The Shangri-La Lifestyle of Drakpa Geden-
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论文导读：amedDrakpaGeden,whowasworkingintheEthnicReligiousAffairsCommitteeofDechenTibetanAutonomousPrefecture,accompaniedus.Hewasa23-yearoldmanandwithshorthair.Heworesimpleclothes.InourconversationIfoundhewasaTibetanreturningfromIndiawithhiatherwhenhewas15
One of the happiest events during my fourth visit to Dechen in Yunnan Province (Autumn 2011) was meeting my Tibetan friend Drakpa Geden. Through his life, I saw the development of Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province and at the same time I learned the happiness of a Tibetan returning to his country from overseas.
A Memory of 18 Years Ago
In J une 1993, I made my first visit to Dechen. A cadre named Drakpa Geden, who was working in the Ethnic Religious Affairs Committee of Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, accompanied us. He was a 23-year old man and with short hair. He wore simple clothes. In our conversation I found he was a Tibetan returning from India with his father when he was 15. He spoke four languages – Tibetan, English, Chinese and Hindi language. His father had lived in India for 40 years and in 1987 they returned to China. He especially invited us to visit Chunni Village of Nyishi Town in Gyalthang County (today’s Shangri-la County) to see his new house. This was a two-story wooden building. It was the most luxurious Tibetan-style building in the village. Rinchen Phuntso, the 76-year-old father of Drakpa Geden, greeted us warmly, told us the story of his life overseas and how he fi nally decided to return to the motherland. He even sang the nostalgic song he frequently sang when he was overseas. His story and singing was later broadcast on the “ethnic minority family” program on the Central People’s Broadcasting Station, which was well received by the audience. The kindness and conscientiousness of Drakpa Geden as well as his great dreams and ambitions left me with a deep impression.
After my interview with him, I returned to Beijing and wrote a paper entitled “Dechen – a land filled in with hope, an interview with the people of Dechen”. In the section about Drakpa Geden, I recorded my impression of him and his family. Later, we spoke several times by telephone. He told me he was given ample opportunity by the leadership of his organization to cultivate himself. For instance, he was sent to ethnic schools in Dechen. He was planning enthusiastically to develop his specialty in touri. Later, I he not heard from him as frequently due to the backward state of telecommunication at that area. I he since visited Dechen twice, but as time was constrained, I did not get a chance to fi nd him.
An Accidental Encounter
Eight years later, in the second half of October 2011, I had my fourth visit to Dechen.
On the second论文导读：dDevelopCulturalDiversity”andtheAssociationofThangka.Hegeafreetrainingprogramtochildrenfromfamiliesoflimitedeconomicbackground,byinvitingfolkartiststogivethesechildrentheskillstoearnalivingwhileinheritingtraditionalculture.Atpresent,about20Tibetanstude
day after my arrival, my generous hosts showed us our first stop – Shangri-La Thangka Art Gallery. Walking into Dukhedzong, an old city with an ancient atmosphere, we stopped in front of a Tibetan-style courtyard. A middle-aged man with long hair warmly invited us to enter the courtyard and climb to the second fl oor while he constantly answered questions from the journalists. Simultaneously, a student delegation from Singapore was studying here. So the middle-aged man was continually interruptedly by questions from the students in English. He was such a busy Tibetan host! Suddenly, it seemed as though I had always known him. Taking the opportunity of the questioning by journalists, I walked over to exchange name cards with him. The instant his name card was in my hand, I suddenly realized he was my old Tibetan friend who I had not seen for about 18 years. I was so excited I vigorously shook his hand. I asked: “Are you really Drakpa Geden?! Has it already been 18 years? I he finally found you!” At this moment, Drakpa Geden seemed to suddenly recover his memory and shook both my hands again, saying: “Are you really Mr. Zhang from the Central Broadcasting Station? That is so wonderful!” Such an accidental encounter with each other made us extremely happy. During the following eager conversation we asked each other about what had happened during past the 18 years. He returned to his offi ce especially to bring back two pictures regarding his Thangka Association as a gift to me.
