The train to Shangri-La is coming! The Lixiang section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway is about to open. What are the "check-in points" along the way?

It is reported that the Lijiang-Xiangjiang section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway, connecting Lijiang City in Yunnan Province and Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, will be put into operation soon.

On the morning of November 15, a dynamic inspection vehicle slowly drove out of Lijiang Station in Yunnan, passing through Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Snow Mountain, and heading towards Shangri-La Station at an altitude of 3,200 meters.

Before that, on September 19 this year, with the last pair of 500-meter-long rails accurately placed on the roadbed, the track laying of the entire Yunnan-Tibet Railway Lijiang to Shangri-La section was completed.

On September 19, construction workers were laying tracks at Shangri-La Station on the Lixiang section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway. Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zhang Weiming)

The dynamic monitoring is a comprehensive "physical examination" of the overall construction quality of the line, marking the key stage of the project acceptance of the Lixiang section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway. The construction of this railway, which started in 2014 and took more than 20,000 builders nine years to build, will soon be put into operation.

The "Most Beautiful Sky Road" will usher in the "Motor Vehicle Era"

You can take a train to beautiful Shangri-La!

The Lijiang-Xiangri-La section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway connects Lijiang City in Yunnan Province and Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is an important part of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway in China's medium- and long-term railway network planning. It is 139.7 kilometers long and the target speed for passenger trains is 140 kilometers per hour. There are four passenger stations along the line: Lijiang, Lashi Lake, Xiaozhongdian and Shangri-La.

This train connects Lijiang Old Town, Lashi Lake, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Snow Mountain, Shangri-La and other famous scenic spots, and passes through many ethnic settlements. It is known as the "most beautiful road to Tibet". Let's take a look at how many beautiful scenery there are along the way!

Lijiang Old Town

Ancient streets that have been baptized by wind and rain for more than 800 years, green walls and blue tiles that are arranged in an orderly manner, stone bridges carrying historical relics, and small rivers that tell of the hard work of our ancestors... The Lijiang Ancient City, which was built in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty, is one of the two ancient cities in China that have successfully applied for World Cultural Heritage as a whole ancient city.

Aerial view of the beautiful scenery of Lijiang Ancient Town. Image source: Xinhuanet (Photo by Liu Dong)

Lijiang Ancient Town has splendid and colorful local ethnic customs and entertainment activities, including Naxi ancient music, Dongba rituals, divination culture, ancient town bars and Naxi Torch Festival, which are unique.

On a clear day, you can see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the platform of Lijiang Station.

Yulong Snow Mountain after the snow (photo taken on January 18, 2021). Image source: Xinhuanet (photo by He Xueqian)

Lashi Lake

Behind Lashi Lake Station is the picturesque Lashi Lake, which has beautiful mountains and clear waters and is suitable for tourism in all seasons. It is the first nature reserve in Yunnan Province named "Wetland", which means new wasteland in the ancient Naxi language.

Lashi Lake Nature Reserve (drone photo). Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Liang Zhiqiang)

Every winter, tens of thousands of birds of dozens of species come here to overwinter, bringing endless life to the beautiful countryside, villages, streams and green meadows at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, making Lashi Lake an important wintering ground for waterfowl in Yunnan Province.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Located on the east loop line of Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, Shangri-La City, it got its name from the legend that a tiger once leaped across the Jinsha River with the help of a huge rock in the middle of the river. It is famous for its grandeur, strangeness, danger and steepness .

Tiger Leaping Gorge is the canyon with the largest drop in the world. It is divided into three sections: Upper, Middle and Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge, with a total length of about 20 kilometers. The canyon is 3,500 meters deep, with towering cliffs on both sides. In the canyon, the roaring Jinsha River is like a galloping dragon rushing down between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain, with deafening waves.

Image source: Xinhuanet (Photo by Ding Ning and Pan Yue)

The station yard of Tiger Leaping Gorge Station is mainly located on the 882.5-meter-long Tiger Leaping Gorge Jinsha River Railway Bridge. The bridge connects the Haba Snow Mountain and Yulong Snow Mountain on both sides of the river. The bridge deck is 22 meters wide and it is the world's first pure railway suspension bridge.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La has an average altitude of over 3,000 meters. It is located in a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province. Its Tibetan name means "the sun and the moon in one's heart".

There are two plateau lakes in Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La County: Shudu Lake and Bitahai. It is a place full of mountains, meadows, lakes and canyons, full of romance and mysticism.

The scenery of Napahai Nature Reserve in Shangri-La City. Image source: Xinhuanet (Photo by Hu Chao)

Shangri-La Station is the highest passenger station on Yunnan Railway, and the station building is full of strong Tibetan elements.

Shangri-La Railway Station (Photo taken on November 1, 2023) Image source: Xinhuanet

It is understood that after the completion and opening of the Lixiang section of the Yunnan-Tibet Railway, it will be connected with the existing Kunchu Railway, and it is expected to take about 5 hours to get from Kunming to Shangri-La. The Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province will end its history of not having a railway, greatly filling the gap in the railway network and transportation services in northwest Yunnan, and playing an important role in the in-depth development of regional resources, maintaining and promoting the development of the tourism economy in the minority areas of northwest Yunnan, and the rural revitalization of the minority areas in Yunnan's border areas.

After the official opening,

Do you want to take a ride on the Lixiang section?

Comprehensive sources: People's Daily, CCTV News, People's Railway, Shangri-La City Media Center, Kunming Bureau Group Company Media Center, etc.