Shangri-La Grand Canyon• Bala Gezong Scenic Area

Shangri-La Grand Canyon•Bala Gezong Scenic Area locates in the heart of the World Natural Heritage Site “Three Parallel Rivers”, which locates at the core of Hongshan Area, Nixi Town ship, Northwest Shangri-La County and joins the three provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet. It’s about 45 minutes drive from downtown (by the reconstructed and expanded second grade pavement of National Highway 214)

Bala Gezong Scenic Area totals 176 square kilometers. Bala Gezong Mountain is owns the highest peak in Shangri-La, with an elevation of 5545 meters; the lowest point is in the Southern Waters, 2000 meters, thus forming a relative height difference of 3545 meters. This spot has prominent Vertical Stereology of Climate and topography features, with a wide coverage of almost all ecological types and landscape resources in Dry-hot Valley and Modern Glacier belt.

Bala Gezong is rich in scenic attractions, distributed in orderly concentration with prominent emphasis. They combine in all 3-dimentions, famous for being high, deep, and precipitous. In spite, it attracts visitors for her mystification, wonderfulness and beauty. It integrates snow-capped mountains, valleys, forests, lakes, meadows, pastures, rivers, villages, providing an unique all-including tour. The special geographical climate of “one mountain divided into four seasons and different weather every ten lis” has created the unique wonders aloof from the outside world. “There is a canyon within or above another canyon and different canyons crisscross and connect with each other”, the overlapping gorges makes the most unique scene in Shangri-La Grand Canyon, and the only one comparable to the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. The pyramid-like snowy mountains, the magnificent canyons, the millennial-old Tibetan tribes, the sacred glacial lakes, the secluded rivers, the world’s unique and mysterious holy Shambhala Stupa recorded in the Tripitaka, makes Bala Gezong unparalleled Tibetan secret.

Bala Gezong has most superior geographical location. It lies in the core of the Golden Tourism Circle of Shangri-La County, Deqin County and Daocheng Aden in Sichuan; it is the throat of the traffic connecting Yunnan and Tibet, a significant counterpart of the Sichuan Tibetan Cultureal Triangle and a courier station of Tea and Horse Ancient Road. It is also the central hub connecting the major scenic spots of Shangri-La (Pudacuo, Meili Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Weixi Jinjin Monkey, Daocheng Aden, etc). Endowed richly geographical environment and in climate, altitude and scenic spots, Shangri-La has Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan folk customs and cultures as the flesh and blood. It is recognized by Chinese and foreign tourists as the Shangri-La Grand Canyon in Hilton’s book in real.

In the construction of the scenic spot, which backs to 1998, Bala Gezong Ecotourism Development Company had always followed the principle of “protective development, promote local economic by development, full use of the economic, ecological and social benefits of resource development”. Based on the local reality, adhering to the Shangri-La brand connotation, the aim is to develop high-standard spots integrating culture and scientific research in an eco-friendly way. After many years of efforts, the overall planning and environmental impact assessment of Shangri-La Grand Canyon Bala Gezong Scenic Area has completed and has been appraised and approved by experts and scholars at the request of the Provincial Tourism Bureau, the Provincial Planning Commission and the Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau respectively.

According to the general plan, the corporation has completed a total investment of nearly 350 million yuan in recent years in the construction of scenic infrastructure， the expropriation of land, the construction of eco-friendly highway pavement, 38 kilometers in length; the entrance guard system; the steel-framed path leading to highland pastures; the tourist environmental roads of all spots; in 214 electric transmission and transformation lines to the Bala Village; in the highway adjustment of the Yatu-Bala Village road, environmental optimization and asphalt paving; and in the construction of tourism infrastructures such as Maju Road; At present, it is ready to embrace large-scale tourists.

Bala Gezong Ecotourism Development corporation attaches great importance to the protective development of tourism resources as well as development of ethnical cultural resources, in order to perfectly combine the two aspects. Over the past few years, the company has published scenic albums “Bala over the clouds”, “Return to Bala” , “meet in Bala”“Special themed promo”, it has also introduced "Homeland", "Shangri-La", "The Death Squad to Save the Expeditionary Force" and many other film and television crews, and won the favor and praise from all walks of life in Kunming. On September 25th, 2009, the Bala Gezong Scenic Spot Recommendation was held in Chengdu. On May 21st, 2011, in Lijiang, the largest tourist hub of Yunnan province also held recommendations which contribute to the promotion and development of Shangri-La and to the tourism industry of Bala Gezong and its popularity.