Drakpa Geden observed that the Shangri-La Thangka Association was founded in 2007 through his fund-raising efforts. At that time, Dukhedzong City was under renovation and the tourist industry was booming in Shangri-La. For the sake of the protection and development of Tibetan traditional culture, and to advance the cultural appreciation of our ancient heritage, Drakpa Geden founded the “Shangri-La Association to Preserve and Develop Cultural Diversity”and the Association of Thangka. He ge a free training program to children from families of limited economic background, by inviting folk artists to give these children the skills to earn a living while inheriting traditional culture. At present, about 20 Tibetan students are studying in the Thangka training class.
Booming Business
Taking the opportunity while a journalist was interviewing Losang Samdrup, Drakpa Geden ushered me along a street to see two projects currently under way. One is the “Tibetan Bar of Shangri-La” an论文导读：yfocusingonanecoenvironmentaltouricompany.HeworkedwithforeignexplorerstopublishthebookstitledStoriesabouttheRiverLancangJiangandtheTea-horseRoute(Englishversion).In2003,hefoundedtheKhambaTradeRouteExplorationTouriCompany.In2007,hebegantworestaurantsn
d the other is“Arik Kampa Langso Da Manor”. The Tibetan Bar was a two-story building and was supposed to be opened to the public by May of next year. Drakpa Geden said brewing barley wine by Tibetan villagers living in Shangri-La was quite famous and was even welcomed by people in Nepal and Bhutan. The villagers planned to promote it as a special brand to sell both at home and abroad. Drakpa Geden had already organized local villagers to produce this indigenous wine in big quantities to bring more income for local villagers. The project of “Arik Kampa”was planned to build a standard hotel and will be ready to open to the public by the National Day of next year.
Drakpa Geden told me that he had a very tight schedule every day. The local leadership took care of him and encouraged him to do something useful for local people. He told me proudly that he was the delegate of the People’s Congress and member of the CPPCC of Dechen Autonomous Prefecture.
On hearing his story, I could not help being impressed by the spirits and achievements of the Khampa man.
In 1993, Drakpa Geden left government office and started to run his own business as a tourist guide. In 1999, he went to Austria to study touri management. In 2000, he founded his touri company by focusing on an ecoenvironmental touri company. He worked with foreign explorers to publish the books titled Stories about the River Lancang Jiang and the Tea-horse Route (English version). In 2003, he founded the Khamba Trade Route Exploration Touri Company. In 2007, he began two restaurants named “Arik Khampa” and “Parsigya”. In the same year, he launched the Shangri-La Association for the Preservation and Development of Ethnic Cultural Diversity. In 2008, it was the Thangka Association. In 2009, he created the Zusheng Hall with joint venture. In 2010, he built two eco-environment tourist projects in villages named Dala Village and Bisong Village.
Speaking of these two eco-environmental tourist projects, Drakpa Ge源于：7彩论文网本科论文www.7ctime.com
den whispered to me secretly: “Let me take you to visit one place.” While driving, he told me about his other vision: “The tourist brand of Shangri-La has only been created in recent years. Many people know Phuda Tso very well, as well as Lake Betha Tso and Lake Sodu, but you must see the landscape of Dala Village and Bisong Village in my hometown that is quite competitive with them. I plan to make these two additional scenic spots in Shangri-La by developin论文导读：eireco-economictouristassets,aswellashiringscientistorscientificexploitationoftheirassets.”Hepointedtoaforestinthedistance;inthedawnIsawthedenseforestcoloredgold.Underthefailingsunlight,itappearedquitesplendidinconjunctionwiththegrasslandonthetwosi
g their eco-economic tourist assets, as well as hiring scientists for scientific exploitation of their assets.” He pointed to a forest in the distance; in the dawn I saw the dense forest colored gold. Under the failing sunlight, it appeared quite splendid in conjunction with the grassland on the two sides where yaks and sheep were grazing contentedly.
