dingzhu.

In 1997, Yunnan declared that the mysterious land Shangri-La depicted in the Lost Horizon by British writer James Hilton was found in Diqing Prefecture of Yunnan. 20 years later, more and more tourists come to visit Balagezong to explore the Shangri-La in their heart.

Bala Village, home of Sina Dingzhu, sits in the Balagezong Canyon. His biggest dream was to build a road connecting the village and the outside world. “Over the past 18 years, I made every effort and raised hundreds of millions of yuan to build the road. Many don’t understand why. They thought that I’m a fool. 

Actually, I just had a simple goal. That is to present the beauty of my hometown to the world,” said Sina Dingzhu.

In the end of 2007, the 6.5-wide, 35-km long road linking the village and the nearest national highway was completed. His dream came true. The gate of Bala Village was open to the outside world for the first time. The travel time between Shangri-La downtown to the village was largely reduced from 4 days 4 nights to 1.5 hours. The once secluded village was gradually known to more and dramatic changes have been taking place since then.

Now, the scenic area offers a number of routes, some suitable for one-day visits and some tailored for 5-day trek and camping. “The second you set foot on this land, you will know what nature is and what your true self is. People come here to rediscover themselves in the arms of nature,” said Sina Dingzhu.