Summer brings supreme natural beauty to Shangri-La City in northwest Yunnan’s Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
In the Heping Village of Xiaozhongdian Township, 39 kilometers away from downtown Shangri-la, tourists are enjoying the picturesque views of grasslands, blue sky and white clouds, together with the cattle, sheep and villages.
“I used to plant highland barley and potatoes, but now I am a migrant worker in the city,” said Douji Peichu, a local Tibetan villager, who plans to open a restaurant in the village to meet the tourists‘ need.
Lu Zhijun, director of the Diqing Tourism Development Committee, said Diqing has designed four Shangri-La fine tourist routes, involving two connected to villages in neighboring provinces.
Currently, around 20,000 locals are employed in 15 A-class scenic spots, 92 star-rated hotels and 46 travel agencies in Diqing.
During China’s 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), Diqing Prefecture received 62.94 million domestic and foreign tourists, registering a tourism revenue of 42.073 billion yuan.