Along the way, Drakpa Geden occasionally stopped his car and greeted local villagers. Sometimes he asked if they would like a lift. Seeing the happiness in their faces, I realized that Drakpa Geden was keeping good relations with the locals. He has a merciful heart.
For a while, a two-story house was prominent in front of us, looking sparkling and new. Our car braked at the front of this wooden house. Walking into the big yard of the house, we clearly saw this was an all-wood two-story building. Inside the building were a living room, dining room and bathroom. The view from the window was wonderful, including both forests and grassland. Drakpa Geden told me this was an example of his preparation of an eco-environmental tourist project. This was at Dala Village, but passing through the forest to the other side of mountain, there was another tourist spot – Bisong Village. Recently, Drakpa Geden came here frequently as he aimed to motivate and organize the locals to participate in an eco-environmental tourist project so that they could take the opportunity to become wealthy. By that time, the grassland of Shangri-La would be a wonderful picture – a wild collection of Tibetan tents …the uniquely Tibetan tent inn.
Walking into the Fourth New House of Drakpa Geden
In my visit to Shangri-La this time, Drakpa Geden invited me to his home again. We knew that the housing situation is an important indicator by which to measure the livelihood of local people. For my part, this is the fourth-generation house of Drakpa Geden. Sonam Drama, the elder sister of Drakpa Geden, never left her village. She had an old hut before peaceful liberation. In 1981, she built her new house. When her father came back from overseas, she built a wood house in 1993 that became the best house in the village. On this visit, I revisited this old building to remember the time I spent with the elder sister and her late father on my last visit. I still remember that at the entrance, close to the stairs inside the building, there was a picture of the whole family together with us. Nowadays, the brother-in-law of Drakpa Geden was still living at论文导读：kedveryhealthyandhappinessshowedinherilingface.SoonwehadatalkbyapplyingherLhasadialect.ItseemedtheoldgrandmotherwasespeciallyhappywhenspeakingLhasadialect.Aswetalked,alongdistancecallcametointerruptus.Shepickedupthephoneandspoketohergrandsonwho
this building and he was raising several Tibetan pigs in the courtyard of the house.
The fourth-generation house of Drakpa Geden is located not far from the old building built in 1993. Looking from distance, it has a white, brushed, high circular wall. The entrance door is built in Tibetan style. On seeing the host’s red, cross-country vehicle coming, several puppies ran toward us wagging their little tails. They looked very cute. Drakpa Geden is fond of dogs. He also has a lovely Tibetan mastiff.
In Drakpa Geden’s Living Room
In the house, there is a rectangular room at the entrance. It is decorated in a very elegant fashion. Drakpa Geden told us this was his living room. Walking inside, we found the room had most luxurious wooden furniture.
The main building of the house is located at the right side of the living room. It is a wooden two-story building. Inside it is equipped with modern furniture, including a fancy bathroom. Drakpa Geden ushered us to the living room on the second floor where an affable grandmother was sitting. Drakpa Geden introduced her to us: “This is my mother. She came back from India to settle down in 1993 just after you came to Dechen for the interview.” I walked to the old grandmother and greeted her by putting my hands together in front of my chest. From her Lhasa accent, I clearly understood she originated from Tibet, so I asked her to verify my judgment. She said that she came from Lhoka Prefecture of Tibet. Her name is Palma Drama and she is 82 years old. She looked very healthy and happiness showed in her iling face. Soon we had a talk by applying her Lhasa dialect. It seemed the old grandmother was especially happy when speaking Lhasa dialect. As we talked, a long distance call came to interrupt us. She picked up the phone and spoke to her grandson who was somewhere other than Yunnan Province. Drakpa Geden treated me to a big mug of sweet tea prepared by his mother… and then we talked while drinking.
