incl. 108 pages book

50 pages of color photos of the Shangri-La landscape, artists, monasteries, Tibetan monks, villagers, local customs and traditions.
6 pages of informative historical essays
12 pages of artist bios, detailed track notes and glossary of musical instruments
3 detailed color maps pinpointing the exact location of Shangri-La.
14 pages of candid and informative interviews with the Tibetan performing artists.

Linguistic Prototype: The word "Shangri-La" originated from the Zhongdian Dialect
Linguistically, the word "Shangri-La" was created according to Chinese pronunciation, but the English pronunciation originated from Tibetan dialect of Diqing. The standard Tibetan pronunciation is "Sem-Tsi-Ni-Da," but the pronunciation in Zhongdian dialect is "Shang Ni-La." This particular dialect still maintains the ancient Tibetan spelling and pronunciation. It is acutely different from the modern Tibetan language, as Zhongdian has been insulated by its geography and poor methods of transportation. In the Zhongdian Tibetan dialect, sem = heart, gai = of, and ni-la = sun and moon. In addition, the moon is called "dawa" in all other Chinese Tibetan areas, except for Zhongdian, where it is called "la." In Zhongdian, "the moon and the sun in the heart" is pronounced as "Shangri-La."

Ideological Prototype: Shangri-La means "the Sun and the Moon in the Heart"
The ideological implication contained in "the sun and the moon in the heart" is related to the ideal world. In Zhongdian, the Bon religious culture has been orally transmitted through generations for thousands of years. Its fundamental principle is "the sun and the moon are supreme and all creatures have souls." In addition, the most popular religion in Zhongdian, and concentrated along the borders of Sichuan and Yunnan, is the Ningma Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This sect interprets the "combination of the sun and the moon" to mean, "ingesting the sunshine to cultivate oneself" and "to combine with the universe into one to reach the realm of wisdom" as their fundamental method of practice.
The name "Diqing" (Bdae Chena) is a propitious Buddhist blessing which means "In the Pure Land, there is only happiness, and there is no misery." Obviously, this has a different meaning than Shangri-La's "the sun and the moon in the heart" but the ideological implications are consistent with each other. The culture of Bon religion worships the sun and the moon and pursues the relative idealism of Shangri-La. In Tibetan Buddhism, Diqing is a pronoun of "Pure Land where there is only happiness and there is no misery." Both embody ancestral beliefs of the Bon religion and Ningba Sect of harmonious co-existence with humanity and nature.

At the foot of Meili Snow Mountains, in the meadows and valleys of the Jinsha and Lancang Rivers or along the Ancient Path of Tea and Horses, the world will be able to experience Shangri-La through the medium of sound.