In China, the poet Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty ( 265–420 CE) described a kind of Shangri-La in his work The Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring. Ancient sources with similar descriptions LocationĪcademic scholars believe they have debunked the myth of Shangri-La and argued that this has less to do with an unexplored place and is more connected to a fantasy of the Western world. It may be used in this context alongside other mythical and famous examples of similar metaphors such as El Dorado, The Fountain of Youth, and The Holy Grail. It also might be used to represent a sought-for perfection in the form of love, happiness, or Utopian ideals. It is sometimes used as an analogy for a lifelong quest or something elusive but much sought for a man who spends his life obsessively looking for a cure to a disease, such a cure could be said to be that man’s “ Shangri-La.” Shangri-La is often used in a context similar to “Garden of Eden,” to represent a paradise hidden from modern man. Khembalung is one of several beyuls ( hidden lands similar to Shangri-La) believed to have been created by Padmasambhava in the 9th century as idyllic, sacred places of refuge for Buddhists during times of strife ( Reinhard, 1978). In the ancient Tibetan scriptures, the existence of seven such places is mentioned as Nghe-Beyul Khembalung.
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