Later, I was invited to visit Drakpa Geden’s reading room and bedrooms. He especially insisted on visiting his daughter’s room where the whole wall was pasted with award certificates and pictures. Chi Lhamo, his daughter, is 11 years old. Her mother is a beautiful lady of ethnic Naxi origin from Lijiang. She also had a Tibetan name: Tenzin Peldron. She works in the Bureau of Labor Works of the prefecture. Due to the day on which I visited being a weekday, the mother and daughter were both in the downtown where the fa论文导读：isreallya“backyard”;fullyplantedoutwithfruittreesofvariouskinds,accompaniedbyagrassarea,apilion,alittlepathandawoodenhut–alandofpeaceawayfromtheturmoiloftheworld.Speakingofhieelingsonreturningtohiotherlandafterabout20years,DrakpaGeden
mily had another house. As son, Drakpa Geden respects his mother very much. He drove a car to visit her every day and sometimes he might spend several days with her. While speaking of his daughter, Drakpa Geden always grew proud. Chi Lhamo has been receiving good school marks since she started school. She was class monitor as well as team leader of the Young Pioneers. Last year, her paper titled “My Father” won a special national award during the writing competition of students from primary schools. The daughter often swore that she would study hard to be enrolled by Peking University and Tsinghua University.
I said farewell to the grandmother. Drakpa Geden insisted on my visiting his backyard. This is really a “backyard”; fully planted out with fruit trees of various kinds, accompanied by a grass area, a pilion, a little path and a wooden hut – a land of peace away from the turmoil of the world.
Speaking of his feelings on returning to his motherland after about 20 years, Drakpa Geden commented: “My father had nostalgia for the motherland when he was overseas. He told me whatever happens we must return to our motherland and I tried my best to be good to the people in my hometown. For over 20 years, I he been keeping my father’s wishes. I believe positively that our choice of returning back to our motherland is the best decision that I he made in my lifetime. Today my life is the real ‘Shangri-La life’.”
After I went back to Beijing, I browsed the website of the Shangri-La Association for the Preservation and Development of Ethnic Cultural Diversity. I accidentally found a paragraph written by Drakpa Geden: “ShangriLa is the location that catches the hearts and minds of thousands people because of the snowy mountains, the grassland and the beautiful monasteries. This is my hometown that I would never deny. I will try my best to love and protect her…”
One of the happiest events during my fourth visit to Dechen in Yunnan Province (Autumn 2011) was meeting my Tibetan friend Drakpa Geden. Through his life, I saw the development of Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province and at the same time I learned the happiness of a Tibetan returning to his country from overseas.
A Memory of 18 Years Ago
In J une 1993, I made my first visit to Dechen. A cadre named Drakpa Geden, who was working in the Ethnic Religious Affairs Committee of Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, accompanied us. He was a 23-year old man and with short hair. He wore simple clothes. In our conversation I found he was a Tibetan returning from India with his father when he was 15. He spoke four languages – Tibetan, English, Chinese and Hindi language. His father had lived in India for 40 years and in 1987 they returned to China. He especially invited us to visit Chunni Village of Nyishi Town in Gyalthang County (today’s Shangri-la County) to see his new house. This was a two-story wooden building. It was the most luxurious Tibetan-style building in the village. Rinchen Phuntso, the 76-year-old father of Drakpa Geden, greeted us warmly, told us the story of his life overseas and how he fi nally decided to return to the motherland. He even sang the nostalgic song he frequently sang when he was overseas. His story and singing was later broadcast on the “ethnic minority family” program on the Central People’s Broadcasting Station, which was well received by the audience. The kindness and conscientiousness of Drakpa Geden as well as his great dreams and ambitions left me with a deep impression.
After my interview with him, I returned to Beijing and wrote a paper entitled “Dechen – a land filled in with hope, an interview with the people of Dechen”. In the section about Drakpa Geden, I recorded my impression of him and his family. Later, we spoke several times by telephone. He told me he was given ample opportunity by the leadership of his organization to cultivate himself. For instance, he was sent to ethnic schools in Dechen. He was planning enthusiastically to develop his specialty in touri. Later, I he not heard from him as frequently due to the backward state of telecommunication at that area. I he since visited Dechen twice, but as time was constrained, I did not get a chance to fi nd him.
