In the early winter, the forests on the Diqing Plateau are ablaze with vibrant colors, with a clear azure-blue sky stretching for miles. On November 14th, the "Shangri-La of the World" themed media team ventured into Shangri-La National Park, experiencing the plateau's ecological beauty and the harmonious unity between humans and nature.

Located in the central area of the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site in northwest Yunnan, Shangri-La National Park is the first national park on the Chinese mainland. With a total planned area of 601.1 square kilometers and a display area of 300.14 square kilometers, the park showcases the vigorous vitality of Shangri-La National Park through its rich resources of flora and fauna and diverse ecological vegetation types.

Following the course of the Shudugang River deep into the park, one arrives at Shudu Lake, one of the main attractions of Shangri-La National Park. Shudu Lake is one of the largest lakes in Shangri-La City, with a vast water area and a unique ecosystem that combines high-altitude lakes, marshy meadows, and pristine dark coniferous forests, harboring abundant rare plant and animal resources.

As an epitome of the natural and cultural landscapes of the entire Shangri-La region, Shangri-La National Park boasts abundant ecological resources and natural landscapes and cultural landscape resources, including religious traditions, agricultural and pastoral cultures, local customs, and architectural heritage.

As the only traditional village within the park, Luorong Village embodies the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in Shangri-La National Park. Li Jin is a villager in Luorong Village, and also the Party branch secretary of the Technical Support Department and the deputy director of the Administrative Management Department from a branch of Pudacuo Tourism Company. According to Li Jin, before Luorong Village was designated as an ecological protection area, the villagers primarily relied on logging, hunting, and herding for their livelihoods. Since the establishment of Shangri-La National Park, the villagers of Luorong Village voluntarily put down their axes and hunting tools, actively participating in the park's ecological conservation efforts, gradually cultivating their awareness of ecological protection.

Li Jin explained that due to the traditional earthen and wooden structure of houses in Luorong Village, villagers established a rule that houses cannot be renovated within the first thirty years against deforestation. Additionally, Luorong Village mainly relies on burning firewood for heating during the winter. In the past, villagers would pick up firewood and take it home regardless of whether it was dry or wet. Now, villagers have agreed to only collect dry firewood within specified areas of the park, with regulations on the firewood size. They must also collect a year's supply of firewood within one week.

In order to safeguard the lucid waters and green mountains before them, the villagers of Luorong Village have incorporated "environmental conservation" into their village regulations and commitments. Meanwhile, Shangri-La National Park contributed to poverty alleviation through community support.

"Firstly, Shangri-La National Park provides the villagers with an annual subsidy of 10,000 yuan per household and 5,000 yuan per person through a shareholding economic compensation scheme. Secondly, students in the village who achieve a high school diploma or above receive annual financial assistance for their education. Lastly, in terms of employment, the park prioritizes offering jobs such as sanitation workers and ecological forest guards to the villagers of Luorong Village to address their employment needs," Li Jin said. Through these three forms of support, the living standards of the villagers have greatly improved.

Like a world out of a fairy tale, Shangri-La National Park not only nurtures the residents living within its boundaries but also attracts people who work and visit here with its unique charm.

In the early morning of November 15th, Meng Yi, a staff member of Shangri-La National Park, along with colleagues, guided visitors to Shudu Lake. During the journey, he noticed some scattered garbage near the trail's wastebaskets. Without hesitation, Meng Yi picked up the litter and disposed of it properly. For Meng Yi, who has worked in Shangri-La National Park for over 10 years, this place is more than just a workplace but also his home.

"Before coming to Shangri-La, I had heard that it is the closest place to heaven. After arriving here, I discovered that it truly can purify one's soul. The sky is so blue, and the water is so clear. We even visited the area where the villagers live, and their lives are now very peaceful and beautiful, full of harmony." For Gao Yaman, a journalist from Ecns.cn participating in the "Shangri-La" themed reporting activity, Shangri-La National Park is truly a beautiful pure land.

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(Editors: Ines, Amy)