Picturesque early winter scenery in Shangri-La National Park in SW China's Yunnan

An aerial view of the early winter scenery at Shangri-La National Park in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 15, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui)

Shangri-La National Park, located in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is the first national park on the Chinese mainland. In the early winter, the park's alpine forests, lakes, wetlands, and meadows form a captivating landscape, attracting many visitors to this wonderland.

Nestled in the mountains in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Shangri-La National Park is part of the Three Parallel Rivers Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of China's most popular tourist destinations.

Spanning 1,477 square kilometers, the park is a key area for biodiversity and water conservation in the Northwest Yunnan Plateau, as well as an area where three of the world's major biodiversity hotspots converge. The park is considered a world-class gene bank for species, with significant global biodiversity conservation and national representative display value.

Famous for its pristine landscape, the park boasts abundant natural resources and is home to rare animals and plants. It supports sustainable development, providing economic benefits to local communities through park-related jobs and ecotourism. Visitors can also immerse themselves in Tibetan culture at Luorong Village, the park's only village, comprising 36 families.