An Accidental Encounter
Eight years later, in the second half of October 2011, I had my fourth visit to Dechen.
On the second论文导读：dDevelopCulturalDiversity”andtheAssociationofThangka.Hegeafreetrainingprogramtochildrenfromfamiliesoflimitedeconomicbackground,byinvitingfolkartiststogivethesechildrentheskillstoearnalivingwhileinheritingtraditionalculture.Atpresent,about20Tibetanstude
day after my arrival, my generous hosts showed us our first stop – Shangri-La Thangka Art Gallery. Walking into Dukhedzong, an old city with an ancient atmosphere, we stopped in front of a Tibetan-style courtyard. A middle-aged man with long hair warmly invited us to enter the courtyard and climb to the second fl oor while he constantly answered questions from the journalists. Simultaneously, a student delegation from Singapore was studying here. So the middle-aged man was continually interruptedly by questions from the students in English. He was such a busy Tibetan host! Suddenly, it seemed as though I had always known him. Taking the opportunity of the questioning by journalists, I walked over to exchange name cards with him. The instant his name card was in my hand, I suddenly realized he was my old Tibetan friend who I had not seen for about 18 years. I was so excited I vigorously shook his hand. I asked: “Are you really Drakpa Geden?! Has it already been 18 years? I he finally found you!” At this moment, Drakpa Geden seemed to suddenly recover his memory and shook both my hands again, saying: “Are you really Mr. Zhang from the Central Broadcasting Station? That is so wonderful!” Such an accidental encounter with each other made us extremely happy. During the following eager conversation we asked each other about what had happened during past the 18 years. He returned to his offi ce especially to bring back two pictures regarding his Thangka Association as a gift to me.
Drakpa Geden observed that the Shangri-La Thangka Association was founded in 2007 through his fund-raising efforts. At that time, Dukhedzong City was under renovation and the tourist industry was booming in Shangri-La. For the sake of the protection and development of Tibetan traditional culture, and to advance the cultural appreciation of our ancient heritage, Drakpa Geden founded the “Shangri-La Association to Preserve and Develop Cultural Diversity”and the Association of Thangka. He ge a free training program to children from families of limited economic background, by inviting folk artists to give these children the skills to earn a living while inheriting traditional culture. At present, about 20 Tibetan students are studying in the Thangka training class.
Booming Business
Taking the opportunity while a journalist was interviewing Losang Samdrup, Drakpa Geden ushered me along a street to see two projects currently under way. One is the “Tibetan Bar of Shangri-La” an论文导读：yfocusingonanecoenvironmentaltouricompany.HeworkedwithforeignexplorerstopublishthebookstitledStoriesabouttheRiverLancangJiangandtheTea-horseRoute(Englishversion).In2003,hefoundedtheKhambaTradeRouteExplorationTouriCompany.In2007,hebegantworestaurantsn
d the other is“Arik Kampa Langso Da Manor”. The Tibetan Bar was a two-story building and was supposed to be opened to the public by May of next year. Drakpa Geden said brewing barley wine by Tibetan villagers living in Shangri-La was quite famous and was even welcomed by people in Nepal and Bhutan. The villagers planned to promote it as a special brand to sell both at home and abroad. Drakpa Geden had already organized local villagers to produce this indigenous wine in big quantities to bring more income for local villagers. The project of “Arik Kampa”was planned to build a standard hotel and will be ready to open to the public by the National Day of next year.
Drakpa Geden told me that he had a very tight schedule every day. The local leadership took care of him and encouraged him to do something useful for local people. He told me proudly that he was the delegate of the People’s Congress and member of the CPPCC of Dechen Autonomous Prefecture.
On hearing his story, I could not help being impressed by the spirits and achievements of the Khampa man.
