Located in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, the Diqing Prefecture consists of three counties: Zhongdian, Deqing and Weixi. The Tibetan ethnic group people inhabit the scarcely populated land of 23,870 square kilometres. Other ethnic groups include Han, Bai, Naxi, Yi, Hui, Pumi, Lisu and Miao. On this land all the ethnic groups live together friendly. Different religions like Tibetan Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Catholicism, Islam, Bon and Dongba co-exist peacefully here. The prefecture is a holy place with a long history, and brilliant civilization. The relics of the Geden Neolithic Age, which was founded in Weixi County, proves that human beings lived in the area about 7,000 years ago. The unearthed stone coffins and other relics in Deqing County indicated that ancestors of the Diqing people had created a rich culture. The ancient Tea-Horse Road, also called the Southern Silk Road connecting China to India, Nepal and then whole South Asian subcontinent, runs across Diqing.

What makes Diqing an attractive tourist destination is the mysterious and graceful scenery. On the Diqing Plateau a group of snow-capped mountains at the lowest latitude in the northern hemisphere, namely, the Meili, Baimang, Haba and Balagengzong can be seen. The 6, 740-metre Kagebo Peak, the main peak of the Meili Snow Mountain, is the highest in Yunnan Province and is also honoured as one of the eight holy mountains by the Tibetan people. Other scenic spots include the Jinsha River, the source of the Yangtze River, the Lancang River, the Bitahai Lake, the White Water Terrace, the Songzanlin Temple and the Samage Natural Reserve. Tourists can actually see the Shangri-La * up close and personal in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The Sanjiang Region (Nujiang, Jinshanjiang, and Lancangjiang ) Natural Scenes

UNESCO listed the natural scenes of the Sanjiang Region, also known as Three Parallel Rivers as a World Heritage site, in southwest China's Yunnan Province on the 27th annual session of UNESCO in Paris on July 2, 2003. It became the 29th Chinese property to join the World Heritage List. The scenic area's name is derived from the three rivers-Nujiang, Jinshanjiang and Lancangjiang-which flow in parallel for more than 170 kilometres across northwestern Yunnan Province, and encompasses 41, 000 square kilometres. The region features the magnificent view of the three giant rivers, as well as the cultural interests of various ethnic groups in the area and rich biodiversity. The Sanjiang Region boasts rare high mountain landforms and outstanding biodiversity. The number of animal species alone in it accounts for more than 25 per cent of the nation's total. Meanwhile, it is also a place where 16 ethnic groups are located and that pools many languages, religions, and ethnic habits and cultures. Although the region only has less than 0.4 per cent of the total territory of China, it has more than 20 per cent kinds of advanced plants of the country's total. The region is of great importance for geographic study.