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Today we finally visited the Shangri-la Institute with many of the people we had met on the previous day. The Institute was in some ways indescribable. I have never been in a place where the purity of the mission and warmth of the people was so palpable and real. The Institute’s purpose is to work with minority cultures in part by facilitating educational resources, but also by learning from the native peoples about the environment and transmitting this knowledge back into their curriculum. The institute currently works with 42 schools across China – all in the Yangtze River Valley to educate students about the river and water stewardship. In addition they operate community centers like the one we visited in Shangri-la which give people an opportunity to come together to share their culture and teach traditional ways to their children. We took part in a Tibetan dance class and workshops on Tibetan art and embroidery. The people we met there, all minority Tibetans were absolutely beautiful. Their kindness and openness especially among the children I believe touched everyone that day. Even Kevin. I’ve never seen him look more relaxed.
Later that evening we went back into the Old Town part of Shangri-la which has clearly seen the most tourist-oriented development. It was reminiscent of the Ancient City section of Lijiang though not nearly as sprawling. Again we saw row after row of shops hocking identical knickknacks. In the evening there was a Tibetan dancing in the town square, and while this seemed like fun, it also seemed to be a little too staged for the tourists. A number of the locals seemed to have a “here we go again” look on their faces. Still, perhaps turning Shangri-la into the kind of minority Disneyland that Lijiang is may have some residual benefits for the local population. I certainly hope so.
That night we had dinner with folks from the Institute and it was truly a treat, especially the sing-a-long portion of the evening. A memorable evening to be sure.
Marsha Stewart
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