In 1993, Drakpa Geden left government office and started to run his own business as a tourist guide. In 1999, he went to Austria to study touri management. In 2000, he founded his touri company by focusing on an ecoenvironmental touri company. He worked with foreign explorers to publish the books titled Stories about the River Lancang Jiang and the Tea-horse Route (English version). In 2003, he founded the Khamba Trade Route Exploration Touri Company. In 2007, he began two restaurants named “Arik Khampa” and “Parsigya”. In the same year, he launched the Shangri-La Association for the Preservation and Development of Ethnic Cultural Diversity. In 2008, it was the Thangka Association. In 2009, he created the Zusheng Hall with joint venture. In 2010, he built two eco-environment tourist projects in villages named Dala Village and Bisong Village.
Speaking of these two eco-environmental tourist projects, Drakpa Ge源于：7彩论文网本科论文www.7ctime.com
den whispered to me secretly: “Let me take you to visit one place.” While driving, he told me about his other vision: “The tourist brand of Shangri-La has only been created in recent years. Many people know Phuda Tso very well, as well as Lake Betha Tso and Lake Sodu, but you must see the landscape of Dala Village and Bisong Village in my hometown that is quite competitive with them. I plan to make these two additional scenic spots in Shangri-La by developin论文导读：eireco-economictouristassets,aswellashiringscientistorscientificexploitationoftheirassets.”Hepointedtoaforestinthedistance;inthedawnIsawthedenseforestcoloredgold.Underthefailingsunlight,itappearedquitesplendidinconjunctionwiththegrasslandonthetwosi
g their eco-economic tourist assets, as well as hiring scientists for scientific exploitation of their assets.” He pointed to a forest in the distance; in the dawn I saw the dense forest colored gold. Under the failing sunlight, it appeared quite splendid in conjunction with the grassland on the two sides where yaks and sheep were grazing contentedly.
Along the way, Drakpa Geden occasionally stopped his car and greeted local villagers. Sometimes he asked if they would like a lift. Seeing the happiness in their faces, I realized that Drakpa Geden was keeping good relations with the locals. He has a merciful heart.
For a while, a two-story house was prominent in front of us, looking sparkling and new. Our car braked at the front of this wooden house. Walking into the big yard of the house, we clearly saw this was an all-wood two-story building. Inside the building were a living room, dining room and bathroom. The view from the window was wonderful, including both forests and grassland. Drakpa Geden told me this was an example of his preparation of an eco-environmental tourist project. This was at Dala Village, but passing through the forest to the other side of mountain, there was another tourist spot – Bisong Village. Recently, Drakpa Geden came here frequently as he aimed to motivate and organize the locals to participate in an eco-environmental tourist project so that they could take the opportunity to become wealthy. By that time, the grassland of Shangri-La would be a wonderful picture – a wild collection of Tibetan tents …the uniquely Tibetan tent inn.
Walking into the Fourth New House of Drakpa Geden
In my visit to Shangri-La this time, Drakpa Geden invited me to his home again. We knew that the housing situation is an important indicator by which to measure the livelihood of local people. For my part, this is the fourth-generation house of Drakpa Geden. Sonam Drama, the elder sister of Drakpa Geden, never left her village. She had an old hut before peaceful liberation. In 1981, she built her new house. When her father came back from overseas, she built a wood house in 1993 that became the best house in the village. On this visit, I revisited this old building to remember the time I spent with the elder sister and her late father on my last visit. I still remember that at the entrance, close to the stairs inside the building, there was a picture of the whole family together with us. Nowadays, the brother-in-law of Drakpa Geden was still living at论文导读：kedveryhealthyandhappinessshowedinherilingface.SoonwehadatalkbyapplyingherLhasadialect.ItseemedtheoldgrandmotherwasespeciallyhappywhenspeakingLhasadialect.Aswetalked,alongdistancecallcametointerruptus.Shepickedupthephoneandspoketohergrandsonwho
this building and he was raising several Tibetan pigs in the courtyard of the house.
