There is such a story—or legend—about Meili Snow Mountain. In 1991, a Sino-Japanese mountaineering team consisting of 11 Japanese and 6 Chinese members prepared to challenge the unconquered Meili Snow Mountain. When local...
The Sacred Mountain Will No Longer Be Trampled
Of course, regardless of the truth behind these prayers, the fact remains that the expedition ended in failure. That night, an unexpected massive avalanche claimed the lives of all 17 members. Years later, some of their remains were found on the Mingyong Glacier on the other side of the main peak of Meili Snow Mountain. Fifteen years after the accident, in 2006, the Kyoto University Alpine Club in Japan erected a memorial near the Tibetan Buddhist stupa in Mingyong Village. The inscription in Chinese reads: “Here lie the seventeen brave mountaineers from China and Japan.”
Although both China and Japan expressed mourning over the incident, for many local Tibetans, it further confirmed the inviolability of the sacred mountain. In fact, over the past century, mountaineering teams from the United States, Britain, Japan, China, and other countries have made several attempts to conquer Meili Snow Mountain, but all have ended in failure.
The Light of Faith
In many guesthouses in Shangri-La, innkeepers often write clear signs prohibiting the climbing of sacred mountains. And if you have the chance to chat with monks in the temples, they will also tell visitors stories of the sacred mountain’s divine manifestations. For Tibetans, climbing the sacred mountain is tantamount to trampling on their faith, and those who dare to desecrate the divine must be punished to appease the mountain gods.
Of course, if one holds no disrespect for the sacred mountain, catching a glimpse of Meili Snow Mountain in its true form can be considered one of life’s greatest fortunes. According to locals, seeing Meili Snow Mountain just once brings a whole year of good luck.
However, when we arrived at Feilai Temple, the sky was covered with thick clouds. Just as everyone was about to lose hope, the clouds suddenly parted, starlight poured down, and the outline of the snow-capped mountains ahead became visible. A bright moonlight illuminated the snowline of the thirteen peaks of Meili. Above the sky, the Milky Way shimmered like a ribbon adorned with diamonds. The colors around the Milky Way became rich and varied—subtle rose, gem blue, deep blue, emerald green, silver bright—and careful observation could distinguish each one. This profound and majestic beauty was like a painting, like poetry, like a mirage, indescribable.
The horizon opened up, giving a surreal feeling. In such moments, one is certain of the existence of the divine. In Meili Snow Mountain, if fortunate, one may witness the radiance of divinity.
The Sacred Mountain Occasionally Sighs
On the way from Shangri-La to Yubeng, it is common to see hikers carrying huge backpacks trekking along the path. Naturally, this journey also leaves behind various kinds of man-made trash—instant noodle boxes, bread wrappers, ham skin casings, and many other unidentifiable mud-covered items.
To minimize the pollution caused by trash in Yubeng, some Tibetans hang baskets on their mules’ backs and tie the mules to trees along the trail, prompting people to throw their litter into the baskets. Of course, some are conscientious and remember to collect and dispose of the trash properly, but others still forget their responsibility to nature.
From time to time, Tibetans voluntarily pick up trash along the path and transport it out of the mountains to places with waste disposal facilities. To them, even a small piece of garbage is a great disrespect to the divine. In truth, when divinity returns, it becomes human. And in this world, only humans, when they consider themselves great, may become another kind of god.
Beyond people’s attitudes toward trash, a more serious issue in Shangri-La is the protection of pristine forests. In Yubeng, each villager is allocated a certain quota of trees they are allowed to cut each year, meaning that villagers can legally harvest a certain amount of forest each year for fuel and income to sustain their livelihoods in these high-altitude regions.
However, even with this permitted quota, many still secretly cut down trees beyond their allowance. When human greed conflicts with nature conservation, people often prioritize their own needs. As a result, within Yubeng’s pristine forests, one can frequently spot large areas where trees have been clear-cut. These trees, which take decades or even centuries to mature, fall one after another with just the sound of chainsaws.
Without further protection, Yubeng may gradually follow in the footsteps of other areas in Shangri-La. — In the mid-to-late 20th century, Shangri-La still had vast stretches of pristine forests. But due to tourism development, economic demands, and the greed of certain individuals, these forests gradually disappeared, becoming irrecoverable, transforming the once-pristine woodlands into today’s alpine meadows. For example, in 1995, Diqing County, in order to address the expenses of local officials, unilaterally decided to cut down 100 square kilometers of pristine forest on the southern side of the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve. However, as some scholars have noted, religion has historically played an invaluable role in ecological protection. Even today, it seems that where religious sentiment is strong, the ecological environment tends to be better. Sacred sites still retain believers’ last shred of reverence for nature, and this reverence sustains the fragile environment, cutting off selfish desires.
Some devout religious followers also believe that true believers would never destroy the world created by the divine, not even a single blade of grass or tree within it.
In this world, the power of the divine may ultimately depend on humanity itself.