The development and construction of the scenic spot has greatly stimulated the development of the local economy, embarked the sustainable development of tourism, effectively improved the living environment of local farmers, realized the "three links and one leveling", which completely changed the original situation of the lack of water, electricity, and highway; The development also largely increased the employment rate of farmers, by recruiting rural surplus labor to work in the scenic spot, not only increased farmers’ income, but also improved their cultural quality; effectively supported local farmers’ independent business projects such as Nixi chicken, Nixi clay pottery and other projects; The development enrolls local people in the construction of the scenic spots, and subcontract the sporadic and simple projects to the local people, so that the per capita annual income increases by some ten thousand yuan. At the same time, the development and construction of the scenic spot has greatly reduced the government's financial pressure and made an important contribution to the stability of the Tibetan region in Diqing Prefecture, Yunan Province.

Bala Gezong Scenic Area has been fully affirmed by governments at all levels and all walks of life. On April 26, 2009, it was awarded “International Ace Tourist Scenic Spot” by the Organizing Committee of World Tourism Elite Boao Summit; On December 28, 2009, it was rated as “National AAAA Tourist Scenic Spot” by the National Tourism Administration. On April 12, 2011, Shangri-La County Government approved the establishment of the “Bala Gezong Management Office of Hongshan District, “Three Parallel Rivers” National Scenic Area”, which marked Bala Gezong Scenic Area having two internationally renowned brands, respectively, “World Natural Heritage” and “National Scenic Spots”. Bala Gezong Ecotourism Development corporation has passed ISO9001:2000 and GB/T19001-2000 certification of China Quality Certification Center in regarding to quality management and ISO14001:2004 and GB/T24001-2004 certification in regards of environmental management. At the same time, Mr. Sina Dingzhu, Chairman and General Manager of the company, was awarded “Advanced Individual of Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Tourism Industry in Yunnan Province” by the Leading Group of Tourism Industry of Yunnan Province in February 2005; On September 30, 2007, he was awarded the title of “Advanced Worker” by the Diqing Prefecture Tibetan Autonomous Committee of Yunnan Province; on April 26, 2009, he was named “China Influence in Tourism ” by the Organizing Committee of the World Tourism Elite Boao Summit.

In order to further build international high-end tourism products and promote the second boom of Shangri-La's tourism, Bala Gezong Eco-tourism Development Co., Ltd. and Yunnan Cultural Industry Investment Holding Group formed a strategic partnership with other other for the integration and restructuring of the resources of the Bala Gezon Scenic Area, and jointly established Yunnan Shangri-La Bala Gezong Tourism Development Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 181.82 million yuan. This initiative aims for higher-end, more scientific and more in-depth tourism development in the Bala Gezong Scenic Area.

The new company adheres to the fine tradition of the past calling for hard work and also incorporates advanced management concepts. The management system is well-developed. There are one chairman of the board, one general manager, two deputy general managers and one chief financial officer. Under the top managerial level, the company sets up nine functional departments including the general affairs office, finance department, personnel department, sales and planning department, vehicle management department, scenic area department, reception office, Lijiang Office, Shangri-La Reception Center for individual tourists. At present, the company boasts 87 employees, including one with a master's degree, four with bachelor's degrees, 13 with 3-year college degrees, 14 with secondary school education, 38 with high school education, as well as 35 technical specialists.

In line with the relevant requirements of national-level scenic spots, and the purpose of promoting ecological protection through development, the company has completed the detailed planning of the national scenic spot of the “Three Parallel Rivers” Bala Gezong. The plan aims to continuously promote the development of scenic spots, construct the loop circling natural pagoda region and create a unique natural pagoda pilgrimage culture According to the plan, the company will continue to promote the development of various scenic spots in the scenic spots, open up the natural pagoda regional loop, and create a unique pilgrimage culture. The aim is to construct an encircling highway (asphalt road) to reach the canyon, snow mountain, meadow, forest, villages, natural Buddhist pagoda, and to enhance the reception capacity of Shui Zhuang. To build Shangri-La's only hot spring resort, so that the scenic area becomes a multi-functional tourism area which integrates eco-tourism, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, science and technology tourism and vacation tourism, making Bala Gezong a high-quality and large-scale tourist area in "Shangri-La Grand Canyon". Upon that goal, efforts will be made to build Bala Gezong into a national AAAAA scenic spot well-known at home and abroad so that it can make greater contributions to Shangri-La tourism in return.