The fourth-generation house of Drakpa Geden is located not far from the old building built in 1993. Looking from distance, it has a white, brushed, high circular wall. The entrance door is built in Tibetan style. On seeing the host’s red, cross-country vehicle coming, several puppies ran toward us wagging their little tails. They looked very cute. Drakpa Geden is fond of dogs. He also has a lovely Tibetan mastiff.
In Drakpa Geden’s Living Room
In the house, there is a rectangular room at the entrance. It is decorated in a very elegant fashion. Drakpa Geden told us this was his living room. Walking inside, we found the room had most luxurious wooden furniture.
The main building of the house is located at the right side of the living room. It is a wooden two-story building. Inside it is equipped with modern furniture, including a fancy bathroom. Drakpa Geden ushered us to the living room on the second floor where an affable grandmother was sitting. Drakpa Geden introduced her to us: “This is my mother. She came back from India to settle down in 1993 just after you came to Dechen for the interview.” I walked to the old grandmother and greeted her by putting my hands together in front of my chest. From her Lhasa accent, I clearly understood she originated from Tibet, so I asked her to verify my judgment. She said that she came from Lhoka Prefecture of Tibet. Her name is Palma Drama and she is 82 years old. She looked very healthy and happiness showed in her iling face. Soon we had a talk by applying her Lhasa dialect. It seemed the old grandmother was especially happy when speaking Lhasa dialect. As we talked, a long distance call came to interrupt us. She picked up the phone and spoke to her grandson who was somewhere other than Yunnan Province. Drakpa Geden treated me to a big mug of sweet tea prepared by his mother… and then we talked while drinking.
Later, I was invited to visit Drakpa Geden’s reading room and bedrooms. He especially insisted on visiting his daughter’s room where the whole wall was pasted with award certificates and pictures. Chi Lhamo, his daughter, is 11 years old. Her mother is a beautiful lady of ethnic Naxi origin from Lijiang. She also had a Tibetan name: Tenzin Peldron. She works in the Bureau of Labor Works of the prefecture. Due to the day on which I visited being a weekday, the mother and daughter were both in the downtown where the fa论文导读：isreallya“backyard”;fullyplantedoutwithfruittreesofvariouskinds,accompaniedbyagrassarea,apilion,alittlepathandawoodenhut–alandofpeaceawayfromtheturmoiloftheworld.Speakingofhieelingsonreturningtohiotherlandafterabout20years,DrakpaGeden
mily had another house. As son, Drakpa Geden respects his mother very much. He drove a car to visit her every day and sometimes he might spend several days with her. While speaking of his daughter, Drakpa Geden always grew proud. Chi Lhamo has been receiving good school marks since she started school. She was class monitor as well as team leader of the Young Pioneers. Last year, her paper titled “My Father” won a special national award during the writing competition of students from primary schools. The daughter often swore that she would study hard to be enrolled by Peking University and Tsinghua University.
I said farewell to the grandmother. Drakpa Geden insisted on my visiting his backyard. This is really a “backyard”; fully planted out with fruit trees of various kinds, accompanied by a grass area, a pilion, a little path and a wooden hut – a land of peace away from the turmoil of the world.
Speaking of his feelings on returning to his motherland after about 20 years, Drakpa Geden commented: “My father had nostalgia for the motherland when he was overseas. He told me whatever happens we must return to our motherland and I tried my best to be good to the people in my hometown. For over 20 years, I he been keeping my father’s wishes. I believe positively that our choice of returning back to our motherland is the best decision that I he made in my lifetime. Today my life is the real ‘Shangri-La life’.”
After I went back to Beijing, I browsed the website of the Shangri-La Association for the Preservation and Development of Ethnic Cultural Diversity. I accidentally found a paragraph written by Drakpa Geden: “ShangriLa is the location that catches the hearts and minds of thousands people because of the snowy mountains, the grassland and the beautiful monasteries. This is my hometown that I would never deny. I will try my best to love and protect her…”