Shangri-La

Shangri-La, fictional utopian lamasery located high in the Kunlun Mountains of Tibet, described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton. In the book, survivors of a plane crash take shelter at Shangri-La and discover the peaceful valley of Blue Moon, which is free of war and crime. In this paradise, people live for hundreds of years and age very slowly. In addition, the cultural treasures and wisdom of the world are stored there, in anticipation of a future of peace on earth. Lost Horizon caught the popular imagination, and Shangri-La entered the lexicon as a term for “utopia.”

The ancient Tibetan Buddhist myth of the spiritual kingdom of Shambhala is thought by some to have informed Hilton’s description of the fictional Shangri-La. Shambhala is said to be located somewhere north of Tibet, surrounded by high mountain peaks. In this isolated kingdom, Buddhists live and study, preserving the world’s wisdom. According to the mythology, when the world is on the brink of utter destruction, the king of Shambhala will lead an army to defeat tyrants and bring about an era of global peace.

There has been extensive debate but no consensus on the location of Hilton’s inspiration for Shangri-La. However, the Chinese province of Yunnan, which borders Tibet on the southeast, has long been a focus of speculation. Zhongdian, a city in that province, was renamed Shangri-La City in 2001 to attract tourists by capitalizing on the allure of the “lost paradise” concept. Ganden Sumtseling Gompa, a Tibetan monastery more than 300 years old, is located near the city.

Today the idea of Shangri-La is associated with a mysterious realm hidden behind distant mountains and is shorthand for any remote earthly paradise. For instance, Camp David—a rural retreat of U.S. presidents in northern Maryland—was established as Shangri-La in 1942 by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was inspired by Lost Horizon. Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed it Camp David in 1953 for his grandson, David Eisenhower. Shangri-La is even found in space: a region of sand dunes on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, is called the Shangri-La Sand Sea.

The term Shangri-La appears in many other place-names as well as on buildings, including skyscrapers and hotels. In addition, there are countless other uses of the term, especially in the arts. Notable examples include the Shangri-Las, a 1960s American girl group, and Shangri-La Studios, a professional recording studio in Malibu, California, owned by music producer Rick Rubin. In addition, Shangri-La has been used for the titles of albums, songs, books, films, and other forms of media.